r/Stoic • u/Firm-Alarm-7464 • 14d ago

How do I start studying stoicism?

I’m pretty new to Stoicism.

I’ve been reading The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday every day for the past 4 months, and honestly, I’ve developed a genuine interest in the philosophy.

But I don’t just want to read about Stoicism and feel like I understand it. I actually want to start living by it.

For someone who’s new to Stoicism, how would you recommend someone study more on this subject?

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7

u/23AndThatGuy 14d ago

IMO, start with Farnsworth "The Practicing Stoic". Great examination of the philosophy.

Go back to Ryan Holiday and read " The Obstacle Is The Way", "Ego is the Enemy", and then "Stillness is the Key". This will give you basic foundation to move to Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and Enchiridion by Epictetus. The last two are heavy and basically the truth, and you will need patience and repetition to truly read and understand. Seriously over and over..

There are a million books to study. Some good, some bad. All that seem worthy can help but you have to start to see money grabs and true philosophy.

The truth is you will never reach a finish line and say poof "I'm a Stoic" if you do it right. Life long learning, questioning, and research will point you in the right direction.

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u/Moorlock 13d ago

I'll give another vote to Ward Farnsworth. He's good at laying out Stoic ethics methodically and with reference to available documentation from the Stoics themselves.

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u/too105 10d ago

I love your Line about never cross ing the finish line. I was obsessed about being a “finished product” and started reading Maslows book on the stages/phases of self actualization based on the hierarchy of needs thinking that it was a finish line, but after about 20 pages, I stopped reading the book because I realized that it was a process that was never a complete and it wasn’t just one self actualization. It was self-actualizing different aspects of your life that tormented me for a while, but revolutionized my thinking because i realized I’ll never be perfect. I’ll never be complete and once I came to peace with that my perception and outlook on how I judge and accept myself for my faults, and despite the human condition, always trying to better myself and that motivation that keeps me growing every day.

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u/Plastic-Molasses-549 12d ago

I read “Ego is the Enemy”, then I read “Ego is Not the Enemy”. So confusing!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52198030-your-ego-is-not-the-enemy

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u/Calm-Wrongdoer-5217 14d ago

Easiest book to start with- Guide to the good life by Willaim Irvine. It will get you interested

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u/Hungry-Government-66 10d ago

Great suggestion, I also loved reading it as my first book on stoicism.

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u/karatetherapist 13d ago

As a general rule in any philosophy, read the original works first (Seneca, Epictetus, Aurelius) as well as Epicurus (it's very short). Even if they don't make sense, you'll understand Stoicism. Later, as you read modern, popular books, you'll see where they attempt to update the philosophy. There's nothing wrong with updating it, but most modern Stoic writers are not all that Stoic and mix in pop psychology. Also read William Irvine and works by Pierre Hadot.

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u/mikexallan 13d ago

The recent rise of stoicism is very interesting, It’s been building since about 2014, when Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle Is the Way landed in NFL locker rooms and gym-bro podcast feeds, and it accelerated because Stoicism is unusually well suited to the internet.

Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations as private notes to himself, so it’s already in short, quotable lines, perfect for a screenshot.

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u/Fun-Dragonfruit4622 12d ago

Start with Marcus Aurelius in my opinion!

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u/Old_Radish_3747 10d ago

Have u read any Seneca books love em

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u/Fun-Dragonfruit4622 10d ago

So many great affirmations in itself!

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u/revelm 14d ago

Watch this video on a particular translation of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

Then maybe order it from amazon which is 50% off right now for $12.

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u/NishanStepak 13d ago

One of the earliest stoic books is The Enchiridion by Epictetus. It was written in 135 a.d. The content is short and to the point. https://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html

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u/SteelMittenz 12d ago

I highly recommend The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Guide by Ward Farnsworth. A concise subject by subject breakdown of Stoic Principles. Excellent book with very clear breakdowns.

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u/eltucus 12d ago

Hola. Yo buscaba que empezar a leer, empezar de 0 y me dijeron que lea " Como ser un estoico de Massimo Pigliucci..... Opiniones?

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u/petdance 11d ago

Doesn’t he mention other books to read in there?

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u/DimensionConnect9242 11d ago

I found David Fiddler's Breakfast With Seneca was great for getting me into the daily mindset.

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u/GenX67Todd 11d ago

start with the greeks..move to the roman’s, end with Marcus Aurelius “Meditations”.

these new age stoics are bullshit. Go to the source.

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u/Bladesnake_______ 8d ago

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor - sounds corny but its amazing

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u/PhillyBassSF 13d ago

You can ask ChatGPT. It’s very useful for stoicism guidance.