Stoicism

Stoicism was one of the most influential philosophies of the ancient world. It was a humanistic philosophy in that it did not rely on divine revelation, but on human wisdom. What is Stoicism? How might it help us to live better, happier lives today? The ancient philosophical system of Stoicism was traditionally known for being both large and complex, addressing a wide range of topics. Three central ideas that are at the heart of Stoic philosophy:

1. Virtue - The Stoics argued that the most important thing in life and the only thing with real value is ‘virtue’ or ‘excellence of character’.

2. Emotions - The central claim the Stoics make is that our emotions are ultimately the product of judgments we make.

3. Nature & the Community of Humankind - Sorting out our judgments about the world brings us to the nature of the world itself. One of the most famous ancient Stoic slogans is that we ought to live in harmony with Nature.

This meetup is devoted to the discussion of stoic philosophy with a focus on the application of said principles in everyday life; Applied Stoicism. John will open with some basic stoic concepts and relevant quotations. An open discussion follows, and the meeting ends with a summary of the various perspectives participants expressed. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Suggested readings:

http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/stoicismtoday/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism

John Fiegel is a member of the Bay Area Philosophy meetup group. He has done extensive reading in the philosophy of stoicism and will moderate this discussion.

This event is free. Everyone is welcome.

To learn more about the Bay Area Humanists, check out our website (http://www.sfhumanists.org) and facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bayareahumanists) page.