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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
Diogenes Laertius I: Logic
·OnlineOnlineAfter a hiatus, NYC Stoics is back! Our next theme will be "All of Stoicism". Over the next several months, our online reading group will be tackling readings that cover Stoicism as a coherent practical philosophy.
Over the next three meetups, we'll be reading and discussing the summary of Stoic philosophy as presented by the ancient biographer of philosophers, Diogenes Laertius.
At this meetup, we'll focus specifically Diogenes Laertius' summary of Stoic Logic.
To prepare, please read Sections 39 through 83 in Book VII of Diogenes Laertius' Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, which covers Stoic logic. You can find the reading here for free. Come prepared with any questions or comments you may have concerning the material.
We assume all attendees have done the required reading beforehand, so if you haven't read it, you'll likely be left behind!
17 attendees- $375.00
Stoic Camp NY 2026: Double room RSVP
Stony Point Center PC(USA), 17 Cricketown Rd, Stony Point, NY, USStoic Camp NY began in 2015. It is led by Greg Lopez and Massimo Pigliucci -- co-authors of A Handbook for New Stoics and Beyond Stoicism.
RSVP on this page if you're interested in a double room which you'll share with a roommate. To RSVP for a single (no roommates), go here.
RSVPing on Meetup does not guarantee admission -- you're only guaranteed a spot after payment. Greg will contact you via email for details on how to pay once you RSVP here.
Theme: How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic
Brief description: Throughout history it has always been true that people don’t know as much as they think they do. The ancient Greeks and Romans formulated an approach to life based on this notion. They recognized that adjusting our beliefs to the evidence while keeping in mind that we could be mistaken is the path to a just society—and a happy and meaningful life.
Join us in a discussion of Massimo Pigliucci's How to Be A (Happy) Skeptic, where he adopts the ancient Roman public advocate, orator, statesman, and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero as a guide to reveal the benefits of cultivating curiosity and doubt in the pursuit of a life worth living. Following Cicero’s life and works, the book explores the foundations for a good life, from how to formulate our values to how to nurture friendships; from being a good citizen and fighting for social justice to handling grief, pain, and even death. Cicero's combination of Skepticism and Stoicism was developed during a time of violence, social upheaval, and political turmoil. Taking a page from Cicero’s book, how can we adopt a practical philosophy of reason and virtue to learn to live well through uncertain times?
You can purchase the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/806907/how-to-be-a-happy-skeptic-by-massimo-pigliucci/
***
Key details:
- Check-in starts at 2pm on Friday, September 18th, and camp ends at 2pm on Sunday September 20th.
- Cost: $375 for one spot in a double room ($750 for the entire room if you're booking with a +1 who you'll share the room with) (for a single room, go here).
- You can either register with someone you know or we can try to set you up with a roommate if you don't have one, but there are no guarantees we can find a match. If we can't find a match for you, you can either convert your room to a single room at at single room rate of $575, find your own roommate, or cancel your RSVP for a full refund by June 26th. If your cancellation is later, you will be subject to our standard refund policy (see below).
- The cost covers room and meals for the entire event. It does not include a copy of How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic.
- Several options for payment will be available, including fee-free ones. You're responsible for any transaction fees if they occur, though.
- Registration on Meetup does not guarantee enrollment. Your enrollment is only guaranteed after payment. Once you RSVP here, Greg will reach out to you to arrange payment.
- Should you need to cancel, we may be able to refund some of the money. If someone fills your spot, you will be refunded 50% of what you paid minus any additional transaction fees. However, if there is no one who can take your spot, then no refund will be issued except at the sole discretion of the organizers.
- Reading How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic before the event is mandatory. Other supplementary material (if any) will be provided without charge to attendees.
- Stony Point Center is accessible via a mix of public transportation and taxi, but is easier to reach via car. We'll provide more details on how to get there you register, and also attempt to organize carpools.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns!
6 attendees - $575.00
Stoic Camp NY 2026: Single room RSVP
Stony Point Center PC(USA), 17 Cricketown Rd, Stony Point, NY, USStoic Camp NY began in 2015. It is led by Greg Lopez and Massimo Pigliucci -- co-authors of A Handbook for New Stoics and Beyond Stoicism.
RSVP on this page if you're interested in a single room. To RSVP for a double, go here.
RSVPing on Meetup does not guarantee admission -- you're only guaranteed a spot after payment. Greg will contact you via email for details on how to pay once you RSVP here.
Theme: How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic
Brief description: Throughout history it has always been true that people don’t know as much as they think they do. The ancient Greeks and Romans formulated an approach to life based on this notion. They recognized that adjusting our beliefs to the evidence while keeping in mind that we could be mistaken is the path to a just society—and a happy and meaningful life.
Join us in a discussion of Massimo Pigliucci's How to Be A (Happy) Skeptic, where he adopts the ancient Roman public advocate, orator, statesman, and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero as a guide to reveal the benefits of cultivating curiosity and doubt in the pursuit of a life worth living. Following Cicero’s life and works, the book explores the foundations for a good life, from how to formulate our values to how to nurture friendships; from being a good citizen and fighting for social justice to handling grief, pain, and even death. Cicero's combination of Skepticism and Stoicism was developed during a time of violence, social upheaval, and political turmoil. Taking a page from Cicero’s book, how can we adopt a practical philosophy of reason and virtue to learn to live well through uncertain times?
You can purchase the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/806907/how-to-be-a-happy-skeptic-by-massimo-pigliucci/
***
Key details:
- Check-in starts at 2pm on Friday, September 18th, and camp ends at 2pm on Sunday September 20th.
- Cost: $575 for a single room (for a double room, go here).
- The cost covers room and meals for the entire event. It does not include a copy of How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic.
- Several options for payment will be available, including fee-free ones. You're responsible for any transaction fees if they occur, though.
- Registration on Meetup does not guarantee enrollment. Your enrollment is only guaranteed after payment. Once you RSVP here, Greg will reach out to you to arrange payment.
- Should you need to cancel, we may be able to refund some of the money. If someone fills your spot, you will be refunded 50% of what you paid minus any additional transaction fees. However, if there is no one who can take your spot, then no refund will be issued except at the sole discretion of the organizers.
- Reading How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic before the event is mandatory. Other supplementary material (if any) will be provided without charge to attendees.
- Stony Point Center is accessible via a mix of public transportation and taxi, but is easier to reach via car. We'll provide more details on how to get there you register, and also attempt to organize carpools.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns!
8 attendees
Past events
274
