Lately I’ve been trying to learn more about the differences between Modern Stoicism and Roman Stoicism, as it was taught by Stoics like Seneca and Epictetus back in the days. Much of what I read about Modern Stoicism makes perfect sense to me and naturally I’m curious how much of the “old stuff” has been discarded or heavily modified to fit the version of Stoicism advocated by people like Lawrence Becker and William B. Irvine.
As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, Irvine’s books on Stoicism give a good and practical introduction to Modern Stoicism, and while he frequently cites the ancient Stoics and describes their thinking, I suppose you’ll have to go to the primary sources in order to get the entire picture.
However, when approaching texts by the old philosophers, one is often confronted with language that is more or less incomprehensible. Even if you would read a translation into your native language, the names and references won’t make much sense to you, unless you spend a lot of time researching and understanding what things actually meant or symbolised in Roman times.
Therefore, it’s such a pleasure to find a modern translation that actually makes sense. A translation that honors the author’s way of thinking and is loyal to the spirit of the original text, but is written using words and concepts that make sense in the 21st century. Two particularly great translations of ancient wisdom are worth mentioning here.
The first one is Gregory Hays’s translation of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. The book’s description on Amazon puts it well: "Marcus’s thoughts speak with a new immediacy. In fresh and unencumbered English, Hays vividly conveys the spareness and compression of the original Greek text.”
The other one is Sam Torode’s translation of The Manual by Epictetus. The Manual, also known as The Handbook or Enchiridion, was compiled by Epictetus’s pupil Arrian and no writings by Epictetus himself are known. Again, thanks to Torode’s modern translation, this actionable guide to Stoic philosophy is as accessible for us today as it was two millennia ago in the Roman Empire.
Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus prove that anyone can become a Stoic – or a philosopher for that matter. Aurelius (AD 121-180) was, as most of us know, a Roman Emperor and last of the rulers known as "The Five Good Emperors”. Epictetus (c. AD 50-135) had quite a different background. He was born a slave, acquired a passion for philosophy, obtained his freedom, and eventually went on to become a great teacher.