Good day, brothers. A good friend of mine here recently wrote me and said “Old Bill, you mention Stoicism in nearly every post, what’s it all about? How about a few links to help a brother out?” I’ll tell you I felt like a fool for not have providing some information earlier!
Thanks to a brother’s gentle nudge, I’ll start with a magazine article on the current rebirth of Stoicism, add a blog on Stoicism in general, add another blog on applying Stoicism to daily life, drop in a series of podcasts, and finish with an archive.org link to a Stoic Library.
In all those links you’ll run across the same names over and over. Men like Seneca the Younger, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and James Stockdale. Much of what these men wrote can be found free on-line at places like The Gutenberg Project and much of what these men wrote can best be thought of as “thinking prompts”.
Much like writing prompts which are used to inspire creative writing, the thinking prompts – or epigrams – found in most stoic writings are meant to be mulled over, start you thinking, or spark an insight. For example, you’re not meant to read Aurelius’ Meditations from cover to cover. Instead, you’re supposed to page through until an epigram speaks to a problem, deficit, or puzzle in your life. You then use that epigram to work towards developing an understanding of the condition you’re facing.
Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of this guided introspection soon enough so let’s get on to the links.
First, a magazine article that will introduce you to current rebirth of Stoicism. You’ll be surprised at the all the places where it’s been showing up lately:
http://puffin.creighton.edu/phil/Stephens/rebirth_of_stoicism.htm
Next, a blog dedicated to Stoicism. It’s a good place to being your journey and will provide plenty of suggestions for further investigation. Check out the blog’s “What is Stoicism” post first.
http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/stoicismtoday/
Next, a blog dedicated to the many aspects of self-improvement. The blog owner uses Stoic principles and in the linked post explains both Stoicism and how he applies it.
Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs
Next, a series of podcasts. The podcaster writes for RoK and posts regularly at the forum there, but he isn’t a PUA. I’ve linked to his Soundcloud page. Not every podcast there deals with Stocism, but those that do are easy enough to pick out. (The other podcasts are also worth listening to as most deal with classical philosophy and thought.)
Finally, a link to The Stoic Library. The site is currently being rebuilt, but the archive.org stored version still works. Here you’ll find links to all kinds of content to explore. The works of the men I listed earlier, plus plenty of others, will be there for the finding.
Hopefully, all of this will help those of you interested in Stoicism to begin exploring the topic. I became interested in Stoicism decades ago and began seriously study of it in my thirties. I’ve found Stoicism and it’s tenets to be of great help to me because, unlike many philosophies, Stoicism focuses on actually applying it’s tenets to both daily life and the real world.
Have fun reading!
Do not date. Do not impregnate. Do not co-habitate. Above all, do not marry. Reclaim and never again surrender your personal sovereignty.
Cú Chulainn 2 years, 4 months ago.
