Tag Archives: philosophy

Selections from Musonius Rufus

Posted on September 14, 2016 by smellincoffee

These are a few passages from Ben White’s modern interpretation of Musonius Rufus’ lessons and fragments. Prologue:Of everything that exists, God has put some in our control, some not. He has put the noblest and most excellent thing in our … Continue reading →

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How to Live

Posted on September 11, 2016 by smellincoffee

Musonius Rufus on How to Live© 2012 Ben White112 pages Virtus isn’t just for the men any more.  Musonius Rufus is the forgotten Stoic, a man hailed alongside Socrates as nigh-saintly by Origen, but now almost forgotten. More’s the pity, because … Continue reading →

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How the Scots Invented the Modern World

Posted on September 10, 2016 by smellincoffee

How the Scots Invented the Modern World:The True Story of How Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It © 2001  Arthur Herman400 pages An elderly patron at the library has adopted me as his go-to source for … Continue reading →

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The Porch and the Cross

Posted on August 27, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Porch and the Cross: Ancient Stoic Wisdom for Modern Christian Living© 2016 Kevin Vost198 pages Stoicism as a moral philosophy has had admirers through the ages, and especially during the medieval epoch. While modern snobbery tends to dismiss the … Continue reading →

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The Obstacle is the Way

Posted on July 6, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Obstacle is the Way© 2014 Ryan Holiday224 pages Let us say, dear reader, that you have heard of Stoicism, hailed as the go-to philosophy of mental fortitude. You want to read about it. But you don’t want to take … Continue reading →

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The Great Debate

Posted on June 29, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the  Birth of Right and Left© 2013 Yuval Levin296 pages The Great Debate uses the war of letters between Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine  to explain the philosophical differences between conservatism and … Continue reading →

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The News

Posted on April 2, 2016 by smellincoffee

The News: A User’s Manual© 2014 Alain de Botton272 pages The news more than any other modern institution has taken the role of shaping a nation’s collective consciousness, but  what shape does that leave us in? Alain de Botton’s The … Continue reading →

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The Wisdom of the Myths

Posted on March 7, 2016 by smellincoffee

Wisdom from the Myths: How Greek Mythology Can Change Your Life© 2014 Luc Ferry416 pages Well over a year or so ago, in a mood to read about the classical tradition, I happened upon Wisdom from the Myths: How Greek … Continue reading →

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Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations

Posted on August 30, 2015 by smellincoffee

Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations© 2013 Jules Evans320 pages  For most, philosophy is a subject that screams impotent academic prattle, the practice of strange individuals who are clearly paid too much to gaze into their navels and pontificate … Continue reading →

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American Cicero

Posted on June 24, 2015 by smellincoffee

American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll © 2010 Bradley Birzer 230 pages When Charles Carroll of Carrollton signed the Declaration of Independence, he was risking the biggest fortune on the American mainland.  But Carroll had yearned for independence for … Continue reading →

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