Tom Hodgkinson's 'How to Live Like a Stoic'

Tom Hodgkinson, editor of the 'Idler' magazine, joins us in the Salon to talk about his new book, ‘How to Live Like a Stoic’.

Providing a fresh take on one of the world's oldest philosophies, Stoicism, has long been offered as guidance in Western culture. Celebrated by the Romans, it shaped early Christianity and inspired Shakespeare. Today, it continues to resonate with thinkers, therapists and politicians alike. The Serenity Prayer embodies Stoic wisdom, while the Beatles' 'Let It Be' channels its spirit.

Yet Stoicism has also been widely misunderstood and appropriated. 'How to Live Like a Stoic' returns to the original philosophical texts and explores the lives and teachings of history's greatest Stoics – Seneca, Cicero, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius and Saint Augustine – to uncover a philosophy far stranger and more radical than its modern reputation sometimes suggests.

There will be an opportunity to purchase a signed copy of the book at the event.

Tom Hodgkinson is a writer and editor of the 'Idler' magazine. He is the author of ‘How to Be Idle', 'How to Be Free', 'The Idle Parent', 'Brave Old World', 'The Ukulele Handbook' and 'Business for Bohemians'. In 2008 he and his partner Victoria launched a school – the Idler Academy of Philosophy, Husbandry and Merriment – at the Port Eliot Festival. Tom has three grown-up children, enjoys beer, tennis and the ukulele. He lives in London.