STOIC WARRIORS:
THE ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY BEHIND
THE MILITARY MIND

By Nancy Sherman
Oxford University Press Trade Division |Hardcover | $26.00 |ISBN 0195152166

As the inaugural holder of the Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and a University Professor in Philosophy at Georgetown University, there are few as qualified as Nancy Sherman to explain the psychology within war.

This book is about sucking it up. It is about toughing it out in war and in hard times, in general. Stoicism has long been used to describe a soldier heading off to endure the hardships of war and in accepting the accompanying misfortunes of battle without complaint. It’s a philosophy that has guided our men and women for centuries. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are responsible for shaping the minds of our stoic warriors. What are they teaching them and how does it control them? What does history show us about the post-war mind? Can soldiers truly cope with the hardships of battle?

STOIC WARRIORS is the first book to delve deeply into the psychological role modern and ancient Stoicism plays in the character of the military. Sherman highlights numerous anecdotes from military history—ranging from ancient Greek wars to World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq—to illuminate the military mind. She opens a window on the virtues of Stoic philosophy and details how they shape our soldiers.