- Hardcover: 112 pages
- Publisher: Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd (1 Nov 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0856832367
- ISBN-13: 978-0856832369
- Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 13.4 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 856,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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'I was drawn deeper and deeper into the simple solid reasoning ...Stedall's imagined dialogue had me fully in the present' Midwest Book Review A re-introduction to Marcus Aurelius is long overdue. Alan Stedall satisfies this deficiency in an interesting and stimulating way. The Philosopher's verdict: In places, it is irresistible...' The Philosopher In this delightful and well-written book, Alan Stedall...has done an enormous service in making Marcus Aurelius's reflections very accessible to the modern reader.' Faith and Freedom Overall, this book presents a splendid compression and a compelling synthesis of Marcus Aurelius's thought (and something of the author's own too). This accessible, elegantly designed volume is, quite simply, a blessing.' The Compulsive Reader Alan Stedall has done something remarkable; he has taken his own doubt about religion, searched for alternatives, and created a compelling philosophy out of the notes by Marcus Aurelius. His approach is compact, yet easy to read and flawlessly argued. He integrates moral and spiritual issues, and comes up with real-life advice. For me, this is the best book I've read in a long time, as it addresses issues and concepts that have been swirling as a nebulous mass in my brain and organises them coherently. Because of the issues Alan addresses, and the clear, elegant way in which he presents his thoughts, I'd say that this book is compulsory reading for anyone who has ever had thoughts and/or doubts about "life and the universe" - and who hasn't?' -- Robert Helle on Amazon.co.uk. I knew within a few lines this was going to be a treasure... Stedall is a word master... Bravo!' The Smoking Poet 'I knew within a few lines this was going to be treasure... Aurelius (that is, Stedall) takes on the dissection of good and evil here, and it is fascinating to watch the concepts take shape without various religious laws to fall back upon. He does it skillfully, with reason as his tool of precision, and there are few things more beautiful than logic falling neatly into place like an intricate puzzle. There is room here for pain, and there is room for tragedy. That inevitable question of "why me?" is addressed as well. Joy has its place, and so does peace, as each sends out ripples to begin another ripple in neat succession.' Zinta Aistara, June 2007 'I found much to inspire me in this small, easy-to-read volume. It was helpful too that the Author sets the debate into context, offering the reader both a lightning tour through Marcus's life and experiences, and casting some light on his own attempts to rationalise an early belief in God with a need for purpose and meaning which was never fully realized within conventional religion.' One of our readers, J Lawford
Review
`Overall, this book presents a splendid compression and a compelling synthesis of Marcus Aurelius's thought (and something of the author's own too).This accessible, elegantly designed volume is, quite simply, a blessing.'
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life, the Universe and Everything,
By
This review is from: Marcus Aurelius - The Dialogues (Hardcover)
I found ‘The Dialogues’ a fascinating and insightful read. Alan Stedall first takes the reader on a journey through his own explorations of religion and philosophy, to address those age-old ‘life, the universe and everything’ questions. Then, using Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations as his springboard, he creates an imaginary dialogue between the great Roman emperor and four of his contemporaries, that explores the meaning and purpose of our existence and the value of pursuing a virtuous life.The Author steps deftly through the bigger issues found in the Meditations, using the construct of the imagined dialogue to set out complex philosophical debate in a simple and coherent manner. Some find all the answers they need conventional religious belief. Others conclude that to find meaning and purpose and make their best contribution to the world, they need to look beyond ‘blind faith’ to questions of personal responsibility and purity of spirit – issues such as morality, self-discipline and honour that seem somehow out-of-place in today’s society. It is fascinating to appreciate that, 2000 years ago, good men were faced with similar philosophical dilemmas – and that whilst in the intervening 2000 years everything has changed, in fact nothing has changed. I found much to inspire me in this small, easy-to-read volume. It was helpful too, that the Author sets the debate into context, offering the reader both a lightning tour through Marcus’s life and experiences, and casting some light on his own attempts to rationalise an early belief in God with a need for purpose and meaning which was never fully realised within conventional religion.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An easy read,
By
This review is from: Marcus Aurelius - The Dialogues (Hardcover)
I never knew there were any good Roman Emperors, what could the world be like if they had all been like Marcus Aurelius.
It also fascinated me to think that Marcus could still teach us all a thing or two about how to live ours today. This is a great little book which will probably be read more than once.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Philosophy meets self-help!,
This review is from: Marcus Aurelius - The Dialogues (Hardcover)
I found this book on the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius extremely moving and utterly practical. While the problems of life may change through the ages, the wisdom you need to get through them does not.
Alan Stedall has taken Aurelius's simple but profound messages and transcribed and interpreted them in the form of enjoyable and readable dialogues. Chapters include: 'On the Brevity of Life and the Need to Seek Meaning'; 'On the Pursuit of Purpose'; and 'On the Pursuit of a Virtuous Life'. If you enjoy armchair philosophy and have humanistic beliefs you will find this book a great read.
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