In order to fully understand what Marcus Aurelius wrote, it is important to have a basic knowledge of Stoicism. I'll just quote myself:
>The best starting point is the /r/stoicism's FAQ, where you will find a list of recommended readings, classical texts and modern accounts. In general, one starts with the three classical books of the late Roman stoa: The "Enchiridion" by Epictetus, the "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius and "Letters from a Stoic" by Seneca.
>More Supplementary material: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
As for the book Meditations itself, there is a "guide" written by Pierre Hadot in which he explains common occurences of themes, gives historical background information and tells us Marcus Aurelius biography: "The Inner Citadel ".
by Wabbajak 2018-11-10
Short introductions are the philosimply entries about Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Zeno and Epictetus.
For the rest, I'll just quote myself:
>The best starting point is the FAQ of the stoicism subreddit, where you will find a list of recommended readings, classical texts and modern accounts. In general, one starts with the three classical books of the late Roman stoa: The "Enchiridion" by Epictetus, the "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius and "Letters from a Stoic" by Seneca.
*Stoicism and the Art of Happiness *, easily my number one. It's good for a newbie and great for even a years long practitioner to revisit over and over again. Could not recommend it enough.
*Discourses *. So much in there that you simply have to read and re-read.
*Unshakable Freedom *. This is the one I usually give to complete newbies. For me it's the best and most accessible introduction.
In order to fully understand what Marcus Aurelius wrote, it is important to have a basic knowledge of Stoicism. I'll just quote myself:
>The best starting point is the /r/stoicism's FAQ, where you will find a list of recommended readings, classical texts and modern accounts. In general, one starts with the three classical books of the late Roman stoa: The "Enchiridion" by Epictetus, the "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius and "Letters from a Stoic" by Seneca.
>Good overviews and modern interpretations are given by Massimo Pigliucci's "How to be a Stoic ", Donald Robertson's "Stoicism and the Art of Happiness " and William B. Irvine's "A Guide to the Good Life "
>More Supplementary material: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
As for the book Meditations itself, there is a "guide" written by Pierre Hadot in which he explains common occurences of themes, gives historical background information and tells us Marcus Aurelius biography: "The Inner Citadel ".
Short introductions are the philosimply entries about Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Zeno and Epictetus.
For the rest, I'll just quote myself:
>The best starting point is the FAQ of the stoicism subreddit, where you will find a list of recommended readings, classical texts and modern accounts. In general, one starts with the three classical books of the late Roman stoa: The "Enchiridion" by Epictetus, the "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius and "Letters from a Stoic" by Seneca.
>Good overviews and modern interpretations are given by Massimo Pigliucci's "How to be a Stoic ", Donald Robertson's "Stoicism and the Art of Happiness " and William B. Irvine's "A Guide to the Good Life "
>Pierre Hadot gives the best explanations of Stoic themes that appear in the Meditations in his book "The Inner Citadel ".
>More Supplementary material: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.