Donald J. Robertson's Blog, page 54

Book Review: Happy by Derren Brown

I wanted to write a quick review of Derren Brown’s recent book called Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine (2016) because I think it’s very well written and worth reading. I’ve decided to focus on what he says about Stoicism because, well you know, that’s what I’m into. Stoic philosophy has obviously …

Free Mini-Course on Socrates

I designed my Crash Course on Socrates to be a fairly concise introduction to his life and philosophy.  It only takes about fifteen minutes to complete. You’ll learn the basics and hopefully a few things even students of philosophy and the classics might not have heard before.  My goal was to make sure there’s something …

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor Comic #2: The Boar and the Fox

Enroll now for Stoic Week 2018

You can enroll now for Stoic Week 2018, which will officially begin on Monday 1st October this year. Everyone is welcome to take part and it’s completely free of charge.  Last year seven thousand people enrolled so don’t miss out! Enroll Now! Stoic Week is  a seven day introduction to Stoic theory and practice, applied …

Book Review: Stoicism, A Very Short Introduction by Brad Inwood

Brad Inwood is professor of philosophy and classics at Yale University.  He is the author, or co-author, of several academic works on Stoicism and other forms of Hellenistic philosophy, including The Stoics Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia (2008), an invaluable resource for anyone interested in early Stoicism. His latest book, though, applies his scholarly credentials …

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor Comic: The Town Mouse

Town Mouse comic strip based on the forthcoming book How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

Book Review: Meditations on Self-Discipline and Failure by William Ferraiolo

William Ferraiolo was kind enough to send me a copy of his recent book Meditations on Self-Discipline and Failure: Stoic Exercises for Mental Fitness to review back in December 2016.  So I have to begin by apologizing for the fact that it’s taken me so long to get around to writing about it.  (I’ve just …

Interview: Tom Butler-Bowdon on Marcus Aurelius

How would you introduce yourself and your work to our readers? I’m Tom Butler-Bowdon, author of the “50 Classics” books (Hachette) which look at the key writings in self-help, motivation, spirituality, psychology, and philosophy. How did you become interested in Stoicism? I first learned about Stoicism, as many people do, through The Meditations of Marcus …

Book Review: REBT a Newcomer’s Guide by Matweychuk and Dryden

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) is the main precursor of modern cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). (Or the earliest form of CBT, depending on how you look at it.) It was developed in the late 1950s by Albert Ellis, who subsequently wrote dozens of books on the subject. Ellis had a forceful and engaging personality.  In addition …

Socrates versus Roger Stone

NB: This articles a rough draft.  I’m still working on it but I wanted to put it out there on my blog anyway.