The ancient Roman Empire—though mainly just the era of the emperors—is an interesting phenomenon in that it offers a wide variety of allegorical material. Perhaps history is at its most interesting when it has some kind of living connection to one’s own…
It is strange how rarely we consider that the most important of all virtues is the virtue of freedom, the capacity for freedom. As for the cardinal virtues—that is, the mind’s most important faculties—any half-baked concoction from the world’s fantasies will do: chivalry, patriotism, love of God, wisdom, a sense of duty,…
Traditional housekeeping is often associated with rural life. City dwellers may wonder how much time and effort it would take to make their own vegetable stock from fresh produce. “Housekeeping” is a poor term in this context. It should be replaced…
In the ancient Roman army, the Praetorian Guard—the emperor’s personal bodyguards—enjoyed privileged status. For example, their term of service was 16 years, followed by a pension of 20,000 sesterces, whereas a legionary’s term of service was 20 years and…
The economy and price formation involve the activities of various actors in a free market. The objectives in a free market are incredibly diverse: they have different priorities, evolve in different ways, change, fade away, and are influenced by specific situations and emotions. Furthermore…
A soccer team doesn't make its money on the field, but from the stands. If your team's fan base is very small, it's a good idea to sell players to teams with a huge fan base—preferably a global one. Not everyone seems to have grasped this point…
The class struggle has flared up! The bourgeoisie’s cosmetic, superficial reforms didn’t help!The 200% Sunday bonus—which the left also supported all along—didn’t help. The constant increases in pensions—which the left also supported all along—didn’t help. Housing subsidies for the middle class—which the left also…
Urban Stoicism is neither an ideology nor a religion. It is not a system in which self-invented concepts are forced, piece by piece, with pretense, to conform to reality (and if not, then to the bed of Procrustes...
We Stoastadites like mailboxes. We Stoastadites like things that are pleasant. And “pleasant” means something that suits our tastes. One thing that falls within our own sphere of responsibility is organizing our own everyday affairs. Mailboxes are one such thing. Letters, bills,…
The Disappearance of Objects and the Stoic Worldview. Stoics greatly admire electricians, plumbers, and carpenters who arrive at their worksites with a couple of large toolboxes, get right to work, and never have a single tool go missing! There’s no need to…