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Podcast: New Books in Italian Studies
Episode: John Sellars, "Marcus Aurelius" (Routledge, 2020)
Description: Marcus AureliusāĀ MeditationsĀ is one of the most popular philosophical works by sales to the public, while in academic philosophy he is considered somewhat of a philosophical lightweight. InĀ Marcus AureliusĀ (Routledge, 2020), John Sellars argues that this academic perception mistakes theĀ MeditationsĀ as a failed work of theoretical argument, when instead it is a series of spiritual training exercises to condition the Roman emperorās character in accordance with the Stoic doctrines he learned as a bookish boy.Ā Sellars, who is reader in philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London, sees Marcus Aurelius as using hisĀ MeditationsĀ as an antidot...