The Socrates Express Review: Finding Wisdom On A Train Journey And Applying It To Our Everyday Lives

A train journey can be a time of reflection, of watching the world go by. For Eric Weiner it’s a time for grappling with life’s most existentialist experiences and questions, which he brings to life aboard The Socrates Express: In Search Of Life Lessons From Dead Philosophers. 

In the book, Weiner delves into the lives of 14 of history’s most diverse thinkers and translates their actions into steps to apply to our own lives. From Michel de Montaigne to Simone Weil, Weiner brings the figures within his pages to life in stunning detail.

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How To Be A Stoic Copywriter

When exploring philosophy, one of the biggest questions to answer is not WHY to do something but HOW to do it. How can I apply this lesson? How can I put this teaching into practice? 

This question fascinates me and it’s inspired the creation of a series called ‘How To’, which will look at how to apply different philosophical viewpoints to different roles. The first part of the series is focused on copywriting, an industry I’ve had experience in. More specifically, it’s about how to be a Stoic copywriter.

Read on to discover how to apply Stoicism to being a content writer and techniques that will make you better at your job. Fate permitting.

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Socrates In Love Review: A Wonderful Reframing Of The Life Of One Of History’s Greatest Philosophers

When it comes to philosophers, it’s arguable that few set the bar higher than Socrates. His habit of questioning and relentless desire to root out the truth of human nature won him friends, enemies, detractors, admirers and apostles. 

Thousands of years later Socrates is still held up as an exemplar of what true philosophy is and that has made his story open to countless interpretations. It’s through the lens of Plato and Xenophon that we’ve come to know Socrates’ story as the man he was in later life. 

Yet little has been recorded of a young Socrates and author Armand D’Angour sets out to change that in his epic Socrates In Love: The Making Of A Philosopher. This revisionist biography paints the picture of a man who was more than just a philosopher. We see Socrates as a warrior, son, mentor, wrestler, dancer and lover.

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Living In Accordance With Nature

Living in accordance with nature is a phrase that often comes up in Stoicism. It may bring to mind images of people stripping down to the buff and running freely through the forest. (Nothing wrong with that. But not what the ancient Stoics had in mind!) 

To live in accordance with nature is to live in balance with the natural world and with human nature. ‘Nature’ in the Stoic sense stems from the Greek term ‘physis.’ This isn’t an object i.e. the Natural world or even a state i.e. the natural colour of dirt.’ Physis refers to the process in which things are intended by nature to grow and that is where the focus on human nature becomes key.

The idea of living in accordance with nature has inspired a photography collection that showcases nature in the traditional sense and people living in the world according to their nature.

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