Books by Marcus Aurelius
“The first chapter is essentially a long exercise in gratitude. It’s a list of people that Marcus is grateful to, and why. ‘I’m grateful to my father, because… I’m grateful to my teacher, because… etc. etc.’ So exercises in being grateful, in gratitude, are part and parcel of the kind of exercises that you do if you want to engage in self-improvement. You want to recognize what is good in your life, you want to recognize the people that have been influential. It’s an example of a good exercise. But from this we also get an idea of what Marcus’s criteria for ‘good’ were. What is he thanking these people for? And, it turns out, he’s thanking them for being just and honest and straightforward and not deceitful to other people. So you get a long list of points of reference in a moral compass that Marcus builds for himself.” Read more...
The best books on How to Be Good
Massimo Pigliucci, Philosopher
Interviews where books by Marcus Aurelius were recommended
The best books on How to Be Good, recommended by Massimo Pigliucci
Many of us aspire to do the right thing when faced with ethical choices, but for ancient philosophers being a good person involved a much broader look at our behaviour and life choices. Here, Massimo Pigliucci, a practising Stoic and philosophy professor at City College of New York, recommends books on being good, from the ancient sages to modern thinkers.
The best books on Stoicism, recommended by Massimo Pigliucci
The Stoics offer us valuable strategies for thinking about and dealing with hardships that remain relevant for modern society, says Massimo Pigliucci, Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York and a practising Stoic. He recommends books to read to get a better idea of what Stoicism is all about and why some people find the ancient philosophy—famously practised by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius—comforting today.
