Tag: Marcus Aurelius

Epictetus, in an eighteenth-century English artist’s imagining.

1,834 words

Socrates was not in prison since he was there of his own free will. — Epictetus

I’m free.
And freedom tastes of reality.
— The Who

We should talk about slavery. Goodness knows, it’s not a subject we hear talked about much these days. That’s my dose of irony, now for some history. If you were at school or college today in the West, you would know that no slavery existed until a man called Jim Crow had his people — probably the Ku Klux Klan, or Donald Trump’s ancestors — sail to Africa, cast black people into chains, and then bring them back to America to pick cotton and be lynched. (more…)

927 words

In the Contributor Notes of a recent issue of Philosophy Now magazine, one of the authors, Sailee Khurjekar, is described thusly:

She is passionate about intersectional feminism, and the representation of minorities in public life. She hopes to use her experiences as a female British Indian with Borderline Personality Disorder to advocate for diversity within education.[1]

Ms. Khurjekar’s bio is somewhat grammatically ambiguous. (more…)

Epictetus.

1,447 words

Philosophy is a subject that never really sparked my interest. While I understand that philosophy is important to living a virtuous life, I simply think that virtue and morality are useless if you are forced to live around people that do not share your same morals and virtues. This is the situation that white people are now facing in our own countries. (more…)

1,071 words

Cultural hygiene is a must. Every day, you must try to consume culture that is educational, that elevates your soul, but also culture which puts you in sync with your society. That is a tough dilemma.

Thus, I am on the lookout for old, good films. Generally speaking, older is better.

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) is an amusing epic, especially if you can enjoy the Sixties kitsch. The film is attractive in that it does try to show some aspects of Roman life which most films ignore: the animal sacrifices for omens, the Roman saluting, the enthusiastic “Hails Caesars.”  (more…)

150 words

Good night, Marcus. Blow out the light
and close your book. Where Ursa runs
the stars’ alarm now fills the night.
Heaven speaks to us in tongues,
a barbarian’s fear-stricken shriek
your Latin cannot understand.
Eternal terror, dark and bleak,
reigns over our frail mortal land. (more…)

2,026 words

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are a remarkable spiritual diary and, in general, a sure way for the modern reader to imbue himself with the practical wisdom of our ancient forefathers. That said, I do not believe we should uncritically defer to anything, and on two points in particular, I believe comment and criticism are warranted.

Firstly, a pervasive theme of Marcus’ is his struggle to control his judgment and emotions, in particular anger, and thus be as detached and “philosophical” as possible. (more…)

1,112 words

Marcus Aurelius
Meditations
Trans. Robin Hard
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011

The following are quotes, sometimes edited for succinctness, from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. These statements are incantatory, meant to truly internalize and affirm simple yet profound truths for daily life. For daily life has no need for the distraction and artifice of full argumentation (more…)

1,138 words

English original here

Pierre Hadot
Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault
Ed. Arnold I. Davidson, trans. Michael Chase
Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 1995

El tema de Pierre Hadot es extenso. Él presenta una nueva forma de entender la naturaleza de la filosofía antigua y cómo deberíamos leerla. (more…)

1,063 words

Spanish translation here

Pierre Hadot
Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault
Ed. Arnold I. Davidson, trans. Michael Chase
Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 1995

Pierre Hadot’s topic is sweeping. He presents a new understanding of the nature of ancient philosophy and how we should read it. (more…)

Ecstatic with herself

3,166 words

The world of academia is full of hyper-inflated academics with multiple titles, prizes, honors, publications, grants and “original” ideas. Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, is a typical case in point; (more…)

Clemency of Marcus Aurelius, detail, Capitoline Museum

3,381 words

Part 4 of 5

Ricardo Duchesne
The Uniqueness of Western Civilization
Leiden: Brill, 2011

(more…)