Philosophy as a Way of Life
About

Musonius Rufus — Lecture IX: That exile (or a pandemic) is not evil

Philosophy as a Way of Life

Dec 9, 2021·6 min read

[image: the island of Gyaros, where Musonius was sent in exile, Wikimedia; this is essay #349 in the Philosophy as a Way of Life series]

Gaius Musonius Rufus was sent into exile twice, once by the emperor Nero (in 65 CE), and once by a later emperor, Vespasian (in 71 CE). Why? Because like many Stoic philosophers he was a pain in the ass of those emperors, having a penchant for speaking truth to power. And as we know, power doesn’t like to be spoken truth to.