The Stoics offered powerful answers
to the perennial questions of the human condition. Tom Morris resurrects the
Stoic wisdom that counsels the development of an "inner resilience"
for the sake of the "outer results" that resilience can foster in the
human life. Morris’s treatment of the three principle Stoic sages–the lawyer
Seneca, the slave Epictetus, and the emperor Marcus Aurelius–demonstrates that
the need for the sound practical wisdom of the Stoics is never outdated; its
guiding counsel can help in the living of a noble and creative life. Stoic
wisdom remains as useful today, as a guide to a happy and fulfilling existence
that is tranquil, thoughtful, and free from pain and fear of change or death,
as it was during its germination in Socrates, through its Hellenistic triumph
and into the early centuries of the Roman Empire.

These ancient sages from
their widely varied walks of life testify to the universality of human wisdom
in general, and the universal appeal of Stoic principles, in particular, for
successful and happy living. Morris shows that Seneca and Marcus Aurelius,
highly successful men in their times, insist that life goals be rooted in
self-knowledge and action be rooted in virtuous principles of conduct; they
offer sound advice for steering actions through times of difficulty when
fortunes may take a turn for the worse and through times of joy that can turn one’s
head from the virtuous life. On the other hand, Morris shows Epictetus to be
less concerned with the vicissitudes of fortune and more focused upon the
perennial wisdom of simplicity, claiming that very little is really needed for
the full and happy life.

Morris’ book does not pretend to
academic or scholarly rigor; nor does it claim to offer a comprehensive
historical or thematic representation of Stoic thought–its development, its
origins, or its influences. The Stoic Art
of Living composes simply a useful collection of Stoic insights into the
universal prescriptions for the "good life." The powerful
recommendations of the Stoic worldview, brought to the modern reader afresh in
this work, promises to guide the reader to effectively develop a life plan that
enhances character and promotes the virtues that compose the true meaning of
personal success and fulfillment. I have long been a student of the Stoics and,
though this little book adds little to the sad penury of scholarship on Stoic
thought, I thoroughly enjoyed reading its hopeful messages, punctuated with
ancient gems of wisdom, and I felt myself inspired once again to seek after the
elusive Stoic goal of noble self-possession. I highly recommend The Stoic Art of Living as a fiery
incentive to uplift the tired consumerist souls of modernity.

© 2005 Wendy Hamblet

Wendy C. Hamblet, Ph.D., Philosophy Department, Adelphi
University, New York, author of The Sacred Monstrous: A Reflection on
Violence in Human Communities (Lexington Books, 2003).

Categories: SelfHelp, Philosophical