What Is Philosophy As The Art Of Living?
A Free Course On The Meditations Of Marcus Aurelius
I recently finished teaching an intensive 2-week summer course for some of the most accomplished high school students in the world titled “Philosophy As The Art Of Living”.
It was the most unique and impactful philosophy course I have ever taught.
The idea behind the course was to make philosophy practical by having the students perform writing exercises everyday that were modeled off of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher who had not only mastered the theoretical components of Stoicism, but also dedicated his life to living as a Stoic.
In order to help him do this, he developed a daily writing that helped him discipline his mind to think in accordance with the tenets of Stoicism.
In my class, I had 15-17 year olds from all around the world practice the various Stoic disciplines through daily writing & reflection exercises.
The results were incredible.
Although I can’t share the students names or what they specifically said, because they are minors, here are some of the things they told me about the impact the course had on them:
One student said that engaging in a gratitude exercise modeled on Book I of Meditations helped them reconnect with someone that had made a major impact on their life, but had lost touch with.
Another student said that they were able to forgive someone who they thought that they hated by coming to realize the ways in which that person positively shaped them.
A third student said that although they had always felt like they had deep philosophical beliefs about the world and morality, they never took the time to write them down. Once they did, they were able to uncover surprising insights about their worldview.
A fourth student said that they never realized they were allowed to choose what they believe for themselves, rather than having someone else decide for them.
A fifth student said that the writing exercises gave them practical tools for being more present and feeling less anxious about the future.
My Gift To You …
Marcus Aurelius begins Book I of Meditations expressing his gratitude to all of the people who have helped him throughout his life.
Like Marcus, I have been filled with gratitude recently thinking about all of the thoughtful, kind, and interesting people I have been able to connect with on Substack.
I recently released my first digital course Micro-Philosophy: Foundations, and I am overjoyed to see 50+ people put their trust in me to help them build their own personal micro-philosophy over the next 4 weeks.
This has given me such an incredible surge of creative energy that I wanted to use it to give something back to everyone on Substack.
On that note, I will be releasing “Philosophy As The Art Of Living” as a completely free digital course for anyone who is interested.
I want to be clear.
This is not going to be a 5-page pdf, or a 10 minute video course.
Philosophy As The Art Of Living is going to be a complete course that guides you through every book of the Meditations and provides you with practical exercises that can help you gain more control of your inner thoughts, focus on what you can control in life, and live more philosophically.
If you aren’t able to join the Micro-Philosophy: Foundations course + cohort, which officially closes in less than 24 hours, this provides a way for you to get involved in the Micro-Philosophy Circle Community that has now reached 200 members. Our community is full of thoughtful people from around the world who are interested in learning how to live more philosophically with others.
Note: the course and community are hosted on the platform Circle and are separate from my Substack.
What Will You Learn In The Course?
Unlike a traditional philosophy course, where you mostly learn about what different figures thought, this course is designed to help you apply the ideas you learn to your actual life.
The lessons and exercises contained in the course will not only teach you about Stoic philosophy, but force you to move your mind through certain thought patterns that you can take with you into the real world.
Topics covered include:
What it means to live philosophically
Stoic physics, logic, and ethics
How to think about death and the fragility of human life
How to understand and regulate one’s emotions
How to be more present and not worry about the future
Our relationship to other human beings and nature
Writing as a spiritual exercise
When Is The Course Available?
Since this will be a complete course, I am not able to release it in it’s entirety right now. I am currently quite busy running the Micro-Philosophy: Foundations course + cohort for the next 4 weeks, in addition to working on other Substack projects.
That being said, you can join the course and community today, and the first module will be released in one week, on July 30th, 2025 at 9AM EST.
After the first module is released, I will continue to release 1-2 additional modules on a weekly basis until there is a lesson and exercise covering each book of the Meditations.
Beyond this project, I hope to continue releasing courses and developing materials for those interested in studying philosophy understood as the art of living. This particular approach to philosophy is most closely associated with figures such as:
Socrates
Aristotle
Epicurus
Montaigne
Nietzsche
Heidegger
And many others …
This is a way of thinking about philosophy that I am most fascinated by and will continue to study and teach for many years to come.
Great, How Do I Join?
If you want to join the Micro-Philosophy community and gain access to the course, it is completely free. The only thing you have to do is to create an account on Circle and follow this link:
Join The Free Micro-Philosophy Circle Community
If you want to join the Micro-Philosophy: Foundations course, enrollment is closing in less than 24 hours. You can join the first cohort by following this link:
Join The July 2025 Micro-Philosophy: Foundations Course + Cohort
I can’t wait to study and discuss Stoicism with all of you soon.
This is just the beginning.
-Paul