Marcus Aurelius - The Dialogues [Hardcover]

'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

`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.'

Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest Roman emperors, is remembered less for his military exploits than for his private reflections. His Meditations, as they became known, have been a major influence on Western thought and behaviour down the centuries - the pen is mightier than the sword. Seeking an alternative to faith-based religion, Alan Stedall came across the book and found rational answers to questions about the meaning and purpose of life that had been troubling him. Here too were answers to his concern that, in the absence of moral beliefs based on religion, we risk creating a world where relativism, the rejection of any sense of absolute right or wrong, prevails. In such a society any moral position is considered subjective and amoral behaviour is unchallengeable. Because the Meditations were jotted down in spare moments during a busy life ruling and defending a huge empire, they lack order and sequence. Inspired by the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, Stedall has sought to present the contents in a more contemporary and digestible way. To achieve this, he employed the Greek philosophical technique of dialogue to create a fictional conversation between five historical figures who actually met at Aquileia on the Adriatic coast in AD 168. Apart from Marcus, they were his brother and co-emperor, Lucius, the famous Hellenic surgeon of antiquity, Galen, an Egyptian high priest of Isis, Harnouphis, and Bassaeus Rufus, Prefect of the Praetorian Guard. The Dialogues afford Marcus and his guests the opportunity to express their views on such topics as the brevity of life and the need to seek meaning; the pursuit of purpose; the supreme good and the pursuit of a virtuous life - issues as relevant today as they were in antiquity. By a gentle process of question and answer, Marcus shows up the weakness of his guests' arguments and reveals how a virtuous life may be lived without the threat of eternal damnation or promise of salvation to enforce compliance. Virtue is its own reward.

What is the meaning of life? Does it have a purpose, or are we here simply by accident? What is the true path to happiness? If there is a God, how is it that evil befalls the innocent? Is it possible to have a spiritual existence without believing in a divinity?

These are the questions on which men and women have pondered throughout the ages, from Socrates and Plato onwards. With the coming of Christianity, the Church provided orthodox answers founded on an unchallengeable belief in the divinity of Christ, combined with the promise of a resurrection and the threat of eternal damnation.

However, in recent times, these traditional foundations of the Christian faith have increasingly been challenged and this threatens to overturn their moral superstructure. In the absence of moral beliefs based on religion we risk creating a world where relativism, the rejection of any sense of absolute right or wrong, prevails. In such a society any moral position is entirely subjective and amoral behaviour is unchallengeable.

Faced with of the erosion of faith-based morality, perhaps we should turn to earlier, pre-Christian belief-sets that do not demand acceptance of a divinity. Eastern philosophies espouse a detachment from the material world, based partly on mysticism, and a rejection of analytical thought as a valid path to self-discovery. Classical Western philosophies, in contrast, believe that, in the words of Socrates, 'the considered life is the only one worth living'.

One of the last great pre-Christian exponents of classical Western philosophy was Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of the Roman Empire, AD 161 to 180.

Combining the duties of the palace and battlefield with his love and pursuit of philosophy, Marcus is famous for his Meditations, written whilst on his many field expeditions. However The Meditations are disconnected jottings, written for Marcus’s own personal spiritual refreshment.

In The Dialogues Alan Stedall has taken the essential threads of Marcus’s thought from The Meditations and woven them into a coherent and progressive discussion which might have occurred during a meeting that really did take place between Marcus and four other famous figures of classical antiquity.

The stage is set for Marcus to discuss and defend his beliefs with a clarity and coherence necessarily lacking in The Mediations, thereby also granting the reader a valuable insight into the essential character of the man behind the beliefs.

And so we are given clear and convincing answers to age-old questions about the meaning of life. We are offered a spirituality that does not demand the suspension of reason. Relativism is confronted and rational foundations for moral behaviour set out, free from divine threats and promises. This is an inspiring and refreshing book for today¹s bewildered world.

Alan Stedall was born in Bow, London, just after the war. A one-time cartographic surveyor, he moved into IT and has since held directorships at a number of top companies. A believer in principle-centred leadership, his career has involved leading teams through projects affecting major, business-critical change. He is married, with two daughters, and lives in Birmingham. Marcus Aurelius: The Dialogues is his literary debut.