For an ancient philosophy, Stoicism is wildly popular right now. Silicon Valley tech barons and young men in weight rooms across the country are searching for guidance, and they often find it among the maxims of Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius. Something about these tough-minded thinkers satisfies their souls’ longings.
But Baylor philosophy professor Thomas M. Ward believes this toughness is not enough. In his engaging new book, After Stoicism, he argues that the Stoic pursuit of inner tranquility falls short of true happiness. While he concedes that the philosophical school certainly has its merits, it does not provide the one thing human beings need most: hope. Ward instead turns to the “last of the Roman philosophers,” Anicuis Manlius Severinus Boethius, and his great book The Consolation of Philosophy for a more hopeful vision of human flourishing.
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