The Essential Epicurus: Letters, Principal Doctrines, Vatican Sayings, and Fragments by Epicurus (trans. Eugene O'Connor) Prometheus (1 May 1993) Amazon What do people think of when they think "Epicurean"? If you're Australian, you might think of the section of The Age newspaper that covers recipes, restaurant reviews, food guides. That's what people tend to associate … Continue reading The Essential Epicurus
Tag: books
Discourses and Selected Writings
Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus (trans. Robert Dobbin) Penguin (29 September 2008) Amazon A primer on the principles of happiness, freedom, and living in accordance with nature, the Discourses of Epictetus is seen as a foundational text on Stoicism, cited by people from all walks of life. There is a saying, the right book … Continue reading Discourses and Selected Writings
Nature and Selected Essays
Nature and Selected Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson Penguin (5 December 2003) Amazon If you enjoy reading the essays of Seneca and Montaigne, then Ralph Waldo Emerson works nicely as a next step. He complements them while setting his works apart in a uniquely American way. I am referring to an emphasis on drive and … Continue reading Nature and Selected Essays
The Book of Dead Philosophers
The Book of Dead Philosophers by Simon Critchley Knopf Doubleday (10 February 2009) Amazon I wish we had this book when I studied philosophy during my VCE and undergrad years. The ones assigned -- aside from all the photocopied extracts of Plato and Nietzsche -- I'd honestly forgotten until I was drafting this post. Sophie's … Continue reading The Book of Dead Philosophers
King of All Excuses
Front cover for the "King of All Excuses" single. Image via Elektra Records. "Everyone is lying -- about what they make, about how confident they feel, about how hard they work, about how well things are going. Stop comparing yourself to these lies. Stop thinking about them at all." -Ryan Holiday The fourth and final … Continue reading King of All Excuses
The Philosophy of Epictetus
The Philosophy of Epictetus by John Bonforte (ed.) Literary Licensing (15 October 2011) Amazon The Philosophy of Epictetus is a short, mid-twentieth century compilation of the teachings of Epictetus. Edited by John Bonforte, it makes for a nice curated intro to the philosopher, sourced mostly from the Discourses. Based on earlier translations, it's lightly edited … Continue reading The Philosophy of Epictetus
Toussaint Louverture
Toussaint Louverture: A Biography by Madison Smartt Bell Vintage (1 February 2008) Amazon Biography of a former slave who challenged an emperor and led the Haitian Revolution. Relatively short, but dense, which might be due to Madison Smartt Bell's background as a novelist. If you were being kind, you would say Louverture was a divisive … Continue reading Toussaint Louverture
How to Live
How to Live: Or, a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell Other Press (20 September 2011) Amazon Michel de Montaigne is one of my favourite philosophers ever, and How to Live by Sarah Bakewell is one of my favourite biographies. It's not just a conventional cradle-to-grave … Continue reading How to Live
Vicarious
Music video for "Vicarious." Image via Volcano II and Tool Dissectional. "Nature has gone to great lengths to hide our subconscious from ourselves. Why?" -Robert Wright "Vicarious" was the lead single from Tool's 2006 album, 10,000 Days. It is one of their most recognised songs, and probably the one that truly cemented the band in … Continue reading Vicarious
The Obstacle Is the Way
The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday Portfolio (1 May 2014) Amazon The book that started a Stoicism revivalist movement, The Obstacle Is the Way is Ryan Holiday's way of figuring ancient philosophical ideas in the modern world. The idea is that the reader can take … Continue reading The Obstacle Is the Way
