Category Archives: Stoicism
PAUL-LOUIS LANDSBERG
(1901-1944)
from The Moral Problem of Suicide
Paul-Louis (also known as Paul-Ludwig) Landsberg was born in Bonn, Germany, in 1901 to a prominent family. Landsberg became a professor of philosophy at the University of Bonn in 1928. He wrote several works on anthropology and German philosophy, … Continue reading
Filed under Christianity, Europe, Landsberg, Paul-Louis, Martyrdom, Selections, Sin, Stoicism, The Modern Era
ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER
(1788-1860)
from The World as Will and Idea
from Studies in Pessimism: On Suicide
Born in Danzig of a wealthy merchant and a mother who was to become a famous romantic novelist, the young Schopenhauer studied modern languages in order to prepare for the mercantile career that his father desired for him. The … Continue reading
Filed under Europe, Schopenhauer, Arthur, Selections, Sin, Stoicism, The Modern Era
WILLIAM BLACKSTONE
(1723-1780)
from Commentaries on the Laws of England
Sir William Blackstone was born in London to a wealthy family of the middle class and received a broad education in logic, mathematics, and the classics. A member and fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, he became a barrister in … Continue reading
Filed under Blackstone, William, Europe, Selections, Stoicism, The Early Modern Period
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU
(1712-1778)
from Julie, or the New Heloise
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the French philosopher, novelist, and political essayist, profoundly influenced the Enlightenment period during which he lived and the Romantic movement and French Revolution to come. He was born in Geneva in 1712; his mother died within days … Continue reading
Filed under Europe, Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, Selections, Stoicism, The Early Modern Period
MONTESQUIEU
(1689-1755)
from The Persian Letters
from Consideration of the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline
from The Spirit of Laws
Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de la Bréde et de la Montesquieu, was a French political and social philosopher, jurist, satirist, and the first of the great French men of letters of the Enlightenment. Born at La Bréde near Bordeaux, … Continue reading
Filed under Europe, Montesquieu, Selections, Stoicism, The Early Modern Period
MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE
(1533-1592)
from Of Cannibals
from A Custom of the Isle of Cea
Lord Michel Eyquem Montaigne was born near Bordeaux, the son of the mayor of Bordeaux, a man of unusual tolerance in an age of religious intolerance. Raised speaking only Latin until the age of six, Montaigne received the very … Continue reading
AUGUSTINE
(354–430)
from The City of God
from On Free Choice of the Will
Born to a small landholder, Patricius, and a pious Christian, Monica, in the small town of Thagaste in the Roman province of Numidia (modern Souk-Ahras, Algeria), Augustine of Hippo was of profound influence on the history of Western thought. … Continue reading
Filed under Africa, Ancient History, Augustine, Christianity, Europe, Selections, Stoicism
AMBROSE
(337/340-397)
from Of Virgins: Letter to Marcellina
Born in the city of Trier (modern Germany), Ambrose of Milan became a noted theologian, biblical critic, and hymnist, later canonized as a saint and considered the father of liturgical music. He is also known as the spiritual teacher … Continue reading
Filed under Ambrose, Ancient History, Christianity, Europe, Martyrdom, Selections, Stoicism
JUSTIN MARTYR
(c. 100-165)
from The Second Apology: Why Christians Do Not Kill Themselves
Saint Justin (the) Martyr, theologian and philosopher, was one of the first Christian apologists, sainted and numbered among the Fathers of the Church. He was born in the city of Flavia Neapolis (now Nabulus, West Bank), a Roman city … Continue reading
Filed under Ancient History, Christianity, Europe, Justin Martyr, Middle East, Selections, Stoicism
EPICTETUS
(c. 55-c. 135)
from Discourses:
How from the Doctrine of Our Relationship to God We Are to Deduce Its Consequences
How We Should Bear Illness
Of Freedom
Born in Hierapolis, Phrygia (modern Turkey) to a slave woman, Epictetus was himself a slave during his childhood and adolescence. He was lame, according to Origen’s account, from injuries caused by his master Epaphroditus’s twisting his leg until he … Continue reading
Filed under Afterlife, Ancient History, Epictetus, Europe, Illness and Old Age, Selections, Stoicism