The Stoic Magazine Library

The Fifth Stoa

In the past five years, there has been an astonishing increase in people who call themselves Stoics. The Stoicism Facebook group now has around 50,000 subscribers. There are organized Stoic groups in some 60 cities around the world.

This is an impressive new edition of Epictetus' guide to the good life, 'Enchiridion'.

What is a ‘Stoic response’ to a loss?

I have been fortunate enough to travel the world several time and see many wondrous things. But there are also countries I haven’t been to and sights I haven’t seen. One such sight that I had always wanted to see, but never had the opportunity, was the Northern Lights. 

When I look out of my window I can see the flatiron building featured on the cover. Why is it featured here? I will come to it in a minute. But first a question.

In Stoicism, you accept whatever happens to you as a given. When outsiders see this, they often assume that Stoics are passive, inactive, and gutless. 

Wrong. 

How to Think Like Roman Emperor by Donald Roberson. St. Martin’s Press. 294pp. Available in bookstores and on Amazon https://amzn.to/2VW7xFa 

Reviewed by Chuck Chakrapani 

Meredith, our contributing editor, was driving home with her then 6-year-old daughter from her swimming lessons. The daughter announced, 

“I’m going to take up an extra gymnastic class.” 

Is Stoicism a self-centered philosophy? 

Does Stoicism really teach us to care for others except in so far as it is in our own interest to do so? Why should we care for the community? Here is one explanation: 

In this issue there is an interesting article on Stoic walking by Donald Roberson. 

Come again? “Stoic” walking? Is a Stoic supposed to walk differently? 

The “Hopefulists” 

It seems that there was a little-known group of Greek philosophers known as the “Hopefulists’ (Elpistikoi). 

Insects in amber 

When we look at our daily life, we see that we face an array of problems—financial, health, and our relationships. 

I seldom call myself a Stoic. Although I have been helped by Stoic principles all my life (I first stumbled on to Stoicism in my teens), no one close to me—not even my family or friends—knew that I had anything to do with Stoicism. I never talked about it. When I wrote my first book on Stoicism, Unshakable Freedom, they all wanted to know how I had known about Stoicism.

Stoic principles can be used to solve our problems, big and small. But they can also be seen as a way of life, so it is always with us, warding off problems before they arise and offering us help if they still arise. 

Lessons in Stoicism is by John Sellars, a prominent modern Stoic scholar. His name should be familiar to our readers—he is on our Advisory Board and he writes to the magazine occasionally.