You can find a complete listing of all the articles on this site here. They are listed in reverse chronological order, and are all clickable links. Twenty-five articles are displayed per page, with the publication date included. To find older articles, click on the page numbers at the bottom.
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“It Can’t Be Done”
It can’t be done. It’s never been tried before. It’s just impossible. How many times in history have we heard those words? And how many times have those words turned out to be wrong? Many times.
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The Bold Epicureanism Of Lucretius
The author of one of the strangest and most impressive poetic works in history was born sometime around 99 or 95 B.C. The exact date is uncertain; but we are lucky to know even this morsel of information. Titus Lucretius Carus remains one of the most elusive poets of antiquity. He was an Epicurean, and…
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How To Overcome Procrastination And Maintain Motivation (Podcast)
How can I stop procrastinating and regain control of my life? How can I maintain my focus and motivation for the things I’m doing?
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The Fortress Of The Mind
[Author’s Note: This essay first appeared in published form in February 2015 as a chapter of my book Pantheon. Since I use the phrase Fortress of the Mind as my motto and colophon, I wanted readers to know its origin and special significance to me.]
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Archimedes, The Sand-Reckoner
The greatest of all ancient scientists, and the only one fit to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Newton, Galileo, and Einstein, was born in Syracuse, Sicily, around 287 B.C. He happened to be the son of an astronomer named Pheidias; and perhaps this fact played some role in the selection of his career. He moved to Alexandria…
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Letting Go Of The Anger And Resentments Of The Past
We all nurse some form of anger or resentment about wounds we received in the past. Why is this? Where does it come from? And how can we free ourselves from it? This podcast focuses on these questions. My podcasts are available here on SoundCloud and iTunes. Brought to you courtesy of Fortress of the…
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The 5 Essential Elements Of Creativity
Everyone wants to be creative. Everyone wants to soar with the eagles. What conditions must exist for creativity truly to flourish? And how do we go about establishing those conditions?
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Look At The Small Picture, Not The Big Picture
You’ve got to get with the big picture! You’ve got to remember the big picture! You’ve got to see the forest for the trees, man! Get outside yourself, and look at everything!
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The Importance Of Boldness (Podcast)
In this podcast, we discuss boldness and action. We discuss the nature, importance, and features of boldness. How can we cultivate boldness?
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7 Observations About Getting Older
I’ve gotten questions now and then about what it’s like to get older. How do I keep my mental and physical fitness like you? How do my thoughts change? How do my relationships change? It’s a question that deserves an in-depth discussion, since the answers are complicated.
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My Own Ten Commandments (Podcast Reading)
This is a reading of My Own Ten Commandments, one of the most popular articles to appear here in 2015. It lays out some key points in my worldview.
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Coming In January 2016: “Pathways”
In early January 2016 I’ll be releasing a new book called Pathways. It is a collection of my best essays from 2015, and includes more than 50 separate essays. Many of these have been enlarged, expanded, or edited. These are the definitive versions of my best essays from 2015.
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Lecture On “The Dream Of Scipio”: The Out-Of-Body Experience, The Nature of Glory, And The Immortality Of The Soul
This lecture discusses Cicero’s visionary essay The Dream of Scipio which I included at the end of my book Stoic Paradoxes. It relates a philosophical conversation arising from an out-of-body experience high above the Earth.
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“Stoic Paradoxes” Lecture 7: Only The Wise Man Is Wealthy
Welcome to the seventh and final lecture in our series on Stoic Paradoxes. In this lecture, we discuss some of the most critical points of Stoic ethics: What is wealth? Who can be considered wealthy? Is the wise man rich? If so, in what way? I hope you’ve enjoyed this lecture series. If so, please…
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“Stoic Paradoxes” Lecture 6: Wise Men, Fools, Free Men, And Slaves
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope the next few days will be a time for reflection and relaxation. And thanks for joining us in our next lecture on Stoic Paradoxes. In this lecture, we discuss some of the most critical doctrines in Stoic ethics:
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“Stoic Paradoxes” Lecture 5: Misdeeds Are Equal, And Good Deeds Are Equal
Fortress of the Mind Publications brings you the fifth lecture in our series on Stoic Paradoxes. In this lecture, we discuss the following proposition: misdeeds are equal, and good deeds are equal. Is this true? If so, to what extent? And what does it mean for us? Join us here (for SoundCloud) or here (for…
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“Stoic Paradoxes” Lecture 4: Discussion Of Paradoxes 1 And 2
This is our fourth lecture on Stoic Paradoxes. In the first three lectures, we discussed some important background information: the life of Cicero, the basics of Cicero’s thought, and a summary of Stoic fundamentals. In this 15-minute lecture, we get into the book proper, with a discussion of the book’s first two propositions: That what…
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Your Character Has Two Components
Every man’s character has a dual quality to it. One quality is etched into every man’s consciousness from birth, more or less. And this is the quality of reason that Nature herself has endowed us with; it is that which separates us from the unreasoning brutes. It is a universal quality, in the sense…
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Breakout From The Chosin Reservoir
The armies of North Korea burst into South Korea in June 1950 and quickly overwhelmed its forces, confining them to a perimeter around the city of Pusan. Douglas MacArthur, in what can only be called a brilliant counterstroke, hit back with an amphibious landing at the city of Inchon.
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“Stoic Paradoxes” Lecture 3: The Fundamentals Of Stoic Doctrine
We continue our lecture series on Stoic Paradoxes with a detailed discussion of the essentials of Stoic thought. What are its main tenets? Where did they come from? How were they applied? Are they reasonable? Tune in with me to find out… This podcast was brought to you courtesy of Fortress of the Mind Publications. As always,…
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A Reading Of The Prologue To “Pantheon”
Frequent reader Lucas Temple mentioned to me recently that he would like to hear a reading of the prologue of my book Pantheon: Adventures In History, Biography, And The Mind. The prologue is an account–based on actual events–of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen, one of the triumphs of archaeology. The incident highlights…
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“Stoic Paradoxes” Lecture Series, Part 2: Cicero’s Thought
In this second lecture of our series on Stoic Paradoxes, we focus on the influences behind Cicero’s thought, and how he identified himself doctrinally. This podcast is brought to you by Fortress of the Mind Publications.
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Greed Is A Corruptor
Pyrrhus was a powerful king who ruled Epirus and Macedon for some years during the Hellenistic period. Plutarch tells a revealing story about him in his Parallel Lives (Life of Epirus, 14). One of Pyrrhus’s valued advisors was a man named Cineas, who was entrusted on many foreign missions of great sensitivity. [To read…
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My First Podcast: Part One Of A Lecture Series On Stoicism
I have decided to add podcasts to the content offered on my site. There is a refreshing value in mixing the presentation of material by audio, along with material already offered in a written format. Because of the many questions I receive on Stoicism, and the enduring interest in this subject, I have decided to…
Original copy of Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) published in Holland in 1642. From the collection of Fortress of the Mind.
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