Meditations and Other Classics of Stoic Philosophy

by Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus

The philosophy of stoicism advocated living a virtuous life in harmony with nature, with the goal of achieving happiness. Although stoicism flourished in the third century bce, the core values of its philosophy—to live and behave ethically in accordance with rules of the natural order—are still relevant today.
 
This omnibus anthology includes a selection of works by three of the greatest Stoic  

The complete Meditations of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, his classic text on enlightenment through self-judgment Selected dialogues and essays of Seneca, including “Of Providence” and “On Clemency” Selected discourses of the Greek philosopher Epictetus, including the text of his Enchiridion This special edition features an elegantly designed cover and a durable flexible binding. It is an indispensable addition to any home history library.

Genres: Philosophy, History

399 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2023

About the author

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (often referred to as "the wise") was Emperor of the Roman Empire from 161 to his death in 180. He was the last of the "Five Good Emperors", and is also considered one of the more important Stoic philosophers. His two decades as emperor were marked by near continual warfare. He was faced with a series of invasions from German tribes, and by conflicts with the Parthian Empire in the east. His reign also had to deal with an internal revolt in the east, led by Avidius Cassius.

Marcus Aurelius' work Meditations, written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, is still revered as a literary monument to a government of service and duty and has been praised for its "exquisite accent and its infinite tenderness."

Reviews

[Jamey Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely binding and a selection of essential readings from Stoics—a great one stop shop. Translations are clunkier than people expect these days, but what else could you expect from public domain philosophy texts sold at a bargain price?

[Noah Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I Liked & Key Takeaways:

First of all, reading three different authors from the Roman Empire in the first and second centuries gave me reassurance that people really haven't changed. Everyday struggles, thoughts, temptations, social peculiarities, and even some humor is much the same. I found that stoic philosophy is filled with wisdom that is directly applicable for anyone. With many entries I could draw connections to Scripture. It became evident to me why early Christians adopted much of what these philosophers had to say. The principles of self-governance and virtue fit so neatly with the principles of Scripture. Both call attention to the responsibility of the individual to put things of life in proper order. That said, I would not say the philosophy portrayed by these Stoics teach selflessness, though they teach humility, they do not teach that death is the result of sin, though they teach not to fear death. There are clear gaps in the philosophy that can only be filled by a recognition of the depravity of man and our need for a Savior. There is much piety is the negative sense of the word that may result from Stoicism alone. But the precepts put forth encapsulate so much wisdom that reach their fullest potential under the submission of Christ.

What Could Be Better?

I slogged through this. Some entries were pure gold. But others, I had no clue what they were saying. I attribute this more to my lack of context and smaller intelligence. I was also hoping for more commentary of Christianity. There were a couple mentions of it, but religion was largely ignored aside from common mention to God, the gods, Zeus, etc..

Quotes Worthy of Quoting:
See previous updates.

Would I Recommend & Would I Reread?
I would recommend this for sure! Would I recommend people read it straight through like I did? Probably not unless they simply enjoy it. It's a lot. I will reread this as a reference, but likely will not read it all the way through again. That said, I'm glad I did once. Once is enough.

[Genevieve Novara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would love to have a chat with Marcus Aurelius

[Pat Mettler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meditations is still peak literature. Seneca’s letters are really good and I found them to be interesting even if he does seem to somewhat repeat himself for a while at the end of each letter. Epictetus has some good thoughts but I found myself finding a fair amount of things I disagreed with in his teachings. Seems like he views life as more of a job instead of something to enjoy and appreciate. Overall yes very great big shout out to Stoicism.

[Ryan Grenier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good selection of works, though some of the translations could certainly be better.

[Chad Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author's private writings on how to be a good man.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t like Meditations or Epictetus, but really enjoyed Seneca