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The Future of my Substack Newsletter

Dear Stoic fam,

I want to begin by thanking you! In January, my newsletter became one of Substack’s official bestsellers, as a direct result of your support.

When I was thinking about starting it, I wondered whether it was really needed and what it could accomplish. Way back in Oct 2012, I was invited to a multi-disciplinary workshop, organized by Chris Gill, professor emeritus of Ancient Thought, at Exeter University. We went on to found the Modern Stoicism organization, the Stoic Week online course, and Stoicon conferences. We contributed, I hope, in our small way, to the renaissance in popularity that Stoicism has gone through since then. However, in some regards the philosophy we love has now become a victim of its own success.

Over the years, I noticed more and more articles, videos, podcasts, and books, which seemed to present Stoicism in a very superficial way, or even to badly misrepresent its central ideas. I also watched as the Stoicism communities on social media grew to hundreds of thousands of members but increasingly became dominated by joke memes, and articles about things like how to get rich quick, etc. This seemed very far removed from the Stoic philosophy of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. Controversial influencers, such as Andrew Tate and others like him, have jumped on the bandwagon, claiming to be inspired by Stoicism. I noticed that high-quality content from leading experts on the philosophy — like Chris Gill, Massimo Pigliucci, and Chris Gill — was often being drowned out by all the noise on social media.

I learned, though, that Substack was building a space designed to be different. I began to wonder if starting a newsletter might offer a way to create a community where I could help others to put Stoicism and other branches of Greek philosophy into practice, in ways that might help them in daily life.

Read more…

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Bestselling Substack Newsletter

We’re delighted to announce that our newsletter, Stoicism – Philosophy as a Way of Life, has already been awarded bestseller status by Substack. Check out our most recent posts and podcast episodes.

To celebrate, we have a special offer. If you’re not already a paid subscriber, you can use this link to claim a free 30-day trial of full access to all content. (Offer valid until 31st Jan 2023.)

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Marcus Aurelius Verissimus

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Sign up for our Substack newsletter to download this new Marcus Aurelius poster, with artwork by award-winning illustrator Zé Nuno Fraga.

We are delighted to be able to bring you this downloadable PDF of a full-color, 16” x 20” Marcus Aurelius poster designed by Zé Nuno Fraga, courtesy of St. Martin’s Press. Zé is the award-winning Portuguese illustrator, responsible for the artwork in our graphic novel, Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius.

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Stoicism – Philosophy as a Way of Life

🎁 For the New Year, why not send someone the gift of a subscription to our Substack newsletter “Stoicism – Philosophy as a Way of Life”?

In this episode, I speak about Stoicism and Buddhism with Matthew Gindin. Matthew is a former Forest Monk in the Thai Buddhist tradition.  He taught meditation practices for 15 years, and has written extensively for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.  He is now the author of the newsletter on Substack.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* How Matthew became interested in Stoicism and his other philosophical influences, such as Spinoza* The rise in popularity of Stoicism, e.g., how it appeals to people interested in Buddhism, etc.* What do you think Stoicism and Buddhism have in common?* The historical relationship between Stoicism and Buddhism, e.g., communication between ancient eastern and western philosophers* How Stoics could benefit from learning more about Buddhism Links* Substack NewsletterThank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
  1. Stoicism and Buddhism
  2. Design your Mind with Stoicism
  3. Tips for Practical Stoicism in Everyday Life
  4. Stoic Philosophy and Alcoholism
  5. Stoicism and the Live and Let Live Movement
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Stoicism

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