Great reading....very practical and helpful...really appreciate your efforts to further clarify these really important principles of practice....
These teachings are just so practical.... it's amazing....
I can remember one day driving to work, and wishing to myself that the person at which my frustrations were currently directed could be a better driver. But then I thought, hey, I'm desiring something that's not up to me. Bingo, I laughed at myself!!!
I've been drawn to revisit this article several times since it was published. I think its appeal to me personally is the numbered points. It may sound laughable, but I just love lists. This is one of the reasons I love studying Buddhism (the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, etc.). There's even a "Buddhist Cheatsheet" you can google that collects these simple points. If one were to make a similar "List of Lists" for Stoicism, what would it include? The Four Virtues, obviously. What else?
Thanks. At 14 I read both Epictetus and Maximus. My sister’s books from her freshman course at Radcliffe. I borrowed. Re read regularly. I now get your posts on e mail/ patroon. There I can make tripe bigger at 80 with age related degenerate macula, needed. Substack for some reason does not allow the I pad two finger magnification
Concise, no extra bits. A beautiful nutshell. Every day of "Practice" enhances/grows my universe. Your words, and clear thinking, have served me well on my stoic journey. Thank you greatly…
I have been re-reading The Wisest One in The Room: How You Can Benefit from Social Psychology's Most Powerful Insights by Social-Cognitive psychologists Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross (Ross termed the fundamental attribution error). I was wondering if you have read this work and/or what your thoughts are regarding this book and Stoicism. If not, Id love for your thoughts!
Wow! Thanks for the crash course! I have forwarded this excellent essay to fifteen friends. I intend to transcribe the gems and make drawings, in a little notebook I can fit in my pocket. Also thank you for your lovely photographs. Taking a long flight hurts the cosmopolis, yet I desire to visit Greece for good reasons. A conundrum!
Which translation of the Enchiridion do you use? I'm afraid I've been relying on my "Dover Thrift Editions" copy the whole time and your version seems a lot more felicitous/contemporary. Indeed, the passage on Chryssipus seems totally different.
As an academic who did a PhD in the humanities that Chryssipus line actually brought me a lot of comfort when I first read it because I found myself very intimidated by my fellow students and professors who seemed to understand all of the difficult theory and criticism texts we read. My edition reads something like:
"Do not be impressed if someone has told you that they've read and understood all of the works of Chryssipus. If Chryssipus had not written obscurely this man would have nothing to be proud of!"
I mean, eventually I became a much better reader of theory but the line made me feel a lot better about myself as a student and about my own potential for growth. But also, I related strongly to the study of obscure writings.
Great reading....very practical and helpful...really appreciate your efforts to further clarify these really important principles of practice....
These teachings are just so practical.... it's amazing....
I can remember one day driving to work, and wishing to myself that the person at which my frustrations were currently directed could be a better driver. But then I thought, hey, I'm desiring something that's not up to me. Bingo, I laughed at myself!!!
Thank you Massimo and Epictetus!
What an amazing article! I read and re-read it and re-read it.
I've been drawn to revisit this article several times since it was published. I think its appeal to me personally is the numbered points. It may sound laughable, but I just love lists. This is one of the reasons I love studying Buddhism (the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, etc.). There's even a "Buddhist Cheatsheet" you can google that collects these simple points. If one were to make a similar "List of Lists" for Stoicism, what would it include? The Four Virtues, obviously. What else?
Thanks. At 14 I read both Epictetus and Maximus. My sister’s books from her freshman course at Radcliffe. I borrowed. Re read regularly. I now get your posts on e mail/ patroon. There I can make tripe bigger at 80 with age related degenerate macula, needed. Substack for some reason does not allow the I pad two finger magnification
Concise, no extra bits. A beautiful nutshell. Every day of "Practice" enhances/grows my universe. Your words, and clear thinking, have served me well on my stoic journey. Thank you greatly…
So wonderful, so helpful! Send me (and every reader of this writing!) a bill!
Dear Dr. Pigliucci,
I have been re-reading The Wisest One in The Room: How You Can Benefit from Social Psychology's Most Powerful Insights by Social-Cognitive psychologists Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross (Ross termed the fundamental attribution error). I was wondering if you have read this work and/or what your thoughts are regarding this book and Stoicism. If not, Id love for your thoughts!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25205421-the-wisest-one-in-the-room
Be well!
Jordan
Massimo - thank you for boiling down Stoicism. Always helpful to have you guiding the way and reminding us of the fundamentals!
Epictetus was an astonishingly modern, contemporary sounding guy. Are sure you didn't just make him up?
Wow! Thanks for the crash course! I have forwarded this excellent essay to fifteen friends. I intend to transcribe the gems and make drawings, in a little notebook I can fit in my pocket. Also thank you for your lovely photographs. Taking a long flight hurts the cosmopolis, yet I desire to visit Greece for good reasons. A conundrum!
Which translation of the Enchiridion do you use? I'm afraid I've been relying on my "Dover Thrift Editions" copy the whole time and your version seems a lot more felicitous/contemporary. Indeed, the passage on Chryssipus seems totally different.
As an academic who did a PhD in the humanities that Chryssipus line actually brought me a lot of comfort when I first read it because I found myself very intimidated by my fellow students and professors who seemed to understand all of the difficult theory and criticism texts we read. My edition reads something like:
"Do not be impressed if someone has told you that they've read and understood all of the works of Chryssipus. If Chryssipus had not written obscurely this man would have nothing to be proud of!"
I mean, eventually I became a much better reader of theory but the line made me feel a lot better about myself as a student and about my own potential for growth. But also, I related strongly to the study of obscure writings.
This is a wonderfully understandable guide to the teachings of Epuctetus.