Personal philosophy of life speaker professor massimo pigliucci, the graduate center, cuny april 10, 2019 3. Something what is the measure of the very purpose of human virtues is a. Cato, the moral example for many philosophers, defended the roman republic with stoic bravery until his defiant death. Im the author of six books on philosophy and psychotherapy, including the following titles on stoicism. Aristotle, as shakespeare knew, thought young men unfit to hear moral philosophy. He was followed by cleanthes, then by chrysippus, and still later by panaetius and posidonus. Upon losing his fortune through shipwreck, he decided to indulge his taste for study. Im leaving behind the world of technology and entering the world of epictetus. It does not seek to extinguish emotions completely, but rather seeks to transform them by a resolute asceticism a voluntary. Oct 25, 2019 serenity prayer and stoic philosophy the serenity prayer, attributed to the christian theologian reinhold niebuhr 18921971, and published by alcoholics anonymous in several similar forms, could have come straight from the principles of stoicism, as this sidebyside comparison of the serenity prayer and the stoic agenda shows. Stoic contributions to logic and philosophy of language, as well as the backdrop of aristotelian and megarian views in the hellenistic period, are thoroughly surveyed in a 100 page entry on the subject by barnes, bobzien and mignucci in the cambridge history of hellenistic philosophy algra et al, 1999. Stoic week is an annual online event in which people from all over the world attempt to live like a stoic for seven days. Early stoa following the late plato, is based on the idea of common natural law nomos koinos, which can be even call our own human nature into practical deeds. This was common to stoicism with its rival epicureanism.
For a shorter, updated, english version of part 1 of the book see my stoic logic, in k. A practical course on finding inner peace pdf bring the sacred rites and rituals of ancient egypt into your pagan. I hope and suspect that more people would benefit greatly from these ideas. In this second paper, admiral stockdale takes us deeply, perhaps uncom. I was fortunate enough to be one of the founding members of modern stoicism and stoic week.
A preliminary study of stoic philosophy as psychotherapy. Stoicism by branch doctrine the basics of philosophy. Stoic philosophy a distinct and interesting theory of human psychology, which entails not only a normative account of human growth and development but also a corresponding theory of psychopathology based on. The name stoa derives from the name colorful room stoa polikle, located in athens, in which the stoic school had its center where lectures were conducted. Learning to love and accept everything that happens. I dedicate this book to my mother, who stimulated me to write from an early age, and my father, with his great interest for philosophy, in whose bookcase long ago i found a copy of uilen van athene. How to be a stoic massimo pigliucci modern stoicism the daily stoic immoderate stoic donald robertsons blog. But at the very root of the thinking, there is a very simple, though not easy, way of living.
Ancient greek philosophy wikipedia stoicism stoic philosophy of mind the stoic. The most representative and influential philosophical school of the five centuries from about 300 b. A brief overview to the stoic philosophy of natural law. The stoic life one of the main tenets of stoicism is logos. Learn modern stoicism stoic philosophy for modern living. Stockdale,thenasenior navy pilot shot down over vietnam, muttered to himself as he parachuted into enemy hands, five years down there, at least. There are also helpful additional features, including the fine introduction by the editors, a glossary of. We are now repeating the experiment in the light of the feedback we gained from it and from our sideproject, the stoic mindfulness and resilience training. An intense practicality was a mark of the later greek philosophy. Both regarded philosophy as the art of life, though they differed in their conception of what that art should be. By enrolling you grant us permission to contact you by email with news about courses. This led to very high numbers of participants n2,400 but also high attrition rates, which is unfortunately to be expected in elearning. Although the word stoic is often used, for most people nowadays the philosophy of the stoics is unknownparticularly that of the early stoa, which differs in a number of respects from that of the. The idea of divinity made the emperors of various european states not only autocrat but also cruel and heartless rulers.
Then, in 2004, i found the work of lucius annaeus seneca, better known as seneca the younger or simply seneca. It is a practical philosophy which holds that the basic rule of good life is that one should not yield to the passions greed, joy, fear and sorrow, but submit to god. Reason alone could reveal the constancy of cosmic order. And to learn more about stoicism, sign up for the daily stoics free 7day course on stoicism packed with exclusive resources, stoic exercises, interviews and much more. Marcus aurelius meditations and thoughts to myself,senecas letters from a stoic and his on the shortness of life. Stoicism was founded in athens by zeno daily stoic read more. Jul 06, 2017 my team and i have been working on this for more than six months, and its finally finished the tao of seneca. This handbook stems from a project bringing together academics and psychotherapists who want to explore the potential benefits of ancient stoicism. Stoic meditationsaudio seven stoic meditations college of stoic philosophers youtube. Such was a myth of chosen people in the jewish culture which sustained the group against all adversarial vicissitudes of their. This project stems from a recent workshop, between academics and psychotherapists, at. Feb 05, 2020 read and understand stoic writings based on the time period that they were written in. You must be nice, generous, etc with others but you must also be tough on yourself.
The stoic philosophy was founded by zeno, a phoenician c. Letters from a stoic master is a small thankyou gesture to all of you three volumes of stoic writing starring seneca, complete with original illustrations, profiles of modern stoic figures, interviews, original japanese and chinese calligraphy to match themes, and much more. As befits a good stoic, farnsworths expository prose exhibits both clarity and an unflappable calm throughout the practicing stoic, farnsworth beautifully integrates his own observations with scores of quotations from epictetus, seneca, marcus aurelius, montaigne and others. A longtime student and teacher of philosophy, whose special focus is on the moral obligations of individuals, especially military officers, admiral stockdale asked last year if the center would be interested in publishing some of his reflections on stoicism and its influence on his life. I went to my family bookshelf, and pulled down a leather book with gold foil embellishments. After reading this article you will learn about stoics. Stoicism is an ancient greek philosophy developed by zeno of citium around 300 b. The editors have provided elegant new translations of substantial selections from a wide range of ancient texts, on topics in stoic physics and metaphysics as well as stoic ethics. After training for the bar he took successfully to public life, becoming quaestor in spite of the handicaps of his health, his foreign background and comparative lack of family or other connexions. This volume gathers together the most important evidence about stoic thought surviving from the ancient world. Stoic week 2015 handbook ancient stoic philosophy and. Mary lou littlefield speaker series in philosophy and. Stoicism is a practical philosophy of life, and while i enjoy writing about its history and theory, it is the practice that has so far had a signi. How to be a stoic an engaging guide to how stoicismthe ancient philosophy of epictetus and marcus aureliuscan provide lessons for living in the modern world whenever we worry about what to eat, how to love, or simply how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life.
The hellenistic age was a time of transition, and the stoic philosopher was perhaps its most influential spokesman. Philosophy, they did a great work in popularising it and bringing it to bear upon life. In 2014, stoic week proved extremely popular and was followed by over 2,650 people. Using ancient philosophy to live a modern life using live a stoic.
Jun 17, 2014 because other than their common study of the philosophy, the stoics were all men of actionand i dont think this is a coincidence. The stoic did not differ merely in his ethics from the epicurean. It is the heart of culture which is sustained by retelling and reenacting the story. The first, this publication, is a slightly edited version of two lectures admiral stockdale gave to the students at the u. Making the most of the living like a stoic experiment tlb welcome to this opportunity to take part in a unique experiment, to follow the two millennia old stoic philosophy as a way of life in the modernday. The church in the middle ages received inspiration from the stoic ideas of the divinity of kingship.
Marine corps amphibious warfare school in quantico, virginia on april 18, 1995. I was taking an afterschool latin class in middle school clearly i was one of the cool kids, and for class we had to choose a name by which we would be called. Finally, in books ix and x, there is an abundance of citations to writers of the new testa. It is an expanded version of the section on stoicism in inwood and gersons hellenistic philosophy, consolidating related texts into larger, more continuous selections, adding material on the skeptical attack on stoicism, and a short section that introduces the reader to some of the. The stoic philosophy was founded by zeno, a phoenician c, 320c. Then, in 2004, i found the work of lucius annaeus seneca, better known as. Something what is the measure of the very purpose of human virtues is a universal human nature indeed. It was originally called zenonism but came to be known as stoicism because zeno and his followers met in the stoa poikile, or painted porch. Ever heard of stoicism and wanted to know more, better still to understand and maybe become one. David naugle introduction with reference to the western concept of courage, the theologian of culture paul tillich 18861965 once wrote that stoicism is the only real. How to be a stoic an engaging guide to how stoicismthe ancient philosophy of epictetus and marcus aureliuscan provide lessons for living in the modern world.
Stoicism was a school of ancient philosophy founded in athens by the phoenician merchant zeno of citium around 301 bc. Some reflections on the state of the art the southern journal of philosophy 23 supplement. The stoic week 2014 handbook ancient stoic philosophy and. Most stoic works have been lost, to learn more about stoic thought read these. Stoic philosophy alfred weber t he founder of the stoic school, zeno of citium in cyprus, was the son of a family of merchants of phoenician origin. The stoic philosophy is the most important root of divine right theory. The stoic week 2014 handbook ancient stoic philosophy. On the other side of that stoics denounce the following. Virtue is, to some extent at least, an absence of vice.
Better life publication brings you stoic essays by seneca on the shortness of life. Its by design, since epictetus and other stoic sages taught that philosophy is a way of life, not just an academic exercise. A brief overview to the stoic philosophy of natural law olivera z. In this handbook, you will find advice on how to adapt and follow stoic principles, with a combination of general theory and more specific, stepbystep guidance on certain stoic exercises. Marcus aurelius was emperor of the most powerful empire in the history of the world. I first became interested in stoic philosophy by a fortuitous twist of fate. The stoic week 2015 handbook modernday meditations inspired by marcus aurelius do not act as if you were going to live for a thousand years while you are alive, while it is still possible, become a good person. How to a ancient modern life to be philosophy i bought this book after hearing sheila speak some time ago and started reading it philosopuy set it aside. Virtue as cornerstone the stoic lifestyle is, at root, the singleminded pursuit of virtue conceived as life.
Stoicism is a school of ancient greek philosophy in the socratic tradition. As a hellenistic philosophy, stoicism presented an ars vitae, a way of accommodation for people to whom the human condition no longer appeared as the mirror of a universal, calm, and ordered existence. A really good synopsis of this contrast was given in class where it was said that, stoicism is not a macho philosophy. Stoic spiritual exercises compiled by massimo pigliucci and greg lopez for the blog. Nature and scope of stoicism for the early stoic philosopher, as for all the postaristotelian schools, knowledge and its pursuit are no longer held to be ends in themselves. A preliminary study of stoic philosophy as psychotherapy don woollen jr. And yet it was a questionor rather the questionof moral philosophy. A brief synopsis and definition on this particular school of hellenistic philosophy. Natural development, rationality, and responsibility in stoic ethpage 2 of 17 72700 of structure and function of the community. The idea here is to step back for a moment from decidedly more modern stoic exercises, which are actually derived from recent developments in psychology, such as victor frankls logotherapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy see, for instance, don robertsons book. As you read these two papers, you will realize that admiral stockdales own description of himself in the title of one of his books rings true.
Stoics and moral philosophy the 8 principles of stoicism. Its fun for professors, perhaps, but a waste of time for the rest of us. The stoic philosophy also had a strong appeal to christian theologians of the early 20th century, and it has been applied to spiritual strategies for overcoming addictions. There are also helpful additional features, including the fine introduction by the editors, a glossary of technical terms, bibliography and indexes.
Stoicism is a philosophy from the graecoroman period of classical history. But though chrysippus, for example, is said to have written 705 books, practically nothing. Welcome to this opportunity to take part in a unique experiment. Educating the stoic warrior nancy sherman inaremarkablyprescientmoment,jamesb. Philosophy usually conjures images of dense textbooks and academic quibbling with no application to real life. Using ancient philosophy to live a modern life by massimo pigliucci. Martins stoicism and the art of happiness, 2nd edition hodder. Stoic week consisted of a pdf handbook containing psychological exercises that anyone could download.