What we’re about
Want to donate to support NYC Stoics? Click here!
Want NYC Stoics swag? Click here!
Want to join our Patreon? Click here!
New to Stoicism and want a very quick primer? Click here!
Want to know what we've covered in the past? Click here!
***
How does one live a good life?
This simple question can be surprisingly difficult to answer. Yet not taking an honest try at answering it (or even worse: ignoring the question entirely) can lead to the risk of misliving one's life. One of the main goals of ancient philosophy in the West was to help guide people in answering this question rigorously and well, and then helping people to live in accordance with their life's philosophy (literally "the love of wisdom").
One of the most successful and influential schools of thought in the ancient world which addressed this question was Stoicism. Stoicism taught that by cultivating personal excellence ('arete' in Greek) was all that was needed to lead a good life and flourish as a human being ('eudaimonia' in ancient Greek). To do this, the ancient Stoics taught a host of practices and a sophisticated theory of mind to help the Stoic student on the path to eudaimonia. Stoic philosophy had a huge influence on the West, from helping shape early Christianity to being a strong influence on the modern psychological movement of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
But Stoic philosophy is not only useful for those in the ancient world. For instance, James Stockdale has cited Stoic philosophy as helping him cope with the horrors of being a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Also, the University of Exeter in the UK has conducting pilot studies starting in 2012 of the effect of Stoic practices on various measures psychological well-being with promising preliminary results. Stoicism can be of great use to people in our modern era.
The goal of this meetup is to introduce Stoic philosophy as a way of life to people interested in living a more meaningful, tranquil life and to support experienced students of Stoic philosophy in their practice. While many of the meetups will be focused around reading, this is not a group for disengaged study of ancient philosophy from an academic perspective. Instead, this is a group for helping people to put Stoic philosophy into practice in their daily lives, so they can live the best life they can.
Are you ready to attempt to live a more tranquil, meaningful, and happy life? Then join us today!
Upcoming events
3
•OnlineThe Discourses of Epictetus, episode 1
OnlineBeginning this month we are going to start a series featuring an in-depth look at the Discourses of Epictetus, a book that has literally changed my life and that I think is one of the most important of the entire Western philosophical canon, if not of philosophy worldwide.
The idea is to slowly and deliberately make our way through all four extant books of the Discourses (unfortunately, four more books have been lost), taking our time to discuss what Epictetus says, why he says it, and whether it may be helpful to us denizens of the 21st century. This may take a long time and a good number of meetings, so pace yourselves!
I recommend the Robin Waterfield translation of Epictetus, published in 2024 by the University of Chicago Press. It is, I think, by far the best modern translaton available.
This first meeting will begin, of course, with Discourses 1 and continue as far as we can get to in an hour. It would be helpful if you could read the text ahead!
Please note that the zoom link will be shared with registered atteendess via Meetup email, so make sure your settings allow for communications from Organizers. Also, for security reasons (i.e., reducing the chances of "zoom bombing"), the meeting will be locked five minutes after starting time, no exceptions. Please be on time!19 attendees![[Reading group] How dialectical was Stoic dialectic?](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/1/4/9/highres_531453097.jpeg)
•Online[Reading group] How dialectical was Stoic dialectic?
OnlineThe Stoics developed a system of valid reasoning and argumentation that nowadays we would call "logic". However, the ancients didn't call it this; instead, they called it "dialectic". This seems strange on its face. Dialectic comes from the Greek roots meaning "speaking between" and usually involves back and forth questioning amongst two or more people, like Socrates did with his interlocutors, and which seems mostly absent from Stoic dialectic. Yet no ancient sources ever called the Stoics out for mislabeling their system of reasoning. Why is that?
At this final online meetup of 2025, we'll conclude our study of Stoic logic by attempting to answer this question as well as explore the meaning and practice of dialectic more broadly.
To prepare for this meetup, please read Luca Castagnoli's chapter in Ancient Models of Mind: Studies in Human and Divine Rationality entitled How Dialectical was Stoic Dialectic in full and come prepared with any points you'd like to discuss or questions you may have. You can download the chapter for free here.11 attendees
In-person Stoic Discussion + casual hangout
Pier 57, 15th St @ the West Side, New York, NY, USCome join us for some in-person Stoic discussion!
Here's our agenda for this meetup:
4-5pm: informal, optional hangout:
- Grab some food from Market 57 and let's just hang out and chat about whatever. It's okay to skip this part if you just want to come for the Stoicism
5-7pm: The main event:
- Open Q&A and discussion about Stoicism
- Deep read of Enchiridion 27: we'll read through Enchiridion 27 together and share our main practical takeaways. (You can compare multiple public domain translations here: https://enchiridion.tasuki.org/)
You're welcome to come only for the Stoic discussion from 5-7pm, or just show up at 4pm for the more open hangout and discussion.
Notes on the venue: We'll be in Oyster Classroom in Pier 57 (25 11th Ave New York, NY 10011), which I reserved just for our group. Outside food is not permitted, but food from the nearby Market 57 is. Here's a map of the interior of Pier 57: go to Oyster Classroom.7 attendees
Past events
269
![[Reading group] Stoic Logic](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/0/d/e/highres_530952510.jpeg)
![[Reading Group] What do our impressions say?](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/f/d/highres_530521789.jpeg)
