From the many compliments I have heard at large, clearly I am not the only admirer of an article by Michael Evans which appeared in Quadrant of January-February. Dr Evans is a Fellow of the Australian Defence College in Canberra; his article is titled “Stoic Philosophy and the Profession of Arms”. It is always a risky impertinence to attempt a short summary of someone else’s elegant essay; no doubt Dr Evans will be swift in rebuke if I have misunderstood. His chief message is that Australia’s armed forces take immense pains to ensure that their young officers receive a meticulous…