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Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings Musonius Rufus (Translator) , William B. Irvine (Preface) , Cynthia King (Translator)

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Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings

Musonius Rufus (Translator) , William B. Irvine (Preface) , Cynthia King (Translator)

Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings Musonius Rufus (Translator) , William B. Irvine (Preface) , Cynthia King (Translator) Musonius Rufus (c. AD 30-100) was one of the four great Roman Stoic , the other three being Seneca, , and Musonius' pupil . During his life, Musonius' was put to the test, most notably during an exile to , a barren island in the Aegean Sea. Because Stoicism was, for Musonius, not merely a philosophy but a prescription for daily living, he has been called "the Roman ." MUSONIUS RUFUS: LECTURES AND SAYINGS will therefore be welcomed by those who seek insight into the practice of Stoicism. In this volume, readers will find Cynthia King's translation of Musonius' lectures, as recorded by his pupil Lucius; the sayings attributed to Musonius by ancient writers; an exchange of letters between Musonius and ; and a letter from Musonius to Pankratides. This volume also includes a preface by William B. Irvine, author of A GUIDE TO THE GOOD LIFE: THE ANCIENT ART OF STOIC JOY.

Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings Details

Published January 22nd 2011 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (first published Date : October 11th 212) ISBN : 9781456459666 Author : Musonius Rufus (Translator) , William B. Irvine (Preface) , Cynthia King (Translator) Format : Paperback 102 pages Genre : Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics, History, Ancient History

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Download and Read Free Online Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings Musonius Rufus (Translator) , William B. Irvine (Preface) , Cynthia King (Translator)

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From Reader Review Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings for online ebook

Scribbler says

Very well organized and the effort that went into producing this volume is evident. Three stars only because Rufus is not as dense with aphorisms applicable to modern times as, say, Seneca's Letters from a Stoic or Aurelius' - Rufus' advice for living is somewhat anchored to its age.

Geoff Graham says

A wandering compilation of mostly esoteric lectures and sayings from Stoicism's fourth . Having read Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, I was interested to learn about the lesser known Musonius Rufus, Epictetus' teacher.

The lecture on alone makes the book worth reading, and the historical context is interesting (with references to Rome's great fire, , and ), but after finishing, I was left with more questions about Musonius than answers.

There was surprisingly little deep exploration of what I think of as Stoic virtue, and a great deal of what sounded to me like 's spartan austerity. My guess is Musonius and his contemporary Seneca might have had some interesting debates about whether a Stoic could experience wealth and comfort without it compromising his or her virtue.

All in all, I enjoyed my exposure to Musonius, but was left still wondering how he became so influential. What might he have said in the lectures that haven't survived?

Marijke says

So much easier to read then the Epictetus Art of Living and yet coveying similar principles. I had never heard of this until I downloaded the Kindle version of this work. I am glad I did.

Tom Quinn says

A recommendation to new Stoics: First read Marcus for the foundation. Then read Seneca for the gravity. Then read Epictetus for a refresher. Then read this book.

All of the Stoic authors say the same basic things, but with a variety of examples and personality that keeps them distinct. Their advice is practical, their words are quotable, and their philosophy of life and how to live it is tremendously freeing. Musonius in particular focuses on narrow, real-life areas where philosophy can be

PDF File: Musonius Rufus: Lectures and 3 Sayings... Read and Download Ebook Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings... of benefit: work, marriage, study, home furnishings, and so on. His logical arguments aren't as strong as some other writers, but his counsel is still of great benefit. I especially liked this 2012 translation (by Ben White) for its breezy, contemporary style that still preserves the import of Musonius's intent.

5 stars out of 5.

Adam says

'They say that of all people, Musonius pursued philosophy most perfectly.'

I'm sure he did. This is an interesting short set of lectures and fragments of sayings of one of the big three four Stoic philosophers, whose works have survived. As mentioned in the introduction he's the least well- known today, even though in his time he had a large following and influenced Philosophers and Theologians alike after his death.

It's a shame that so little has survived of his lectures and sayings, the book itself is essentially 75 pages, it just gives you a taster of Rufus, and leaves you wanting a lot more. Here's a quote from the translator's preface discussing the surviving writings...

'It is important for us to understand the context in which the Musonius extracts survived and the fragility of the transmission of his ideas. The 21 fairly long extracts in ' Anthology are essentially a student's lecture notes. But Stobaeus never seems to give the whole of a lecture (this is confirmed for Lecture 15 to which there is an independent witness from the papyrus which survived by chance), and he breaks up several lectures to fit into the different categories which he wishes to illustrate. We know this because he almost always gives the tide of the lecture from which he is taking the excerpt.'

He seems like a really interesting Stoic, and I can see from the brief glimpse I'm given here, why he had a large impact in his time. I just find it frustrating more than anything how little has survived. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read Epictetus or who has read Epictetus.

Musonius has become popular in recent years for his insistence that both women and men should be educated, for his rejection of a double standard (although feminists debate his feminism), and for his resistance to autocracy (speaking truth to power).

C.K. Shaw says

In order for us to withstand more easily and eagerly the pains we would be suffering on account of virtue and noble character, it is useful to consider how much trouble those who pursue illicit love-affairs undergo because of their wicked passions, how much others put up with for the sake of gain, and again how many ills some suffer in pursuit of fame. Is it not amazing that they would put up with all this on account of dishonorable things, but that we—to gain a noble character, to escape the wickedness that ruins our lives, and to acquire virtue which provides for all good things—would not readily withstand every pain?

I read the lectures of Musonius Rufus after having read the works of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca. Musonius Rufus makes the fewest references to Stoic and physics, instead focusing exclusively on Stoic . His lectures are comprised of practical advice for the application of Stoic ethics to mundane aspects of daily living. Musonius Rufus is probably the most accessible of the four great Stoic philosophers, but I would recommend that one start one’s exploration of Stoic philosophy with one of the other

PDF File: Musonius Rufus: Lectures and 4 Sayings... Read and Download Ebook Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings... philosophers first so as to gain a more complete picture of Stoicism before using Musonius Rufus to hone in on its practical applications. Musonius Rufus proves to be a very sensible man, though possibly the most conservative of the Stoic philosophers, and at times his austerity resembles that of the Cynics. I would recommend any of the Stoic texts to every reader, and this text is a must-read for any reader with an appreciation for Stoic philosophy.

Daniel says

I like especially the practical and straightforward tone of Musonius Rufus with guidelines that basically aims to the daily life, with no mention of any abstruse issues of the stoic doctrine.

"If you choose to hold on to what is right, don't despair in difficult circumstances-reflect on how many things have already happened in your life in ways that you didn’t wish, and yet they have turned out for the best."

"To help us to cheerfully endure those hardships which we may expect to suffer because of virtue and goodness, it is useful to recall what hardships people will endure for immoral reasons."

There are even some instructions about diet:

What cannot be satisfied is not a man's stomach, as most men think, but rather the false opinion that the stomach requires unlimited filling.

Yet, the passage that I most enjoy:

If we were to measure what is good by how much pleasure it brings, nothing would be better than self-control- if we were to measure what is to be avoided by its pain, nothing would be more painful than lack of self-control.

Olof says

A good read. Probably not the first book I'd recommend to someone who wants to learn about Stoicism, but a

PDF File: Musonius Rufus: Lectures and 5 Sayings... Read and Download Ebook Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings... necessity for anyone who wants to go deeper. Especially interesting were Musonius Rufus views about women, which are lacking from other Stoic writings. Musonius believed that women should study philosophy and that it was wrong for men to have sex with their female slaves.

Paul H Aube says

Pertinent for the one seeking practical guidance in his lifestyle and in living decently. Some ideas are “old”, but they have intrinsic value in today’s world. Hence, a classic.

A must for the Stoic practitioner.

Mark Bridgeman says

Simple and brilliant

What a wonderful book full of simple yet readily accessible wisdom, highlighted recommended for all people wishing to get the best out of life. Stoicism is joyous and for everyone.

Htb2050 says not much in these. Epictetus gives a much more detailed description of the very same principles.

Erik Golbiw says

A very practical explanation of how to apply Stoicism is everyday situations. Although dated, many of the instances described are accurate today.

Matthew says

Along with Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, Musionius Rufus was one of the four great Roman Stoics. This is a no-nonsense translation of his lectures. Translations of Rufus are apparently quite rare. This one can be had from lulu.com.

Karl Nordenstorm says

Obviously the stoicism if fascinating, but you can get that from the other stoics. What I really remember from Musonius is something else, namely his terrible arguments for both terrible and very good ideas.

Musonius is the only ancient I know who advocated the belief that women can get just as smart as men, and

PDF File: Musonius Rufus: Lectures and 6 Sayings... Read and Download Ebook Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings... that the sexes should get the same education. But what are his arguments for this belief? That he- and she- dogs get the same skills if they get the same training and that the same applies to horses, ergo it should apply to . Cherry-picking? How many examples are there of animals for which the opposite is the case?

Then he has a fantastic argument for being vegan. Namely "us humans are the animals the most similar to the gods. And what do the gods eat? The fumes from sacrificed meat. We humans should aspire to eat the same things as the gods, but we cannot eat fumes. But we should at least eat light food, that strive to reach the sky like ... like grain! Instead of heavy meet." (I paraphrase, but basically this is what he says)

Such a fascinating thing that Musonius who was so right on so many issues could be so extremely wrong, or could be right but for absurd reasons.

Grady McCallie says

If Seneca manifests the Stoic as a (neurotic) aristocrat, Gaius Musonius Rufus embodies the Stoic as a man of more modest means. His philosophical judgments are appealing and down to earth, as in this comment from a lecture on furnishing a house: "On the whole, we can judge whether various household furnishings are good or bad by determining what it takes to acquire them, use them, and keep them safe. Things that are difficult to acquire, hard to use, or difficult to guard are inferior; things that are easy to acquire, are a pleasure to use, and are easily guarded are superior." That practicality is intermixed with reflexive bias against the well to do, as suggested by this blanket assessment from later in the same lecture: "No one can acquire many things without being unjust." Rufus offers some rational arguments, but much of what he offers is a way of looking at the world that's either going to feel right or empty.

One of the most appealing features of Rufus' thought is his certainty that Stoicism is for both men and women: "If men and women must be equally good in the virtue appropriate for a - must, that is, be wise and self-controlled, and share in courage and justice - will we not educate both alike, and teach both in the same way the art by which a human would become good? We must do just that!" He acknowledges that, on average, men and women have different physical capacities, but suggests that this only applies to physical capacities, and even then with exceptions.

Ultimately, while Rufus doesn't say much about political justice, he occasionally sounds like a modern social justice-oriented progressive: "Surely to shun excess, to honor equality, to want to do good, and for a person, being human, to not want to harm human beings -- this is the most honorable lesson and it makes just people out of those who hear it." That's quite a tonal contrast from the stoicism of Marcus Aurelius, informed by great privilege, and therefore focused almost entirely on self-control and acceptance of Nature, even when it expresses a parallel benevolence towards others.

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