Session #28 - Stoicism, Broicism and other intersections

“...whatsoever thou doest, whereof thou thyself art the cause, to do it justly: which will be, if both in thy resolution and in thy action thou have no further end, than to do good unto others, as being that, which by thy natural constitution, as a man, thou art bound unto”
Marcus Aurelius Antonino - Meditations.

(Session in english!)

Stoicism, was a philosophy started by Zeno of Citium. Centuries after Marcus Aurelius, the "philosopher King" offered through Meditations, a direct and personal account on his thoughts and ideas. His message is still widely popular nearly 2,000 years later.

More recently Stoicism re-emerged as a hack for self-mastery, achievement and life success. Picked and reinterpreted by modern voices such as Ryan Holiday, and amplified in more controversial forms by figures like Andrew Tate.

In this session we will have the opportunity to focus on Marcus Aurelius' Meditations and how it has been passed through a filter of today's youtube pop-culture.

If you like this philosophy, especially the new version, or hate this philosophy, especially the new version, please accept my most sincere invitation to assist to our session! If you have no idea about what this is, this will certainly be useful, too.

We will focus on: self-accountability, emotional control, power and masculinity, denial of mental health, competition, life as conquest, and finally how these ideas intersect with relationships, gender, and politics.

Introduction of guests (15 minutes)
We start with a short introduction of the guests, and how familiar are they with stoicism (the classic or modern version)

Questions (1 hour and 45 minutes)

1. Does classic stoicism and the new broicism intersect? The case of Ryan Holiday.
2. Radical self-accountability. Can it backfire?
3. Emotional control. What were Marcus Aurelius' actual takes on the mater?
4. Masculinity. Why is Stoicism often framed as a masculine philosophy?
5. Is emotional restraint a strength — or a social expectation placed on men?
6. Do women have the possibility to choose a stoic way of life, without assuming the traditional female role?
7. Can emotional detachment conflict with intimacy?
8. Is pop-stoicism more a cause or a consequence of today's cooling gender relations?
9. Can Stoicism help with depression? or hide it?
10. Is vulnerability an act of weakness?
11. Where is the line between discipline and self-neglect?
12. How aligned is the idea of brutal competitive life achievement to stoicism?
13. Would a classic stoic pursue dominance, influence or wealth? How important was it for them?
14. Why now? What can be the reasons for stoicism's new found popularity?
15. Is “focus on what you control” psychologically realistic in complex societies?
16. Can Stoicism be used to rationalize hierarchy, oppression and inequality?

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RSVP: Please confirm your attendance here on Meetup to save your space and if you cannot assist, yield your space to another person in the waiting list.
We welcome donations from 1.000 HUF (min 400 HUF) to keep the costs of the meetup.
If you order food, or alcohol-free wines, you dont need to donate for the group. Thank you!