Ataraxia: Tranquility thru embodied cognition

Philosophy entails perceiving the ordinary in extraordinary ways. Reinvention, however, is not necessary; in fact, the Stoics garnered from the wisdom of those who came before: Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. As 21st century stoics, what can we add to the basic tenets of Stoicism? What if Zeno of Citium, Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius knew what we know now, especially in the fields of psychology and neuroscience? What would an evolved version of Stoicism look like and how would it lead to eudaimonia (the good life)? Can dichotomy of control be distilled as locus of control? Can introspection be stacked with interoception to gain deeper personal insight? Can we transmute andreia (courage/fortitude) further into antifragility (resilience 2.0)? Can Stoicism be made more inclusive to consider the neurodivergent and folks with diminished self-awareness?

Using social tinkering, we will deviate slightly from the usual meetup format through social experimentation and collaborative participation—participants are encouraged to discuss less and experience more. Expect a departure from the conceptual discussion of Stoicism, the philosophy, while still exploring stoicism, the mindset. The aim is to expand our stoic skillset, as we go beyond logic (reasoning) and ethics (virtues) to venture into physics (nature) and, additionally, soma (body) in aspiring for psychological flexibility and a stoic mindset. Beyond the concept of ataraxia (unperturbedness + equanimity + stillness), we can further our exploration to encompass antifragility by effectively addressing constraints and expanding our nervous system’s window of tolerance.

Since this meetup will veer away, somewhat, from our usual format of open and conceptual discussion, you may expect this to be more of a directed interactive workshop that will suit the stoicurious and the neuronerds amongst us. As we attempt to fuse ancient wisdom with recent studies in health science, you’ll come away with practicable skills that you can add to your daily stoic practice. Consider this your stoic expansion pack, as we explore bottom up techniques to foster a stoic mindset.

P.S.: Prepare to get a bit physical!