The Ultimate Stoicism Collection

Letters from a Stoic (All 124 Letters), Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, The Enchiridion, Of Peace of Mind, Of Anger, Of Providence, The Discourses of Epictetus, The Golden Sayings of Epictetus, Fragments Attributed to Epictetus, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers: The Stoics, & Marcus Aurelius Biography

By: Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, John Lord

Narrated by: Museum Audiobooks cast

Stoicism, a school of Hellenistic thought founded in Athens in the third century BC, was one of the most sublime philosophies in the history of Western civilization. It is a way of living that focuses on reality instead of fantasy or idealism. According to its teachings, the path to peace and happiness is found in accepting the moment as it presents itself, by not allowing oneself to be ruled by the desire for pleasure or by the fear of pain.

The Ultimate Stoicism Collection includes:

1. Letters from a Stoic (All 124 Letters) was written by Seneca during his retirement and sent to his friend Lucilius Junior, a procurator of Sicily. Seneca's major contribution to Stoicism was to humanize a system that could appear cold and unrealistic. The letters reveal how far in advance of his time Seneca's ideas were, for example his disgust at the shows in the Roman arena or his criticism of the treatment of slaves.
2. Meditations of Marcus Aurelius is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.
3. The Enchiridion is a collection of the most profound teachings of Epictetus who taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a matter of theory. The Enchiridion is a canonical text of Stoic philosophy and contains all the fundamentals. Among them is the principle of not being concerned with that which is out of one’s control. Misfortune should not disturb the individual at all and should not be perceived negatively. Epictetus teaches that the only genuine value exists in virtuous action and accepting everything that happens in the world. He believed that one should do what is right and remain indifferent to criticism.
4. Of Peace of Mind is a dialogue written by Seneca the Younger during the years 49 to 62 AD. It concerns the state of mind of Seneca's friend Annaeus Serenus, and how to cure Serenus of anxiety, worry, and disgust with life.
5. Of Anger: With respect to the emotions, Seneca distinguishes between involuntary reactions and full-blown emotions, which involve assent and thus are voluntary. They are voluntary in the sense that assent is in the agent’s power. This is a key piece of Stoic doctrine - that whether we are foolish or wise, it is in our power to assent or not assent to impressions.
6. "Of Providence" is a short essay in the form of a dialogue in six brief sections, to deal with the problem of the coexistence of the Stoic design of providence with the evil in the world. The dialogue is opened by Lucilius complaining with his friend Seneca that adversities and misfortunes can happen to good men too. How can this fit with the goodness connected with the design of providence? Seneca answers according to the Stoic point of view.
7. The Discourses of Epictetus is a series of informal lectures, compiled by Seneca’s pupil Arrian. The Stoic emphasis on endurance, self-restraint, and the power of the will to withstand calamity could often appear cold and inhuman. Epictetus, however, offers the most humane interpretation of Stoic ideals by using humor, imaginary conversations, and homely comparisons to put his message across. It is a practical philosophy that directs students to focus attention on their opinions, anxieties, passions, and desires.
8. The Golden Sayings of Epictetus: In these aphorisms, the philosopher reflects on our mortality and the knowledge that we will suffer in this life. However, each of us has the choice to endure with dignity those setbacks that we cannot control, he contends. Acceptance is core in Stoic doctrine. The wisdom of Epictetus has its roots in Socrates, confirming that we get upset by our judgement’s of circumstances, not by the circumstance itself.
9. Fragments Attributed to Epictetus: Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life, not just a theoretical discipline. The idea that we should only focus our efforts on what is inside our sphere of choice and that we ought to train ourselves to be indifferent to what is outside that sphere is repeated throughout his Discourses and these Fragments. To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control, and we should calmly accept whatever happens. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through self-discipline.
10. Lives of the Eminent Philosophers is devoted to the Stoics like Zeno of Citium, Ariston of Chios, Herillus, Dionysius the Renegade, Cleanthes, and Sphaerus.
11. Marcus Aurelius Biography covers the life, the times, and the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius (121-180). The 17th emperor of Rome preserved and protected the Empire, mainly by keeping the Parthians in the east and the northern barbarians at bay.

Public Domain (P)2020 Museum Audiobooks

Good but skips

I liked the book, great reference points. Just wish places didn’t skip through like a record player

Needs better narration

Had to return it because I couldn't get into the narration style. I already have the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius with a different narrator. I guess I'll seek out other single titles instead of this collection.

Almost Amazing

I love the comprehensive content however the female narrators chosen for this specific title are the absolute worst. Their voices were grating and the dialogue almost unintelligible without intense focus made their chapters so stressful I ended up skipping them. Might return the title just because of the voice skipping and the female narrators for a more quality version.

Plethora of information and insights.

I'm sorry, but the woman towards the end is utterly unbearable. I almost completely stopped listening, but I just skipped her segment. Other than this, there's a crazy amount to unpack with much of it being useful. It was a long journey, but it's ultimately worth it. Just skip the lady at the tail end. She doesn't add anything remotely useful and sucks up a ton of time.

Impressed

Unbelievable that you can get all of this with one credit, I purchased how to think like an emperor just days ago, It made me interested in the stoic philosophy, so this seems to be a great start!

Absolutely Indispensable!

I listened to this while commuting all summer. It is vast. I thought I knew Stoicism because I had read Marcus Aurelius and a modern book or two about it, but that cannot begin to cover this rich school of thought like immersing yourself into the other surviving writings. After hearing Senneca's hundreds of letters, you get more than a sense of his philosophy - you actually start to understand his personality. I found that each of the major surviving Stoics had their own strengths and weaknesses. Anyway, I could go on and on. In short, if you are interested in Stoicism, you need primary sources. Here they are.
P.S. - Some reviewers said this was read by a computer. IT IS NOT. I do not know if these reviewers are writing about an older version, or if they are malicious, or if they just did not give this mature narrator a chance to prove to them that he was real (his style is a bit flat by some standards but you get used to it), but the main narrator and the guest narrators are living people and good to listen to.

Wonderful!

I can’t believe I got all these philosophy works for one purchase! Almost 60 hours of material. I am loving being a new audible member.

Excellent content hindered by poor narration

The content here is great, and includes most of the main Stoic texts, plus a biography of Marcus Aurelius. The narration, unfortunately, is mostly awful. There are now several different narrators. The old man who reads the first several texts becomes more tolerable if you increase the listening speed. The female narrator following him is even worse, but she only reads one text. The others are actually fine, although the old man returns for most of the Epictetus material, and for the Marcus Aurelius biography. Overall it’s worth listening to for how much content comes with a single credit, if you can get past dull narration which doesn’t suit the material.

This book helped me manage my emotions and gave me perspective on my life.

I particularly enjoyed ’On Anger’ by Seneca. It’s a subject most people don’t really think about. I’m going to get a paper copy of it.

Great works! Wish there were track titles...

I wish the tracks had titles to distinguish which track is which title. Having almost 600 tracks means if I want to listen to Aurelius, I play guess and check until I find it. That takes a while...