Stoic Athenaeum Archives - Page 10 of 14

How To Live: A Life Of Montaigne Review: Modern Day Essays, Timeless Wisdom

Philosophers come in all shapes and sizes. Some prefer to ask questions, others prefer to dive into metaphysics and explore the origins of the universe. Michel de Montaigne was a patchwork quilt of worldviews, weaving together his own unique perspective that turned him into one of the most celebrated thinkers in history.

Sarah Bakewell’s How To Live: A Life of Montaigne in one question and twenty attempts at an answer is a remarkable book recounting Montaigne’s philosophy, his life and how it can be applied to the modern day.

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A Stoic And An Epicurean Walk Into A Bar

A Stoic and an Epicurean
Walk into a bar
And discuss the path to the good life
One talks about natural pleasure
The other about natural duty
And leave with more questions than answers

The View From Above

The View From Above is a Stoic technique that can help to clear away the noise of the day and take an objective, bigger picture viewpoint of the world. Marcus Aurelius was fond of using this technique and wrote about it often:

“Think of substance in its entirety, of which you have the smallest of shares; and of time in its entirety, of which a brief and momentary span has been assigned to you; and of the works of destiny, and how very small is your part in them.”

So, The View From Above is about shifting from a first person view to a third person view. Imagine looking at yourself as if you were in the sky and it could seem as if the events that you’re currently experiencing aren’t nearly as bad or important as they seem in the moment.

With that in mind, here’s a photography collection that is inspired by this Stoic practice.

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Helen Jeys On Aristotle, Paths To Flourishing For Students And Educational Excellence

Philosophy has no boundaries or borders. It influences people from all walks of life and one of the main reasons for creating the Stoic Athenaeum was to talk to people from different backgrounds and see what life lessons could be unearthed.

An aspect of philosophy that interests me is how it intersects with education. This fascination is also shared by the Head Mistress of Manchester High School For Girls, Helen Jeys.

I’m pleased to present a conversation with Helen that dives into her interest in Aristotle, how she applies the concept of eudaimonia to education and why introducing philosophy to younger generations is more important than ever before.

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