If ‘patriotism’ is the last refuge of the scoundrel in politics, ‘stoicism’ must be the last refuge in ‘ethics’ of the morally impaired. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t recall a single reference to other human beings in that essay. Perhaps that complete absence of ‘the other’ had something to do with the saintly Marcus Aurelius becoming Emperor of Rome. At least we weren’t being treated to a ‘successful entrepreneur’ regaling us with Lao Tzu’s Art of War.