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This is a provisional version of the paper. It is now published in *Passionate Mind: Essays in Honor of John M. Rist* ed. Barry David (Academia: Baden-Baden, 2019), pp. 155-180. In it I consider some of the more innovative features of Marcus' version of Stoicism, arguing that he has strong philosophical motivations for some key departures from earlier versions of Stoic psychology and metaphysics and that simple 'eclecticism' is not an adequate account of his novel views.
The ancient Cynics rejected traditional religion, themselves on first appearances endorsing either atheism or agnosticism. But their criticism may also have stemmed from a radical monotheism as voiced by Antisthenes. After briefly discussing imperial Cynics and their views on religion, the article argues that the 4th letter of Pseudo-Heraclitus and the Geneva Papyrus inv. 271, Cynic texts from the early empire, are not contrary to the essentials of the philosophy and may represent late Hellenistic forms of the Antisthenic tradition in portraying Cynic-type sages mediating between humankind and the God of nature.
Several scholars have pointed out that the discussion of the relationship between enthusiasm and reason in Shaftesbury's philosophy is plagued by tensions so serious that they might undermine Shaftesbury's philosophical project. In what follows, I will offer a defense of Shaftesbury's philosophy by arguing that the role of reason is not the one consistently ascribed to it by scholars.
Wenshan Review of Literature and Culture
The Great Harmony: An Essay on Man and Confucianism2008 •
This paper examines the parallels between the natural, psychological, and social harmony in Alexander Pope's philosophical poem An Essay on Man (1733-34) and various Confucian texts. Both Pope and Confucians base psychological and social harmony on a cosmos that brings apparently contending movements towards higher uniformity, and both Pope and Confucius identify an ethical mean as the ideal of life. Popean harmony, compared with Confucian harmony, remains mechanical and isolated because Pope fails to address the possible interactions between inner and outer harmony. The similarities between Popean and Confucian harmony may be traced to the influences of Leibniz and Bolingbroke who studied Confucianism with great interest, and more probably, to the general enthusiasm for sinology in Europe in the 17 th and 18 th centuries. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the two anonymous reviewers, whose insightful comments on various issues had actually reshaped this paper.
2015 •
Don't just understand philosophy - live it in the open-source revival for the digital age. You find yourself in an endless forest, walking past trees like rockets. The smell of dry pine about to ignite. You see a deer, and its eyes are trying to tell you something...but what? These are some of the images of philosophy in action - the scenes you will visit and learn from. For the initiated, Augustine offers an exhortation inspired by the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, yet everyone who struggles will find comfort in the energetic dialogues, essays, and letters within. Philosophy for Any Life embraces topics such as death, fire, chickens, anxiety, the unity of nature, sex, mindfulness, getting out of bed in the morning, anger, habit, resolve, suffering, and judgment all from the point of view of a Stoic philosopher. Thousands of years of ancient wisdom are rekindled in a fresh, modern style. http://philosophyforanylife.com
On the evening of 6 April 1580, an earthquake struck the coast of Dover, and was felt throughout the south-east of England. The quake had a limited physical impact, given that it “lasted not the fulle of half a minute” – the damage to buildings was slight, and only two fatalities were reported. Despite this, within twenty four hours, a printer had already registered ‘a godly new ballad, moving us to repent of the Earthquake’, and over a dozen more titles on the subject had been registered by the end of June. This piece of work will look at that impact, through the responses given in some of these printed works. The focus will be on the pamphlets written by Thomas Twyne and Thomas Churchyard. The ‘official’ response, namely, an order of prayer published by the Church of England, “to avert and turne Gods wrath from us, threatened by the late terrible earthquake” will therefore also be considered. This event will be considered in the context of a newly Protestant society, early modern apocalypticism, the doctrine of divine providence, and how the early modern populace attempted to control and make sense of the world around them.
2005 •
The Suicides' Handbook
I.4 Stoicism and the Virtuous SuicideThis is the final installment of Part 1 wherein I explore the ancient philosophical conceptions of suicide. The Stoics, being the only one of the primary schools to advocate suicide, were still rather austere in their evaluation of who was wise enough to properly determine their life worth ending. In this regard I focus on the works of Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius.
The Bright and the Good, ed. Audrey Anton (Springer)
Intellectual Trust in an Examined Life (2018)2018 •
The Uses of Antiquity: the scientific revolution and the classical tradition
Religion and the Failures of Determinism1991 •
Epictetus: His Continuing Influence and Contemporary Relevance
Epictetus on Beastly Vices and Animal Virtues2014 •
2005 •
Partitioning the Soul: the debates from Plato to Leibniz, edd. K. Corcilius and D. Perler
Walking and Talking: Reflections on Divisions of the Soul in Stoicism2014 •
In K. Lampe and J. Scholtz, eds, French and Italian Stoicisms (London: Bloomsbury).
Indifference versus Affirmation: Michel Foucault on the Stoic Idea of Life as a Test2020 •
English Literary Renaissance
"Stoic Embodiment in Marston's Antonio Plays"2018 •