Money and Finance
- Alain De Botton On The Stoics
Link to article: The Great Philosophers 2: The Stoics ‘Stoicism’ was a philosophy that flourished for some 400 years in Ancient Greece and Rome, gaining widespread support among all classes of society. It had one overwhelming and highly practical...
- Stoicism Quotes, Thoughts, And Readings
Here are the thoughts and quotes I’ve collected that relate to Stoicism that I review on a regular basis, for those that might be interested. And then at the bottom of this post are some reading recommendations for those looking to learn more. Stoicism...
- Nassim Taleb On Stoics And Stoicism
From Fooled by Randomness:"Having control over randomness can be expressed in the manner in which one acts in the small and the large. Recall that epic heroes were judged by their actions, not by the results. No matter how sophisticated our choices, how...
- Tim Ferriss - Google Io Ignite - Practical Pessimism
Link Related Tim Ferriss links: Book - The 4-Hour Workweek Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs On The Shortness of Life: An Introduction to Seneca Related previous post: The Wisdom of the Stoics: Selections from Seneca, Epictetus, and...
- Bbc Radio 4's In Our Time Programme On Stoicism
An audio program on Stoicism (about 42 minutes). The philosophy of Stoicism was founded by Zeno in the fourth century BC and flourished in Greece and then in Rome. Its ideals of inner solitude, forbearance in adversity and the acceptance of fate won many...
Money and Finance
William Irvine Interview (May 2012)
Irvine’s new book, A Slap in the Face: Why Insults Hurt--And Why They Shouldn't, was just released. It is a follow-up to his book A Guide to the Good Life.
Jim Fleming: Although it can be uncomfortable, to look death in the face, contemplatives and philosophers have been doing that for a millennium. Zen Buddhists and Hindu Mystics, the Hedonists of Ancient Greece, the Cynics of Rome, when philosopher William Irvine went looking philosophy of life, he wandered those obvious paths. Then he stumbled upon the Stoics. Irvine says Stoicism teaches that minding our mortality can help us live a more joyful life.
Irvine: Stoics thought a lot about death. When you tell people that, they think it’s a horribly morbid thing to do. The thing about death is, if you fully realize that your days on earth are limited, it can have the effect of making you want to maximize your use of those days. You want to reach a stage where we wake up in the morning; it is a cause for excitement and joy.
Jim Fleming: Yeah, that is really a wonderful thing; it is exactly the opposite of the way an awful lot of people do it. You wake up in the morning and you think, “OK, I have one day less.” The end is coming closer, your saying forget about it. Not exactly forget about it. Acknowledge it and take joy in the fact that you are still here.
Irvine: Yeah, you don’t dwell on death. You contemplate it. The contemplation consists of flickering thoughts that go through your mind. Suppose I’m doing something utterly ordinary. Suppose I’m taking a walk with my wife, simple enough a thing, but while I’m doing it, I find myself, trying to imagine what this event will seem like retrospectively. I can easily imagine a situation where I have outlived my wife, or that I’m old and bed ridden in a nursing home and can’t walk. Under those circumstances, I would find myself wanting to go back in time, to that very walk, then the thought to return to the present, but here I am, actually experiencing the thing that I someday might really wish I could experience.
……………..
Related previous posts:
William B. Irvine: Older and Wiser: Ancient Advice on Aging Well
The Wisdom of the Stoics: Selections from Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius
Nassim Taleb on Stoics and Stoicism
Related books:
A Slap in the Face: Why Insults Hurt--And Why They Shouldn't
A Guide to the Good Life
On Desire: Why We Want What We Want
Seneca: Letters from a Stoic
The Discourses of Epictetus - The Handbook - Fragments
Marcus Aurelius: Meditations
Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings
- Alain De Botton On The Stoics
Link to article: The Great Philosophers 2: The Stoics ‘Stoicism’ was a philosophy that flourished for some 400 years in Ancient Greece and Rome, gaining widespread support among all classes of society. It had one overwhelming and highly practical...
- Stoicism Quotes, Thoughts, And Readings
Here are the thoughts and quotes I’ve collected that relate to Stoicism that I review on a regular basis, for those that might be interested. And then at the bottom of this post are some reading recommendations for those looking to learn more. Stoicism...
- Nassim Taleb On Stoics And Stoicism
From Fooled by Randomness:"Having control over randomness can be expressed in the manner in which one acts in the small and the large. Recall that epic heroes were judged by their actions, not by the results. No matter how sophisticated our choices, how...
- Tim Ferriss - Google Io Ignite - Practical Pessimism
Link Related Tim Ferriss links: Book - The 4-Hour Workweek Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs On The Shortness of Life: An Introduction to Seneca Related previous post: The Wisdom of the Stoics: Selections from Seneca, Epictetus, and...
- Bbc Radio 4's In Our Time Programme On Stoicism
An audio program on Stoicism (about 42 minutes). The philosophy of Stoicism was founded by Zeno in the fourth century BC and flourished in Greece and then in Rome. Its ideals of inner solitude, forbearance in adversity and the acceptance of fate won many...