Stoicism and the Statehouse: An Old Philosophy Serving a New Idea

by Pat McGeehan

Over the span of two thousand years, the Stoic philosophy has helped men and women overcome adversity from the highest positions of power to the darkest corners of prison. In Stoicism and the Statehouse, State Representative Pat McGeehan draws upon the classics to make the case for this durable method of reasoning to effectively advance political freedom. Designed for the liberty-oriented statesman, the moral traditions of this mental discipline are used to offer advice on how elected leaders should ethically conduct themselves underneath any capitol dome.

Included is a fresh look at ancient Rome's greatest senator, Cato the Younger--a riveting biography that history fans will appreciate. The crisp explanation of Stoicism will also pique the interest of readers who enjoy early Greek and Roman thought. Although the author proposes a recipe to reform the politician, anyone facing personal struggles can benefit from the principles described in this book.

Genres: Philosophy

188 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 2017

About the author

Pat McGeehan is a Representative with the WV State Legislature and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Reviews

[Connor Adamson]

A short brisk read, Delegate McGeehan is arguably delivering his personal practice guide on how he operates as a legislator and the influences on not only his political philosophy, but his own moral beliefs. Stoicism and the Statehouse is a part history lesson and part guidebook to practice, as all good stoic writing ought to be.

Beginning with an examination of why stoicism has been important to his life, Delegate McGeehan then dives into the history of the notable stoics. Here, he intersperses both the history of the philosophy as well as the Roman history surrounding some of the notable stoics in order to draw parallels to modern America. While I think these histories could have perhaps used some form of condensing (they drag slightly in the middle), the recitation of Cato the Younger's deeds in the fall of the Roman Republic becomes a minor tragedy. Delegate McGeehan is careful to note that this take on Cato's legacy spurns against more typical modern understandings of Roman history that fixate on the dictatorship and rise to power of Julius Caesar and the other ancient Roman powerbrokers.

This is no accident, as the entire stoic history of Cato bears eerie similarities to how liberty-minded people are perceived by large swaths of American society today. Delegate McGeehan is all too aware of the interests buried into the grain of modern American politics that sadly have been born into all human political systems since the dawn of civilization and politics itself. The book tells its tale with such trepidation that one can almost feel hopeless by the time we reach the 2/3rd mark.

The strongest section of the book, at least for me, was the final third. Here, McGeehan writes a series of lessons for the liberty-minded person using stoic quotes and principles to set up each section. They are all short, a paragraph or two at most, excerpts that serve as a series of guiding principles. While definitely written for the small government inclined individual, many of these lessons have easy applications outside of political thought making the section feel compelling and a call to action no matter where you stand.

While some may scoff at some of these lessons, it is apparent to me how much Stoics can teach libertarian people on how to succeed in tearing down the rotten root of the state. While some may think this impractical, following these lessons has earned Delegate McGeehan a unique respect even from those on a different side of the aisle. Give this text a chance. It's short, brisk, and easy to read. Even read just the last 30 pages and you may emerge feeling invigorated and ready to apply stoicism to your life. And after all, stoicism is an action-inclined philosophy.

[JustEvan]

I had such high hopes for this book, but I was ultimately disappointed. Most of it was just a history of the life of Cato the Younger. There are some reasonable recommendations and applications at the end, but it's only about a quarter of the book.
While I'm very sympathetic to the liberty agenda, I don't think the everything or nothing approach works in politics. (I've seen this first hand, where instead of getting even incremental gains in freedom, the lack of compromise ends with only losses.)

[Brendan Mcgeehan]

I'm biased on this because my brother wrote it... however, it was a fantastic history on Rome and the Stoics