Marcus Aurelius – Debts and Lessons
“Debts and Lessons” is the first chapter of the philosophical work “Meditations” written by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. On a personal note, it’s actually one of my favourites, because Continue Reading
Getting over the fear of failure – Part 1 – Acceptance
Getting over the fear of failure is a process that requires patience, self-reflection, and practice. Here are some strategies that can help: Firstly, we can recognise that failure is Continue Reading
Conquer the Fear of Punishment After Death with Marcus Aurelius & Friedrich Nietzsche
“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues Continue Reading
Musonius Rufus: The Little-Known Stoic Philosopher Who Revolutionised Education
Musonius Rufus was a Roman Stoic philosopher who lived in the first century AD. Despite being relatively unknown today, he was an important figure in his time and had a Continue Reading
The Impact of Nihilistic Thought in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and its affect on his Peace of Mind
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and a philosopher who lived from 121 AD to 180 AD. He is best known for his personal writings, Meditations, which contain reflections on Continue Reading
The Stoic view of Impermanence
Stoicism is not a philosophy with an outlook that sees the world as stagnant and unchanging, but is a dynamic philosophy noted for being keenly aware of change. The Continue Reading
POLITICIANS, THE WORKING CLASSES AND THE WILL TO POWER
The working class are not ‘Woke,’ which is supposed to be ‘alert to injustice,’ on account of the fact that they don’t need to be, having experienced much more discrimination Continue Reading
As the years go by so do people…
As the years go by; so do people… How many people have you come to have known since you came into this world after your birth? And how many of Continue Reading
What is philosophy for?
Let’s begin by saying something bold, philosophy is first and foremost about using the rational faculty that all human beings possess to determine personal happiness. In order to find happiness, Continue Reading
Premeditatio malorum – ‘premeditation of adversity’
We just don’t know for certain what is around the corner as we go about living our lives. When times are rosy, we naturally let our guard down in 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
The real cause of death
I’m a middle-aged man who is also quite cynical, that’s why I was disgusted to recently see a TV advertisement by a cancer care charity that focused heavily on the Continue Reading
Happiness and the void…
At the Stand-up Philosophers, we advocate that Nihilists should be happy because many are not. Indeed there’s a long literary tradition of miserable nihilists depressing everyone by telling them that Continue Reading
Getting out of your own way…
For most of my life, I’ve felt like I was drowning, feverishly thrashing under the water scrambling my way to the surface which is forever out of reach. No matter Continue Reading
The humble honesty of a Roman emperor
“I am made up of the casual and the material. Neither of these will disappear into nothing, just as neither came to be out of nothing. So every part Continue Reading
The Ghosts That Haunt Me…
Every man has his demons, if you don’t it’s either because you are very young or haven’t lived. We all are guaranteed one thing in life and that is the Continue Reading
Marcus Aurelius on Death and the Cessation of Being
Like all great philosophers Marcus Aurelius the noblest of the Emperors of Rome also pondered death. Here’s a collection of quotes detailing what he had to say on the subject. Continue Reading
The Stoic Virtue – Temperance
Temperance is one of the 4 Stoic Virtues and is best summed up as a moderated, balanced and disciplined life. For example whilst it’s undoubtedly good to work for a Continue Reading