8/50 The Four Roman Stoics that have come down to us

Here are the 4 guys whose works, often transcribed from those who listened to them speak, that have survived, there is much to appreciate here, a kind of philosophy that can be put into practice, that helps you become a better you, living more in accord with nature, and live more happily in a down to earth and good way. These guys focus on the Ethical side of Stoicism, and that's a-ok with me, because the other tenets of this school of thought aren't very applicable. There's other stuff I have like a slew by popularizer Ryan Holiday, he's not well respected by serious practitioners, but to me he's fun, he weaves in examples and stories from past Presidents and billionaires. That's a handicap with modern Stoicism, it seems to have been hijacked by not so savory people, and made into a get rich quick scheme. That's not where its at for me though, you can be sure of that.

Musonius Rufus



1 – That One Should Disdain Hardships – Cora E. Lutz / Gretchen Reydamsschils

Epictetus


4 – The Complete Works – edited by Robin Waterfield .... if I could only keep one book of all these, this would be it
5 – Simplicius’s commentary on Epictetus’s Handbook, 2 volumes -- a Neoplatonist, who also wrote on Aristotle
6 – Epictetus’s Encheirdion ... 30 pages of the actual text with the rest commentary goodness with Scott Aiken and William O. Stephens
7 – Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life – A.A. Long --- AA is like a superstar in the scholarly world.

Seneca


8 – Letters on Ethics – Margaret Graver and A.A. Long ... I love these Letters!! I don't care much for the other stuff by Seneca, his Essays perhaps, but the Plays??!! Nope not till the 6th or later Curriculum years for that, along with other Roman Playwrights like Terence, whom the Bard well respected.

Marcus Aurelius



9 – Meditations – 2 editions with Gregory Hays and Robin Waterfield ... the latter is way better as there's lots of footnotes!!
10 – The Inner Citadel – Pierre Hadot ... this is a book about the Emperor Philosopher