Saturday, October 5, 2019

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor

We received an email from St. Martin's Press, offering Psychology Tweets an advanced copy of:

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald J Robertson

Being editors of @PhilosophyTweet we thought we would review it here:

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius is an excellent book for both those interested in adding to their Stoic library and those who are curious about the stoic life. The editors of Philosophytweet have been looking at the parallels of Taoism, Cognitive Psychology, and the Stoics so we were pleased to obtain this book when it arrived. The book places us in the mind of a Stoic philosopher who is a leader and general in the highest political position of Rome facing adversity trying to live up to his ideals in a time of continuous war.

The book is timely in that we live in a world of disruption and fragmentation.  The Stoic philosophy has always placed focus on doing the things you can control versus the things outside of your control. Composure and living in accord with nature, being humble and even tempered are the most effective ways to deal with the viscitudes of existence.

There is a comparison of Marcus Aurelius and his rival, Avidius Cassius, leadership styles and their influence on the Roman Legions and how Marcus Aurelius adheres to his Stoic ideals.

Robertson teaches us about eudaimonia that Stoic joy is an  active experience and that resilience comes from entering the “inner citadel, living as though on a mountaintop” regardless of your situation.

Stoic Moderation as a goal is also touched upon, Robertson writes, “Some philosophers, as we’ve seen, claim that the mere act of exercising moderation could become more gratifying itself than indulging in bad habits."

We at @philosophytweet are impressed how Robertson parallels history, philosophy, and psychology in an entertaining way.  We learn Stoic philosophy through a journey with Marcus Aurelius in a momentous moment in Roman history. - @PhilosophyTweet Editors


How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald J Robertson

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D2C5NNV/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdb_t1_x_A.uFDbP67Y8ZG

















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