#roman philosophy

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

“You have the fears of a mortal and yet the desires of immortals.” — Seneca

#philosophy #seneca #stoicism #roman philosophy #Vom Glücklichen Leben

[hecatesdelights]

Memento Mori

#memento mori #dark aesthetic #gothic art #gothic aesthetic #ancient world #ancient rome #roman history #roman mythology #roman philosophy #philosophy #alteredai #roman empire #roman emperor

[bella-rose29]

my favourite roman philosophical thought:

nothing is real

if it is real, then you can't comprehend it

if you can comprehend it, then you can't actually talk about it/put it into words

that's it

#roman philosophy #ancient rome

[duxfemina]

"Women have received from the gods the same ability to reason that men have"

If a first century Roman dude named Rufus living in the very definition of a patriarchy can understand this then so can your sexist ass!

#musonius rufus #rufus #how often do you think about the roman empire #roman republic #ancient rome #roman history #roman empire #roman philosophy #a history of sexism #sexism #misogny #patriarchy

[asassydork]

I really gotta hand it over the Pliny the Younger for the way I imagine the end of the world looking. 🤣 iykyk

#pompeii #philosophy #roman philosophy #history #historical depictions #Pompeii movie intro #pliny the younger #dark and moody #end of the world #devastation #mount vesuvius #dark academia

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

If the Chinese classics had gotten translated into Latin, which Romans do you think would have become High-Path Confucians, Low-Path Confucians, Legalists, Daoists, and Mohists?

Y'all throw the weirdest questions at me and I love it.

There might well have been a few Confucians, Daoists, Legalists or Mohists in ancient Rome! At least one skeleton has been found with East Asian ancestry in Roman sites, and the Romans were vaguely aware of China (or "Serica") as a society with its own government and industries. And the empire readily absorbed foreign gods, mystery cults, and books, so hey, maybe they would've liked the Dao De Jing!

That said, the Romans saw things through their own cultural lens, and if all you know of a philosophy/religion comes from books, you're gonna lose a lot of context. It's hard to separate the anti-war values of Mohism from the Spring and Autumn Period that gave rise to them, or to talk about Daoist philosophy without including the religious sects, shamans, family traditions and folklore that enriched it. If these ideas caught in on Rome, they might evolve into something very different from what Mozi or Zhuang Zhou would have recognized.

I don't know enough about specific Romans' philosophical views to guess which schools of thought they each might've liked most. (And I haven't heard of high vs low Confucianism before.) There's also the tension of embracing foreign ideas versus upholding the mos maiorum: Romans had a deep reverence for their own traditions, or what they thought were their traditions, and politicians were often attacked for "not acting like real Romans."

That's not to say some of them wouldn't like Chinese philosophy, though. (It's fascinating!) But I bet Roman-Chinese philosophy would really become its own special thing, a delightfully messy syncretism that would infuriate Cato and Han Fei alike.

#just roman asks #alternate history #chinese philosophy #roman philosophy #i feel so bad for the poor translators though #how do you translate 'dào' into latin? which historical form of daoism do you even use here??

[soulshriven]

A good character is the only guarantee of an everlasting, carefree happiness. Even if some obstacle to this comes on the scene, its appearance is only to be compared to that of clouds which drift in front of the sun without ever defeating its light.

Seneca, Letters To Lucilius 27 (trans. Robin Campbell)

#philosophy #roman philosophy #stoicism #seneca #quotes #*

[burstbubbbles]

It's not clear what drove him to write in the first place [...]

At any rate, he's got it bad [...]

Once he's caught you, he'll hang on with all his might;

The leech just clings to your skin and never gives in

Until bloated with blood; he'll never run out of breath

But will read you and read you and read you to death.

— Ars Poetica, Horace, on the “mad poet” archetype (65-8 B.C.E).

#horace #roman philosophy #ars poetica #not naruto #my-stuff #just found this interesting #writing #writing quotes #classic philosophy #philosophy #meta #literature #poetry #roman #ancient rome philosophy #ancient rome #quotes #philosohy quotes #the mad poet archetype #mad poet

[smilerri]

ont thing that has and always will feel sacrilegious is referring to marcus aurelius just as marcus WHO decided to start doing that. surely aurelius is a less common name than marcus?? i couldn't even tell u what cicero's other names are. probably marcus as well

#THERE'S SO MUCH ROOM FOR CONFUSION #WHY WOULD YOU DECIDE TO DO THAT #my dad's name is also marcus so its weird to write shit like “marcus' stance on death” it feels wrong #ancient rome #roman philosophy #cicero #marcus aurelius #classical studies #classics

[sailingthesargasso]

We should listen only to those whose lives conform to nature. And the others? He bears in mind what sort of people they are - both at home and abroad, by night as well as day - and who they spend their time with. And he cares nothing for their praise - men who can’t even meet their own standards.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

#marcus aurelius #meditations #plato #philosophy #stoicism #quotes #inspirational quotes #rome #roman philosophy

[granolski]

“Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity" -Roman philosopher Seneca

#inspirational quotes #positive quotes #quotes #motivational quotes #philosophy #roman philosophy #positive people #perspective #life quotes #life #inspiration #rise against #lucky

[darlenabirch]

Control is an Illusion

You can't control what outside circumstances happen to you. You can only control how you process the circumstance and how you react.

I've been bingeing on the teachings of stoic philosophers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca.

"The Stoic notion of control is the idea that essentially in life there are three types of events that can befall an individual.

Those that are completely under one's control

Those which one has some but not complete control over

Those which one has no control over

The Stoics advise us that the key to tranquility lies in being able to identify which of these events face us in our day-to-day lives and more importantly, to only concern ourselves with the first and second types of events. That is to say, those events which we have some or complete control over."

#seneca #marcus aurelius #stoicism #stoic #stoic philosophy #roman #roman philosophy #roman philosopher #wisdom #words #quotes #philosophy #literature #reading #writing #reflecting #self reflection #self awareness #control #sayings #thinking

[hecatesdelights]

#memento mori #roman philosophy #philosophy #stoicism

[blvvdk3ep]

I love you people going into "useless" fields I love you classics majors I love you cultural studies majors I love you comparative literature majors I love you film studies majors I love you near eastern religions majors I love you Greek, Latin, and Hebrew majors I love you ethnic studies I love you people going into any and all small field that isn't considered lucrative in our rotting capitalist society please never stop keeping the sacred flame of knowledge for the sake of knowledge and understanding humanity and not merely for the sake of money alive

#classics #mythology #ancient greek mythology #ancient roman mythology #comparative literature #latin #hebrew #ethnic studies #fuck capitalism #communism #i love my useless degree idc #academia #university #dark academia #Greek #philosophy #liberal arts #humanities #women and gender studies #cultural anthropology

[jesuis-melodrama]

"You'll find no one who wouldn't prefer to enjoy the rewards of wickedness if he could do so without being wicked. We have from nature this greatest award of all: Virtue casts its light into the souls of all people, and those who do not follow it, see it nonetheless."

Seneca, De Beneficiis

This quote was so amazing, I read it three more times over before I let my eyes drift to the next sentence. There are certain phrases which could sum up an entire volume's worth of philosophy in a single clause, and this lovely quote has managed it. You'll find no one who wouldn't prefer to enjoy the rewards of wickedness if he could do so without being evil. It's true, it's so true, I can think of so many situations this could apply to.

There are so many people out there, wealthy and wallets fat with coins that are not entirely uncorrupted. They stick to their ways because they'll lose their cushy positions and comfort if they don't rely on unscrupulous ways. But goodness is proven to be inherent in human hearts, for if they could afford their wealth without the same actions patroning it, they'll make the switch in the beat of a pulse.

#seneca #de beneficiis #roman philosophy

[punkrockvalkyrie]

Was the Metallica song ‘Nothing Else Matters’ inspired by Epicurean philosophy?

#Shower Thoughts #greek philosophy #roman philosophy #metallica #pmseymourva