The Philosophy Lab

The meeting time is Noon Eastern (USA), 11AM Central, 10AM Mountain, 9AM Pacific. For our international friends, please convert time with this free tool: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

ZOOM INFO

Click to start meeting - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86515406429

If you don't have a computer with camera or mic, then you can attend by telephone. Dial one of these numbers and add meeting ID 865 5984 3870#

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US

GENERAL

In general, Stoicism teaches us how to handle difficult people and events, how to avoid anger and worry, and overall to use moderation in life. A Stoic practice can lead to a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Our group enjoys open-minded, respectful conversations on Stoicism and how it relates to science, culture, philosophy, history, other belief systems, and pop culture (books and movies). If we differ in our opinions, then "we agree to disagree". The long-term goal is to improve our minds via group discussions. Our group does NOT discuss religion or politics.

This event is free and open to the public.

Barry received his BA from UC Irvine in 2001 and his PhD from Princeton in 2007. He taught for 16 years at Vassar College where he was Associate Professor and Chair until 2022, when he joined UCR as Professor of Philosophy. He is the Host/Producer of Slate’s Hi-Phi Nation podcast, a show where philosophy and reality meet.

Hi-Phi Nation is a story- and sound-driven philosophy podcast, from Slate. Season 6 finished running May 16, 2023. You can go to each season page to get complete show notes, episodes, transcripts, and links.

The specific room where the talk will be held is yet to be announced, so stay tuned. Please make sure to bring a valid ID in order to be able to access the building.

[Cross-posted from NYC Stoics]

Impressions are one of the most important concepts in all of Stoicism to understand, since they are the grist for the mill of Stoic practice. At last month's meetup, we studied the anatomy of impressions, and learned that all of our impressions of how things are can be translated into "assertibles" (axiomata). In short: our first impressions of everything we encounter can be cashed out as asserting true or false things about the world.

This raises the question: how can a practicing Stoic discern which impressions are reliable? The answer in large part involves logic. At this meetup, we'll go over the basics of Stoic logic with preeminent scholar Susanne Bobzien's writing as our guide. You can find her chapter on logic from The Cambridge Companion to Stoic Philosophy here and download it for free.

Since this topic is difficult, I am not requiring that you read this chapter in full. Instead, I will be presenting the very basics of Stoic logic and comment on some of its practical applications, leaning heavily on this chapter.

I encourage people who are familiar with basic logic to read the chapter in full and come prepared with questions they may have. However, if you are not familiar with logic, I suggest quickly skimming the chapter and pondering what aspects of it could be useful for a practicing Stoic.

[Cross-posted from NYC Stoics]

Come join us for 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.