Stoicism, Reason, Justice, and Action in World Politics

World politics can feel like a constant stream of crisis, outrage, and polarisation. Stoicism offers a civic alternative: disciplined judgement, clarity of thought, and a commitment to justice expressed through action. In this session, we will explore how Stoic ethics can help us interpret world events with greater clarity, and how Stoic ideas about reason, justice, and duty can inform responsible civic engagement.

Stoic philosophy places strong emphasis on clarity, reason, justice, and action rather than talk for its own sake. By contrast, much modern public thinking appears driven by rhetoric and dogmatic ideology, which can confuse judgement and displace responsibility. The United Nations is a useful case because it is both an institutional attempt to express global responsibilities and a public arena where those responsibilities are argued about, defended, and sometimes evaded.

Dr Dmitry Zavialov will guide a discussion that introduces key Stoic themes relevant to world politics. We will also examine what a Stoic approach to judgement and action might look like under conditions of uncertainty.