Can Stoicism Help Us Live Well? Forthcoming
Bust of Seneca
I have written about Stoicism previously but lately, I’ve been researching it extensively. The goal of my research is to distill the essence of Stoic wisdom as it pertains to helping people live well—primarily by achieving inner peace and equanimity. Then I’ll share these insights in easy to understand language. In other words, I will write a short essay that someone can read and say, “I understand Stoic wisdom and I see how it will help me to experience more peace of mind and happiness.”
Note that while the internet supplies many excellent explanations of Stoicism (Wikipedia, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Modern Stoicism) they tend to be more detailed and academic than I want to be, although I’ll consult these and other good sources. There are also many simple accounts of Stoicism but most of them are, in my view, disappointing. This gap in the literature has motivated me to try to write my own version—a Stoicism for beginners if you will.
I’m also inspired by the notion that by clarifying the essence of Stoic wisdom to others I will come to better understand it myself and, at the same time, become better able to incorporate its wisdom into my own life. Hopefully, my presentation of Stoic wisdom will help both all of us in our quest to live more tranquil lives.
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Note: It may take a few weeks to finish my background reading and write the essay.
[Previous posts on Stoicism. The first 3 listed have each been viewed over 50,000 times.]
