by Nancy Sherman
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Product Description
While few soldiers may have read the works of Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius, it is undoubtedly true that the ancient philosophy known as Stoicism guides the actions of many in the military. Soldiers and seamen learn early in their training "to suck it up," to endure, to put aside their feelings and to get on with the mission.
Stoic Warriors is the first book to delve deeply into the ancient legacy of this relationship, exploring what the Stoic philosophy actually is, the role it plays in the character of the military (both ancient and modern), and its powerful value as a philosophy of life. Marshalling anecdotes from military history--ranging from ancient Greek wars to World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq--Nancy Sherman illuminates the military mind and uses it as a window on the virtues of the Stoic philosophy, which are far richer and more interesting than our popularized notions. Sherman--a respected philosopher who taught at the US Naval Academy--explores the deep, lasting value that Stoicism can yield, in issues of military leadership and character; in the Stoic conception of anger and its control (does a warrior need anger to go to battle?); and in Stoic thinking about fear and resilience, grief and mourning, and the value of camaraderie and brotherhood. Sherman concludes by recommending a moderate Stoicism, where the task for the individual, both civilian and military, youth and adult, is to temper control with forgiveness, and warrior drive and achievement with humility and humor.
Here then is a perceptive investigation of what makes Stoicism so compelling not only as a guiding principle for the military, but as a philosophy for anyone facing the hardships of life.
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Average Customer Review:
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
 Stoic Warriors is not Stoic, 2007-05-04
This book is interesting, and far more readable than most books on philosophy. But, for those who have actually studied Stoic philosophy, there is a problem. That problem is that the book does not do a very good job of presenting the teaching of Stoicism, and it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the author does not much like Stoicism.
A major problem is that the author, Nancy Sherman, is an Aristotelian, and clearly has little sympathy for, or understanding of, Stoic philosophy. For instance, she many times criticizes Stoic teaching on emotions, such as anger, as impossible to apply to the problems of military personal. But she neglects to mention that the Stoics never claimed that Stoic philosophy was a simple pill that could quickly solve problems without the time necessary for real change, and a re-evaluation of values.
It seems, in fact, that Ms Sherman may not have taken enough time to understand Stoic philosophy in depth.
15 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
 An academic attempts to comprehend the soldier's nature, 2006-01-01
Being fair to Professor Sherman is important in the context of reading and reviewing this exercise in academic philsophical thought. One has to rid themself of the image of a smug academic, wrapped in the iron belief of her own infinite knowledge, holding forth on a subject she can only describe as an outsider.
Thus, "Stoic Warriors" must be viewed, I believe, in the same vein as a treatise on brain surgery I might write should be viewed: the account of an observer with no actual experience and subject to errors of perception. Think the Lilliputians as they attempt to comprehend Gulliver.
Sherman somehow came to occupy the Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the United States Naval Academy for two years. Her attempt is to view the modern American soldier in light of Stoic philosophy. It would have helped immensely if Prof. Sherman had left all the leftist views common to academia at the door when she began her quest.
As she puts it, "so much of [her] understanding of the military has come from storytelling of military men and women." And those stories may have been true or not. More importantly, Sherman's focus might have been sharper on any story that reflected badly on the military or current administration. While Sherman is not as blunt as some othe academics, her very basic contempt for military force as an instrument of natioynal policy is evident. This makes reading her dissertation , well, an academic exercise, with little inherent value. But it must be said that Prof. Sherman does try. Unfortunately, in my eyes, she is far, far away fros understanding the Stoicism she attempts to apply. You cannot be one of the "touchy-feely" generation and understand Stoicism. Marcus Aurelius, I think, would have doubled over in laughter at this attempt.
Where convenient to her point, Sherman simply tosses aside Stoic doctrine. For example, in her chapter "Permission To Grieve," Sherman can't abide the idea of a soldier not feeling deep grief at the loss of comrades, so she simply dismisses her conflict with the ancient Stoics by dismissing even a watered down doctrine as demanding too much control of us. I guess philosophy is like the fabled Chinese restaurants of old: pick one from Column A, one from Column B. If the very words of Marcus Aurelius and Cicero don't support your allegedly expert point of view, just tell the original Stoics to take a hike. Academia: you simply gotta love it.
Her hostility to the conflict in Iraq does not lend credibility to her argument. One of her late chapters concerns the so-called scandal at Abu-Gharib. You can practically see her salivating at the prospect of administration officials being hauled away in chains. Unfortunately her description of events turns out to be markedly different than what appears to have actually occurred, but if you'll recall, The New York Times ran story after story about the Ugly Americans at Abu-Gharib without restraining themselves. Sherman obviously consumed such stories. She repeats the canard that now Attorney General Alberto Gonzales "approved" the use of torture. She also falls for the common misapprehension of the left that the Geneva Conventions capture all combatants in a conflict of any kind. She is mistaken on this.
As I said, Sherman makes an earnest effort to apply the bits and pieces of Stoic philosophy to the American military. She fails, but her attempt is not uninteresting nor entirely without merit. Despite all of her failings, she has produced a work of interest to the military historian, but it is not because she reaches her intended objective: rather it is because she does include a number of interesting stories which she then interprets to conform to her views.
Jerry
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
 The More Things Change, The More They are The Same, 2005-11-26
Excellent book--Sherman does a very good job in contrasting purist stoicism with Aristotle's thought and "finding the mean". Suffice it to say that elements of this have proven their value to me at least through good times and bad, courtesy of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.
Would that I had the same exposure to this material as I did to the algebra that I flunked royally. It would have done me an immense amount of good where the rubber meets the road...
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Stoic therapy, 2005-09-05
I picked up this book by complete happenstance; it was in the "new" shelf at the library. The subject of stoicism happened to be on my mind. The book is very fine; I read it through at two sittings.
There are details given in other reviews here which needn't be repeated. I found the insights in the book to be profound, and particularly the focus on the theraputic qualities of stoicism and how the insights of the stoics can supplement the findings of modern psychology.
The value of the book is by no means limited to its application to soldiers and the military.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
A lot has happened since the Stoics, just a little has changed, 2005-09-04
Dr. Sherman has produced a good book on military ethics concerning conduct on as well as off the battlefield. A clear overview of Stoic thought on what was and to a large extent still is considered the correct mindset/attitude towards self and other in a military context, interwoven with modern day examples of men and women in the US military struggling with their everyday realities as members of the 'fighting' forces upon whom rests the heavy responsibility of going into the hell more commonly known as war and 'taking care' of the problem at hand. However, according to what I make of Dr. Sherman's words, the Stoic lessons are no longer completely up to the task of handing the 'warrior' the necessary tools for dealing with the realities of modern warfare. That is, there are certain shortcomings in Stoic philosophy that shouldn't be overlooked. Dr. Sherman excellently communicates these shortcomings at the end of her book, by which means she has been able to present a well-rounded argument, making this work a valuable and highly recommended addition to any military ethics library.
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