In this episode, Doug discusses the origins of stoicism in the philosophical milieu of axial age Athens. Originally developed by a shipwrecked merchant and former cynic, stoicism soon became the dominant philosophy of Athens. A few hundred years later, it was adapted to the honor-bound culture and practicality of the Romans, and quickly became a hit. The first emperor to be directly influenced by a stoic philosopher was Nero, but he later rejected Seneca, the philosopher, and had him killed. Seneca's words lived on though, and found purchase in the mind of a new emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Marcus would go on to become a stoic philosopher in his own right and live up to the dream of Plato for a philosopher-king. Hugely influential, the works of stoics like Seneca and Marcus would go on to inspire Christian writers, the American founders, Hollywood, and even Bill Clinton. This is the first of a two-part series on stoicism. Tune in next week when we discuss the tenets of stoicism.
