Musonius Rufus: The Roman Socrates

Gaius Musonius Rufus (c. 30–c. 100 CE) was a Roman Stoic of the equestrian class, admired in his time as a 'Roman Socrates'. Twice exiled, including to the barren island of Gyaros under Nero, he taught that philosophy is above all a practice of living well, more like medicine or athletics than abstract theory. His surviving lectures, recorded by a student, cover practical topics such as diet, clothing, marriage and household life.

Most strikingly, Musonius argued that women have the same capacity for reason and virtue as men and should study philosophy, and that daughters should receive the same education as sons. He also described marriage as a partnership in which both spouses care for each other. His views were limited by his time, since he still assigned some different tasks to men and women, but they were unusually egalitarian. His most famous student was Epictetus.