This course is about the Stoicism of Marcus Aurelius, one of the good Roman emperors!
Join me as we practice tried and tested methods for applying Stoic wisdom to daily life. We'll be exploring Marcus' life and philosophy as guides for modern living, drawing on elements of modern psychology to help us make use of Stoic practices. You'll learn practical techniques for coping with challenges such as anger, fear, pain, illness and loss, using Marcus Aurelius as our guide to mastering difficult emotions. If you want to learn how to approach life like a Stoic, this is the place to start. And relax, it's risk free: you have 30 day money-back satisfaction guarantee. (See FAQ for details.)
Who is this course for? Anyone who's interested in Stoicism or Marcus Aurelius. If you're a complete newcomer this course will provide the perfect introduction to Stoicism. Even if you've read a lot of books on Stoicism, though, you'll still benefit from these new resources and by exploring a fresh perspective on the subject.
Enrollment: Enrollment is now open! Click the enroll button to register for the course. The course has already started but you will have access to recordings of webinars to complete at your own pace.
Duration: The core content requires about fifteen hours to complete on average, usually spread over five weeks or more. However, there are also many hours of additional optional content included.
Bonus: You'll also receive three free e-books for your collection, which we've carefully edited and designed for use on all devices: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, The Eulogium on Marcus Aurelius, and Marcus Aurelius in the Roman Histories. These come in EPUB, Kindle (MOBI) and PDF file formats.
Hello and thanks for taking an interest in my course.
I've been studying Stoicism for over twenty years and giving talks, writing about it, and getting in heated debates about it for almost as long. Based on that experience, I've arrived at a conclusion about the way people normally teach Stoicism... Talking about the philosophy in a slightly abstract way, like scholars tend to, just keeps running into the same old problems again and again. I've discovered that there's a much better way to learn about Stoicism. At the beginning of The Meditations, Marcus Aurelius spends a whole chapter carefully reminding himself of the most important things about the most important people in his life, his family and teachers. That's the way he introduces the subject. In particular, he meditates at length on the virtues of the emperor Antoninus Pius, his adoptive father. That's because the Stoics believed that the best way to study their philosophy is by contemplating the virtues of others, especially those we can most admire. Naturally, we don't know as much as Marcus did about the characters of Antoninus Pius and his other personal role-models. However, we do know quite a lot about Marcus himself, enough to provide us with a model of Stoic virtue to study and contemplate.
We know about his inner life as Stoic philosopher through The Meditations, his reflections and conversations with himself. And we know enough about his outer life, as Roman emperor, to fill a substantial biography. We have letters between him and his beloved rhetoric teacher Fronto, descriptions of his reign in the Roman histories, and a few other historical bits and pieces. Focusing on Marcus as our concrete example, just as he focused on Antoninus Pius and his Stoic teachers, we avoid many pitfalls by putting a human face on Stoicism. For example, whereas people sometimes assume the Stoics might be so accepting that they become overly-passive, we can see how Marcus was in fact committed to vigorous action in the service of his Stoic values, both his political life and as a military commander. Whereas people think Stoicism may be cold-hearted or unemotional, we can see how Marcus interpreted it as a philosophy of brotherly love and the emphasis he placed on interpersonal virtues like justice, kindness, and fairness to others.
Marcus is without question the most famous Stoic, in the eyes of modern students, and the one about whose life the most is known, because he was an important Roman emperor. By approaching Stoicism through the life and character of Marcus, taking him as our own Stoic example, we arrive at a much more balanced and more appealing conception of the philosophy than by studying it in a more abstract and theoretical way. He began The Meditations in that way for a reason. It's by studying real-life examples of Stoicism being applied in daily life, as an art of living, that we can best grasp the true meaning of the philosophy.
Course Content
The course consists of many audio and video recordings, audio downloads of Stoic psychological exercises, excerpts for discussion, special infographics created by our graphic designer Rocio de Torres, written articles, group discussion questions, and short interactive knowledge check questions to aid learning and retention. There are a lot of resources here that I simply wouldn't be able to put into a book. Each week focuses on a different set of core Stoic philosophical concepts, psychological exercises, and a particular problem area, such as anger management, coping with pain, overcoming worry and anxiety, and letting go of attachment.
Welcome Section
This becomes available as soon as you enrol and contains carefully selected preparatory materials to help you get up to speed and prepare for the main four weeks. Includes: videos, quotes from Marcus, recommended reading, and discussion questions, and knowledge-check quiz.
Week One: Overcoming Anger and Developing Empathy
The Education of a Stoic Emperor. This section focuses on the Stoic practice called "Contemplation of the Sage" and the role of empathy in Stoicism, particularly as a remedy for feelings of anger. It uses illustrations from the life of Marcus, such as his difficulty coping with feelings of anger toward his Stoic tutor, Junius Rusticus. Includes: Videos, reading, discussion, knowledge-check quiz. Also, for students on standard or premium plan, a webinar on Stoicism, Virtue, and Empathy.
Week Two: Conquering Worry and Anxiety
Marcus' Early Reign and the Parthian War. This section focuses on the Stoic practice called "Premeditation of Adversity" (praemeditatio malorum, sometimes called "negative visualization") and the role of acceptance in Stoicism, toward indifferent things, such as in coping with pain. It uses illustrations from the life of Marcus, such as his worry about matters of state, coping with chronic pain and illness, and his correspondence with his Latin tutor Fronto. Includes: Videos, reading, discussion, knowledge-check quiz. Also, for students on standard or premium plan, a webinar on Stoicism, Indifference, and Acceptance.
Week Three: Managing Pain and Illness
The First Marcomannic War and The Meditations. This section focuses on the Stoic practice called "The View from Above" and the role of metaphysics in Stoicism, with reference to the famous Dream of Scipio. It uses illustrations from the life of Marcus, such as the challenges of his assuming the role of military commander during the lengthy northern campaign against a huge coalition of enemy tribes led by King Ballomar of the Marcomanni. It is widely believed that Marcus wrote The Meditations during this period, and we also consider its role as a spiritual journal in relation to other Stoic writing practices. Includes: Videos, reading, discussion, knowledge-check quiz. Also, for students on standard or premium plan, a webinar on Stoicism, Nature, and the Cosmos.
Week Four: Coming to Terms with Mortality and Loss
The Civil War, and Marcus' Final Years and Legacy. This section focuses on the Stoic practice called "Contemplation of Death" and the concept of impermanence in Stoicism, and also on the practice of Stoic mindfulness (prosoche) and attention to the present moment. It uses illustrations from the life of Marcus, such as the Antonine Plague, the civil war against his general Avidius Cassius, and his own illness and eventual death. Includes: Videos, reading, discussion, knowledge-check quiz. Also, for students on standard or premium plan, a webinar on Stoicism, Mindfulness, and Death.
