Empire and the Soul | Ep. 44

Plato dreamed that philosophers would rule the state; Marcus Aurelius made that a reality. In this episode of "Young Heretics," Spencer Klavan examines Aurelius's Stoic belief system as articulated in his famous "Meditations," which have made him an enduring model of manly self-control for all the ages.

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Piloted by its Oxford-educated host Spencer Klavan, Young Heretics explores the concepts of truth, beauty, and everything that makes Western culture great in the face of an increasingly hostile academia, media, and culture. Young Heretics provides an open forum for exploring, understanding, and enjoying the great works of Western literature.

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[StandardsandPractices]

"True stoicism has never been tried". The good thing is that far fewer people have died in the attempt.

[cinny]

Great content. I'm not much of a thinker but your podcasts really get me thru the day. It stimulates my mind and it would be nice to have a forum discussion with other listeners

[thinklovegrow]

Very interesting... great job. Love the show... I like what you said about grief pointing to something more...

[maeganc]

Jeeves: ‘…But I wonder if I might call your attention to an observation of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He said: “Does aught befall you? It is good. It is part of the destiny of the Universe ordained for you from the beginning. All that befalls you is part of the great web.”’

Wooster: ‘He said that, did he?’

Jeeves: ‘Yes, sir.’

Wooster: ‘Well, you can tell him from me he’s an ass.’

I’m not sure Wooster would entirely agree with his own assessment, though, as Jeeves makes it all seem part of the great web in the end. Fantastic episode and looking forward to the next one! Thank you for leaving these up still.

[HalfManThirdBiscuit]

Carl "The Sage of Swindon" Benjamin discussed Aurelius a couple of weeks ago. The two of you should do a collab.

[markwoodson]

It's always darkest before the dawn.

[antikotocerepa]

I respect your preference for Christianity, but for some of us Stoicisim is appealing precisely because it doesnt have some of Christianity's features, like the afterlife, the immortal soul, hell and a theistic faith. I'm quite ok with death being the end.

[bryanwrites]

Aurelius and Stoicism are all well and good but how about the "R E S T I T U T O R * O R B I S" philosophy of Aurelian?