Are you Evil?
I’ve thought long and hard on this for a very long time, years, in fact, ploughing my way through the moral maze of intent, unintended consequence and much, much more Continue Reading
Philosophy at a funeral; a lived experience…
News of death Last year my maternal grandmother passed away, she was in her eighties. Some background is in order: my grandmother was taken ill to hospital and was eight Continue Reading
Stoic deconstructionism – looking at the way things are
There is a passage in Book 6 of Marcus Aurelius’ meditations, which I found outlined an interesting method. Marcus wrote of a perspective that deconstructs the appearance of things, more of Continue Reading
Doing a Chrysippus
The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus (279 – c. 206 BC) was a major figure in Stoicism, he was head of that school and was reputed to be a prolific Continue Reading
Marcus Aurelius on time, entropy, history and the love of life…
I absolutely love Marcus Aurelius, I’ve never met him of course (I’m much too young for that), but I’ve read his works and in a sense, the spirit of the Continue Reading
10 Ways to deal with your enemies like a Roman Emperor
I’ve always been the type of guy who thought that he didn’t have enemies in life. I was the nice guy, I did nice things, I was kind to everyone, Continue Reading
Epictetus on insulting behavior and character assassination…
When I was a kid, going to school and growing up in the 1970’s the adults around us used to encourage us to be unbothered or indifferent to the name Continue Reading
The Tyranny of Positive Thinking
I’ve got an app on my desktop that helpfully shows me little philosophical proverbs and quotes, every day. It’s been very good in the recent past but has crossed the Continue Reading
The Stoic approach to life and death.
“Nobody is born on purpose,” that’s an oft-quoted remark from one of my favourite tv shows at the moment, namely ‘Rick and Morty,’ that underlines a profound truth, that as Continue Reading
Stoicism and Seneca on OCD and anxiety.
We’ve all suffered from bouts of obsessive-compulsive disorder, checking the door multiple times to make sure that it’s locked is incredibly common, worrying about things that you cannot control is Continue Reading
Marcus Aurelius on injury, anger and betrayal
One of the great things about Stoicism, is that it helpfully puts its practitioners at ease with the world around them, a world that can often be cruel, unkind, unjust Continue Reading
Low Tide Mark
This is an early picture of my wife and dog at the Beach on a cold winter’s day. It’s not the best shot, but it’s got an interesting lead in Continue Reading
Why I love Stoicism
We’ve already mentioned in some of our other articles on this site that to live for pleasure alone is probably not a good life. It’s ironic that the pursuit of Continue Reading
Time Gives No Refunds!
This article is concerned with the theme of time as an important commodity. With an analysis of Seneca’s ‘On Saving Time’ a short letter to Lucilius, Seneca’s friend. I pick Continue Reading
Marcus Aurelius on the futility of Kleos (Everlasting Fame)
We’ve all seen them, those fame hungry and vapid stars of reality TV who hope that a few weeks brief appearance on some ‘entertainment,’ show will elevate them to the Continue Reading
11 ways to banish anxiety and Live each day as a separate life.
“Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” ― Seneca This is a wonderful quote from a wonderful philosopher, variations of it have been Continue Reading
Giving Thanks
I’ve recently been struck by the fact that the noble Emperor Marcus Aurelius began his meditations by giving thanks. The first book ‘The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Debts and Lessons,’ Continue Reading
Seneca on Suffering, Wisdom and Adversity…
The meaning of life. As we’ve previously mentioned in other articles for there to be a meaning of life (as opposed to the meaning you may choose to give your Continue Reading