I don't agree with your views on Marcus Aurelius, but I do respect your opinion. One good thing about the few freedoms we have left is the chance to agree to disagree. Your edition of The Meditations is truly a work of art.

For some reason, I keep coming across interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, and he repeatedly brings up this book and says how important it is. Well, naturally, I thought “what does Steve think about this?” And KZfaq came through. Thanks Steve!

If stoicism is understood as being in control of emotions by using your rationality, I don't see how that would exclude caring. Like, you shouldn't be afraid of death, because death is inevitable and being afraid of it would be irrational. You can still care and be stoic about it. When your child breaks his leg, you don't panic (emotions/irrational) but instead think and keep your calm (controlling emotions/rational approach) and take him to a doctor asap. Or you could say it's about seeing things subjectively versus objectively - objective here being a more scientific approach, seeing things as they truly are (in the antiquity, philosophy, or the love of wisdom, was their science). The self-centered stoicism you speak about bewilders me. I don't deny its existence, but it does sound awful. I do agree that Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a boring read! But at the same time, I think you are being a bit too harsh a judge (okay okay, I'm equally harsh judging Augustine's Confessions, what an awful book, that guy seriously would have needed an editor). After all, Aurelius wrote it to himself and it wasn't intended to be published - it's like giving Diary of Anne Frank a bad rating because the writing is awful and the main character does not always behave well. Finally, I would like to quote Robert Sapolsky, who at the end of his Stanford lectures said: "You don't have to choose between being scientific and being compassionate, you can do both."

I'm very behind on this series of videos, but I knew this one wouldn't disappoint. I read this pretty recently, and I just remember thinking to myself, so often, "that's easy for you to say, Marcus Aurelius! "You're here to care"... Sounds like the philosophy of Steve!

Thank you, Steve.

I disagree with your analysis of this work. I always saw it as a way to deal with inner turmoil and how to deal with exterior tumult. However, you are sooo good at summarizing books!!!

That lyric you quoted at the end is actually Springsteen!

Thank you Steve.

You’re here to care is a fantastic philosophy. 😜. And also so very true. I do love these rants.

Well there is a reason why this book still around

Would a Dude Bro Lit starter kit be out of order? Mainly for the ensuing rants to be had. Pure entertainment. I really like your final message, perfect for these times. Enlightening.

Spoken like someone who isn’t in the corporate world, Marcus is worshipped as a change leader in my company. The corporate BS and agile thinking is far worse than anything Marcus put in his diary.

No one in history is better equipped to face the challenges of the empire than I am . . . and I am not equipped to do it. (For 90 pages?) I try to have empathy for the people who try to read this straight through. The repetition makes it an abyss. Was it Marcus Aurelius who was contemporaneous with Lucian and consequently savages in his dialogues? Do you enjoy Marguerite Yourcenar’s Memoirs of Hadrian?

Excellent! And another biography to check out. Didn't make it through meditations.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Esp the short detour into the minds of lifting dude bros. Someone needed to say it and you did. And I agree that Stoicism is an excercise in selfishness for the privileged. Bravo!

I thoroughly enjoyed your amusing contempt for Marcus Aurelius’s philosophy! I have a hardcover bought about 20-25 years ago which I haven’t read at all, despite a few desultory attempts over the years. I’ll stop feeling so guilty about it now.

I read the Meditations not too long ago with a philosophically educated friend, and found it mostly bad, from both literary and philosophical levels. I disagree that all philosophy is bad, but in Marcus' case, it does strongly echo that deafening "I'm doing this because I'm rich and powerful" vibe that is almost ever present in modern adherents of "stoicism." Ditto on the general framework of stoicism, since it almost always leads to the rampant self-centered lack of concern for anything beyond your own nose common these days. Moreover, Aurelius seemed to be absolutely terrified of his own death, and his constant "exercises" to the contrary sounded the same to me as someone who is literally on fire telling themselves that they're perfectly fine and shouldn't worry. Plus the limitless army of corporate Aurelius followers whose only interest is in personal wealth and advancement is appalling.

Read the count of monte Cristo! Lol

Given your track record of hating almost everyone with power it's not surprising you were critical of Marcus Aurelius'a work too. A work revered by scholars for years but too pretentious for the high and mighty Steve. You have a unique talent of finding the negative in everything and blowing it out of proportions. Is being in power his fault?? It was his personal diary not meant for readership and often in our personal accounts we write idealistic goals for ourselves. Why so grumpy and contemptuous??

Delicate? You?

Holy Kay Rap.. I just saw the Marcus A Book 2 here on Book Tube. I managed the first 3 minutes...you are so right, so very right. Excuse me while I go be sick.

Marcus writes over and over about the common good, how what’s good for us is good for the hive, etc. Stoicism is all about caring about others, doing your civic duty to others. But we don’t control other people. We only control ourselves. So by controlling our inner selves and not letting ourselves become identified with our anger for example, we make life for us, and for those around us, better. I get the feeling from your video, you don’t really understand what Stoicism is in essence tbh… but cherrypicking and misrepresenting parts of an ancient belief system to suit your viewpoint… disappointed tbh…

What a stunningly lovely edition. Aurelius and Rand is an amazing comparison. How would you explain why MA has continued to resonate over all these years, with all the cultural differences over time? Just that justification of self-centeredness? “Here to care”-yes! And that idea has been with us since Gilgamesh, hasn’t it?

So you’re saying he’s like Jordan Peterson of the Hellenistic age? Lol...

Yeah i would rather look at marcus aurelius meditations than look at that scruffy little Dog tbh!!!!!!.😆😆🤣🤣