How to Think Like a Roman Emperor- The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald J. Robertson
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Web ID: 15419739Ten top ideas in the book
1. The concept of Stoicism and its role in shaping the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. 2. The importance of self-discipline and self-control in achieving a virtuous life. 3. The idea of accepting and learning from adversity, rather than resisting or trying to avoid it. 4. The concept of "serenity" or "tranquility" as a state of mind free from negative emotions. 5. The idea of mindfulness and being present in the moment, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. 6. The importance of reason and logic in understanding and interpreting the world around us. 7. The idea of "virtue ethics" and how it applies to both personal and public life. 8. The concept of "the Stoic sage" and how it relates to living a virtuous life. 9. The idea of "the Stoic paradox" and how it can be applied to personal growth and self-improvement. 10. The idea of using Stoic philosophy as a guide for personal development and self-transcendence.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Informative intersection of philosophy and CBT.
In this book, Robertson provides an interesting view of the intersectionality between cognitive behavioral therapy and the Stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. Each chapter has an “objective,” each beginning with the historical context of Marcus’s life (and life events) that led him to philosophize on the chapter’s given topics. Topics discussed include: speech, values, desire, pain, fear, anger, and death. In each chapter, after the historical events of Marcus’s life (that relate to the chapter topic) are discussed, the author then describes Marcus’s philosophy on each of the topics and how modern-day practices of CBT are similar and can be useful to the reader. I would recommend this read to anybody interested in Stoic philosophy or cognitive behavioral therapy. The author’s writing is very easy to understand and I would suspect that anybody could enjoy this book regardless of the amount of previous knowledge they have in the subject.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
One of those books that has the power to change
I love this book and have recommended it to lots of friends/family. I don’t usually write reviews but I saw the 1 star and completely disagree with that analysis so I felt compelled to add my opinion. Do yourself and everyone around you a favor and read this book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fantastic book about Stoicism
I'm not sure how someone could write a 1-star review for this book. Seems like that guy had a personal grudge against this author or the CBT. This book was fantastic. It's the book that got me into Stoicism. 6-7 months later in my studying, I still think it's an excellent book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The cover pretty much sums it up
As you can see from the cover, Marcus Aurelus has some earbuds in which perfectly sums The idea of this book. A modern introduction and application of Pyscho-Analysis through Stoicism for the individual. This book provides the tools, anecdote's and ideas useful to the many stressed and struggling people in modern society. I love the ties to cognitive distancing, Assenting to impressions and all in between.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A tired rebrew of CBT hoisted upon Marcus Aurelius
Robertson has published extensively on CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) techniques with a verneer of Stoicism on it. As a practicing psychotherapist, that is very understandable. Sadly, Robertson tweaks and twists Stoicism to fit his CBT agenda, doing great dis-service to Stoicism. In "Think like a roman emperor" the same principle is at work again. THe book is about force-fitting CBT techniques, such as tolerating pain or conquering anger, into the life of Marcus Aurelius. Since we only know very little about Marcus' actual biography, Robertson takes vast literary license to add his self-serving take on Marcus'life and flesh events out in a way that support his CBT agenda. This book was not written by studying Marcus' life and discovering CBT in it, this book was written with a list of CBT techniques and desperately remapping them into a life of Marcus that never existed as such. This is nice if all you want is CBT. If on the other hand you are interested in Stoicism, you will find Marcus' care for others, his cosmopolitanism, or his piety to name just a few subjects, sorely lacking. Not by chance but by design.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com