10 excerpts from Marcus Aurelius' 'Meditations' to unlock your inner Stoic

Great ideas in philosophy often come in dense packages. Then there is where the work of Marcus Aurelius.

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  • Meditations is a collection of the philosophical ideas of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
  • Written as a series of notes to himself, the book is much more readable than the dry philosophy most people are used to.
  • The advice he gave to himself 2,000 years ago is increasingly applicable in our hectic, stressed-out lives.
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How sexual fantasies affect your relationship

There are two main types of sexual fantasies. One, however, is more destructive than the other.

  • There are two main types of sexual fantasies.
  • One of them is more harmful to the a relationship or marriage than the other (by a lot).
  • Sexually fantasizing about somebody else, though, neither hurts a relationship nor helps it; instead, it has the same mental impact as random daydreaming.
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Should sex with a robot be considered cheating?

A study out of Finland shows us that sex is sex and robots are robots, and the overlap is confusing.

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  • A new study from Finland suggests that people view sex with a robot more kindly than they view sex with a human prostitute.
  • The effect is maintained even when the customer is married.
  • While the exact causes of these opinions remain unknown, several proposals have been made. They may well serve as ethical guides going forward.
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'The Journal of Controversial Ideas' will launch in 2019. Is it dangerous?

Should all ideas see daylight?

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  • A trio of respected philosophers have decided to launch a peer reviewed journal that would allow for anonymous submissions.
  • If successful, the journal could allow for important ideas that might lead to threats or harm to the author to join the debate and promote discussion.
  • Critics ask if this is needed, and warn of giving dangerous people a safe space to publish horrific ideas.
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How trying to solve death makes life, here and now, worse

Maybe we should stop worrying about what happens after we die, and make the best of what we have on earth right now.

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  • The concept of the afterlife, argues Michael Shermer, take away from appreciating what we have right in front of us.
  • Why be afraid of death? 100 billion humans have died before us. It's part of the process.
  • Maybe that '80s song was right... maybe heaven really is a place on earth.
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