Ask the Author: Donald J. Robertson
Answered Questions (7)
Donald J. Robertson
Sorry about this but I actually just saw your question! That's a tough one. I think it might be worth knowing that although people often think of Stoicism as a "Greek" philosophy, there are several indications that it was seen as a foreign immigrant philosophy at Athens for some time. Zeno, the founder, was probably Phoenician and seems to have been looked down on or mocked by some Athenians as a member of a minority ethnic group.
Aristo, a controversial student of Zeno, who actually seems to have become the most popular Stoic for a while, left the Agora to go and teach in a gymnasium outside the city walls called the Cynosarges, where poorer citizens, illegitimate children, and non-citizens exercised and talked. So he probably, in a sense, appealed to the poorer, excluded, and minority groups in Athens at that time.
As for how Stoic philosophy could help today. I think the short answer, as Aristo would say, is that everything comes back to the same fundamental principles. For the Stoics, (social) justice is a virtue, which comprises both fairness and kindness toward others but they balanced that with acceptance of the fact that external events are always ultimately in the hands of fate. Stoicism is about squaring the circle of ethics by remaining committed to acting morally in the world while nevertheless avoiding becoming so entangled with external events that we drive ourselves crazy, or just get angry and frustrated. It's about trying to find a way to care without making ourselves neurotic, if you like. And the Stoic distinction between different types of value attempts to give us a philosophy geared toward doing that.
Aristo, a controversial student of Zeno, who actually seems to have become the most popular Stoic for a while, left the Agora to go and teach in a gymnasium outside the city walls called the Cynosarges, where poorer citizens, illegitimate children, and non-citizens exercised and talked. So he probably, in a sense, appealed to the poorer, excluded, and minority groups in Athens at that time.
As for how Stoic philosophy could help today. I think the short answer, as Aristo would say, is that everything comes back to the same fundamental principles. For the Stoics, (social) justice is a virtue, which comprises both fairness and kindness toward others but they balanced that with acceptance of the fact that external events are always ultimately in the hands of fate. Stoicism is about squaring the circle of ethics by remaining committed to acting morally in the world while nevertheless avoiding becoming so entangled with external events that we drive ourselves crazy, or just get angry and frustrated. It's about trying to find a way to care without making ourselves neurotic, if you like. And the Stoic distinction between different types of value attempts to give us a philosophy geared toward doing that.
Donald J. Robertson
No, I don't think the format of that book would lend itself very easily to an audiobook, to be honest. I'd like to record other audiobooks in the future, though.
Donald J. Robertson
There are many ways Stoicism could be applied to these things. In the ancient world, Stoicism helped people to cope with similar "news" and rhetoric from the Sophists. Some things are the same. I couldn't sum up all the Stoic advice in a single comment - see my books for a more detailed discussion - but, e.g., the Stoics advise us to practice viewing events within a much wider context, looking at the whole picture, in order to maintain perspective on them.
Donald J. Robertson
It's out now! You can see the listing her e on the publisher's website:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
Donald J. Robertson
Feel free to send me a copy. I have quite a large pile of books people have sent me to read and review, though. So I won't always have time to get round to reading them all, unfortunately.
Donald J. Robertson
Yes, I think so. There are some statistics but nothing that you should have problems understanding.
Donald J. Robertson
Just finished writing a prose biography of Marcus Aurelius for Yale University Press' Ancient Lives series. Currently promoting Verissimus, our graphic novel about Marcus Aurelius, and working on a new book, to be announced soon!
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