A Guide to Stoicism

Stock, St. George William Joseph, 1850-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 102K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Guide to Stoicism by St. George William Joseph StockAuthor: Stock, St. George William Joseph, 1850-,Language: English, Class: B: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Release Date: Feb 1, 2005

Editor's review

This is a short introductory booklet on Stoicism for general readers. In clear, restrained English, St. George Stock lays out the Stoics' core doctrines and principal figures. It is brief enough to serve as a first stop for philosophy beginners. Its strength lies in its "guide" positioning: rather than pursuing the complexities of academic scholarship, it sets out Stoic ideas about virtue, nature, the control of emotion, and the purpose of life in an orderly way, so that readers quickly gain an overall framework. As a public-domain Project Gutenberg e-book, it is easy to obtain and easy to revisit. In terms of reading situations, it suits segmented reading in fragmented time such as commuting or before bed, pausing after each chapter to reflect on corresponding situations in one's own life; it also works as preparatory reading before tackling Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius in the original. One caveat: the book was written long ago, its prose carries a Victorian English flavor, and it does not address the practical discussions of the modern Stoicism revival. Readers should treat it as a classic introduction rather than a psychological self-help manual.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Philosophy beginners who want to understand the basic doctrines of Stoicism
Readers preparing to read Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus in the original
General readers hoping to use classical philosophy to reflect on emotion and attitudes to life
Students and self-learners with adequate English reading ability who prefer short introductions

Not a good fit for

Self-help readers expecting modern psychological techniques and practical exercises
Professional philosophy researchers seeking in-depth academic scholarship and close textual reading
Readers with weak English who want to read philosophy popularizations directly in Chinese

Reading tips

Read through once to build an overall framework, then on a second pass summarize chapter by chapter, marking views you agree with and those you doubt.
After each chapter, write one or two sentences on how its claims relate to your own circumstances, so you don't forget it as soon as you finish.
After finishing, go on to read Epictetus's Enchiridion or Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, comparing and understanding them side by side.
When you meet long Victorian English sentences, don't parse them word by word; grasp the paragraph's main point and keep reading.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no philosophy background at all?

Yes. Positioned as a "guide," the book sets out the Stoics' basic ideas thematically and does not assume any background in the history of philosophy. That said, it was written long ago and its English style is old-fashioned, so readers with absolutely no foundation may need to look up figures and terms as they read.

Do I need to read the original works before this book?

No. The book itself can serve as preparatory reading before the originals, helping readers first build an overall framework of Stoicism; reading Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius afterward will then be easier to enter.

How does this book differ from modern books on Stoic practice?

This book is an older introduction to classical philosophy, focused on explaining the school's doctrines and intellectual lineage; it does not cover modern psychological emotion-management techniques or exercise programs. If you want actionable daily practices, you'll need to supplement it with modern practice-oriented books.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Stock, St. George William Joseph, 1850- Author · British · 1850

St. George William Joseph Stock (1850– ) was a British philosopher. Public information about his life is limited: it is known only that he was born in 1850, and his other experiences are difficult to trace. Two of his works are held in the collection, A Guide to Stoicism and Deductive Logic, the former introducing Stoicism to general readers and the latter discussing deductive logic. Judging from these two works, his writing spans classical philosophy and logic, with an emphasis on accessible introductions. His style strives for clarity and ease of understanding, aiming to set out the essentials of a school of thought and the rules of reasoning for ordinary readers rather than to offer abstruse specialist scholarship. His introduction to Stoicism is still regarded as one of the basic works for understanding that school.