A Quick Primer on Stoic Thought

If you want to have a richer understanding of the Stoic philosophy, it's time to read Diogenes Laertius's Book 7. Diogenes wrote The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, one of the great resources we've used to reconstruct ancient philosophical beliefs. In Book 7, Diogenes covers Zeno, the founder of Stoicism. Book 7 gives a detailed explanation of stoic thoughts on Nature, Logic, Ethics, Goodness, Virtue, the evaporation cycle, and how eyeballs work. Seriously, it gets into detail. The great thing is, Book 7 is free online and it's not an extremely long read. Diogenes provides us with unique insight into the Stoic system. Bookmark it, then read it, because the Enchiridion is not enough!

Seriously, the Enchiridion is not enough. Neither are Marcus Aurelius's Meditations or Seneca's letters. Epictetus's Handbook, as compiled by Arrian, is a Cliff Notes version of Stoicism and an incomplete one at that. It's basically the sort of thing that would be handed to First Years at Hogwarts. Here's some basics, stay out of the way of the big kids, and no you can't take Defense Against the Dark Arts yet! Epictetus's Discourses give us much more, but those lectures assume a framework of knowledge in the audience that we aren't given access to (except through Diogenes). Marcus Aurelius is journaling his personal  experience as a Stoic, which is illuminating, but he's not laying out a philosophical framework. He's attempting to live within that framework. Seneca...well he has a lot of good stuff! Diogenes is a quicker, more concise read. Also, Diogenes is laying out Stoic thought simply to explain it. Whereas Seneca is presenting his own ideas; Stoicism with a flourish. So dig into Diogenes. A quick read will be helpful. A second and third pass will acquaint you with how very particular, and peculiar, Stoic thinking can be. Bonus: the natural sciences comments are a riot. One minute Stoics are correctly explaining eclipses, the next they're talking about how earthquakes are caused by underground winds. Good stuff!

• Book Seven - free for download from The University of Adelaide*
• Diogenes Laertius, Book 7 - paperback by C.D.Younge and Keith Seddon

*I replaced earlier online versions of Book 7 with the one above after it was pointed out by the Reddit user MindfulMonk. It's in a much more useful format and I'm thankful to know about it.

Review: Epictetus, Loeb Classical Library

The dustcover on my copy of Epictetus: Discourses Books 3-4, Fragments, The Encheiridion is falling apart. It's a compact book, but thick since it's printed in both original Greek and the English translation. The cover is worn because I read it at least weekly, if not daily. Epictetus comes with me on trips. His words served me well in New York during Hurricane Sandy and over the holidays visiting family. A practicing Stoic doesn't need this particular printing of Epictetus' works, but every Stoic should be immersed in Epictetus' words.

The Loeb Classical Library edition comes in two volumes. The second is the long title I mentioned at the start. The first is Epictetus: Discourses Books 1-2. Both volumes are printed with the Greek text facing an English translation. This is part of the reason I purchased the Loeb set. I have minor experience with ancient Greek and I find it can be helpful to look at the actual word used by the author from time to time. Trust me, if you ever see the word love used in an English translation of a Greek sentence, you have no idea what the writer actually meant.​ The other reason I have the Loeb edition has to do with my religious past. I used to have a bible with me everywhere I went. I'd missed having a source text to review. Now these books are on my nightstand. They have heft. They feel and smell like a book should. It feels good to have a tangible reminder of my philosophy close at hand.

​Epictetus' works are the only lengthy thoughts of a stoic teacher that we have access to. For all the helpful guidance that can be found in Seneca and Marcus Aurelius' writings, they were not teachers, but practitioners. They are our peers. Epictetus was a teacher, devoted wholly to the teaching of Stoic principles. He didn't write the Discourses, etc... himself. An industrious student named Arrian wrote down his lessons and left us with a detailed, if haphazardly arranged outline of Epictetus' teaching sessions. I am so glad that he was a good note taker.

If you were inclined to only purchase one of the two volumes, it's the second that is most necessary. ​No Stoic should be without the Encheiridion (the Handbook). The Handbook consists of 52, often short, chapters of condensed Stoic thought. It was meant to guide new Stoics. It is invaluable. The Handbook's opening sentence is arguably the most famous Stoic quote, "Some things are under our control, while others are not under our control." From there he lays out the Stoic life. The Discourses themselves are lengthier discussions of the same thoughts found in the Handbook. They are worth wrestling with.

Get yourself a copy of Epictetus' works. The Loeb edition will last you a lifetime but there are also free versions online (some with less than perfect translations). In any case, one of our ancient teachers is still able to instruct us. That's a gift that should not be passed up.​

Epictetus Volume One/Volume Two​

Review: The Inner Citadel

Few modern stoic texts have influenced my understanding of the philosophy more than Pierre Hadot's The Inner Citadel. I've heard the book referred to as a study of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. It is that, in part. However, Hadot's deep knowledge of ancient thought makes it much more than an explanatory text. He expounds on Aurelius' words. He shows the influence of earlier teachers, and illuminates what seems to be uniquely Aurelius. More important to the stoic practitioner, Hadot takes a bare philosophical framework and fleshes it out. The Inner Citadel presents a livable philosophy. Hadot brings out ideas that can be locked within the original stoic texts for years if a student is left to personal reflection.

This is not to say that Hadot is a sage, or that all his thoughts are unimpeachable. Not at all. However, his work serves to elevate the discourse surrounding Stoicism. I find myself continuously returning to his chapters on the Three Disciplines, which alone make the book indispensable.

So yes, I like The Inner Citadel. I do not suggest handing it out as a gift for people new to the philosophy. It's not that sort of book, unless your pal is really into wisdom literature in which case, go for it. The Inner Citadel is for those of us who already practice stoicism in our daily lives. For us, it can expand our knowledge of the philosophy and assist in shaping our inner discourse.

The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius