Bibliograph

Stoic stories, a heroic account of stoicism, Neel Burton

Type

Label

Stoic stories, a heroic account of stoicism, Neel Burton

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Stoic stories

Nature of contents

bibliography

Responsibility statement

Neel Burton

Series statement

Ancient wisdom series

Sub title

a heroic account of stoicism

Summary

This is a book of Stoic stories: stories about Stoics, stories told by Stoics, and stories with a Stoic bent. Snuck between these heroic tales, and exemplified by them, are the main tenets of Stoic philosophy, served up in small, bite-size chunks. In the Classical World, the old religion privileged ritual over doctrine, and people turned instead to philosophy for guidance and consolation. In the imperial period, Stoicism rose into the foremost philosophy among the Roman elite. It was, in a sense, the real religion of ruling Romans, including, under the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the emperor himself. In that much, Stoicism can be thought of as the first and original self-help. But ancient though they are, Stoic principles and practices are timeless and universal insofar as they speak to our deepest human nature: for all our progress in science, technology, and education, we are still plagued and tormented by anger, fear, greed, grief, death, and mis-living. Unlike many modern interventions, Stoicism is not merely about feeling better, but about being better—which, all considered, is the surest way of feeling better, and not just better but better than ever before. --Page 4 of cover

Table Of Contents

Preface ; Introduction ; A note on the book cover ; 1. Zeno’s Shipwreck ; 2. The Dogs of Athens ; 3. The First Stoic ; 4. Hercules at the Crossroads ; 5. The Happy Hedonists ; 6. The Second Hercules ; 7. The Second Founder ; 8. Philosophy Goes to Rome ; 9. The Scipionic Circle ; 10. Cato’s Suicide ; 11. Cicero’s Murder ; 12. Porcia’s Trial ; 13. The Ghost of Creusa ; 14. The Two-Faced Philosopher ; 15. The Letter to the Emperor ; 16. Seneca Above the Bathhouse ; 17. Musonius in Exile ; 18. The Stoic Opposition ; 19. The Slave Who Freed Himself ; 20. The Philosopher-King ; Final Words ; Notes

Classification

Creator