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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)
See all- [Reading group] The Four Stoic PersonaeLink visible for attendees
Over the past few months, NYC Stoics have covered several papers concerning one of the most important concepts in Stoicism: appropriate actions (kathekonta). Being able to choose what actions are appropriate is a skill one can improve upon as a practicing Stoic, and each appropriate act that is chosen is one step on the path to a life worth living (eudaimonia).
We've already explored one way to decide on what action is appropriate: by selecting preferred indifferents according to their value. However, around the time of the Middle Stoa, another framework emerged by which to deliberate what acts are appropriate: role ethics. This framework was transformed and plays a major part in the Late Stoa, most notably in Epictetus's work.
At this meetup, we'll explore the basics of the Middle Stoa's take on role ethics by reading and discussing Phillip H. De Lacy's classic paper, The Four Stoic Personae.
To prepare for the meetup, please read the paper in full and come prepared with questions or concepts you want to discuss. It is available for free from the University of Illinois. Here is the direct download link.
We'll be assuming you did the reading at this meetup, so if you didn't, it's likely you'll be left behind!
- Stoic Camp NY 2025: Single room RSVPStony Point Center PC(USA), Stony Point, NY$575.00
Stoic Camp NY began in 2015. It is led by Greg Lopez and Massimo Pigliucci -- co-authors of A Handbook for New Stoics.
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: Beyond Stoicism
Brief description: Many people today are aware of Stoicism. However, Stoicism was far from the only philosophy in the Greco-Roman world with practical takeaways. Stoicism itself borrowed copiously from Cynicism, Megarianism, and the Old Academy. Additionally, full life philosophies such as Epicureanism competed with Stoicism, while other philosophies such as Academic Skepticism challenged Stoic thinking through a different approach to epistemology which is still of practical relevance today. Thus, while Stoicism has risen to the forefront of public consciousness, other ancient Greco-Roman practical wisdom has not received the attention it deserves.
The 2025 edition of Stoic Camp NY will attempt to rectify this by providing attendees with an overview of the practical aspects of many Greco-Roman philosophies, using our recent book, Beyond Stoicism, as a guide.
Using the book as a starting point, co-authors Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez will guide Stoic Camp NY attendees through a series of discussions, small group work, small assignments, Q&As, and debates to help you gain insight into your own preferred philosophy (or philosophies) of life and how you can apply it to improve both yourselves and the world.
Stoic Camp NY 2025 will be a bit more interactive than previous years, and require reading Beyond Stoicism before attending. Like previous years, people of all experience levels are welcome to attend. People completely new to Stoicism and Greco-Roman philosophy will gain a basic understanding, while previous Stoic Camp NY attendees solidify their knowledge and gain a broader understanding of the richness and practicability of Greco-Roman philosophy.
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Key details:
- Check-in starts at 2pm on Friday, August 29th, and camp ends at 2pm on Sunday August 31st.
- 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 Beyond Stoicism.
- Several options for payment will be available, including fee-free ones. You're responsible for any transaction fees if they occur, though, since the event is being run at cost.
- 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 Beyond Stoicism 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!
- Stoic Camp NY 2025: Double room RSVPStony Point Center PC(USA), Stony Point, NY$360.00
Stoic Camp NY began in 2015. It is led by Greg Lopez and Massimo Pigliucci -- co-authors of A Handbook for New Stoics.
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: Beyond Stoicism
Brief description: Many people today are aware of Stoicism. However, Stoicism was far from the only philosophy in the Greco-Roman world with practical takeaways. Stoicism itself borrowed copiously from Cynicism, Megarianism, and the Old Academy. Additionally, full life philosophies such as Epicureanism competed with Stoicism, while other philosophies such as Academic Skepticism challenged Stoic thinking through a different approach to epistemology which is still of practical relevance today. Thus, while Stoicism has risen to the forefront of public consciousness, other ancient Greco-Roman practical wisdom has not received the attention it deserves.
The 2025 edition of Stoic Camp NY will attempt to rectify this by providing attendees with an overview of the practical aspects of many Greco-Roman philosophies, using our recent book, Beyond Stoicism, as a guide.
Using the book as a starting point, co-authors Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez will guide Stoic Camp NY attendees through a series of discussions, small group work, small assignments, Q&As, and debates to help you gain insight into your own preferred philosophy (or philosophies) of life and how you can apply it to improve both yourselves and the world.
Stoic Camp NY 2025 will be a bit more interactive than previous years, and require reading Beyond Stoicism before attending. Like previous years, people of all experience levels are welcome to attend. People completely new to Stoicism and Greco-Roman philosophy will gain a basic understanding, while previous Stoic Camp NY attendees solidify their knowledge and gain a broader understanding of the richness and practicability of Greco-Roman philosophy.
***
Key details:
- Check-in starts at 2pm on Friday, August 29th, and camp ends at 2pm on Sunday August 31st.
- Cost: $360 for one spot in a double room ($720 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 29th. 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 Beyond Stoicism.
- Several options for payment will be available, including fee-free ones. You're responsible for any transaction fees if they occur, though, since the event is being run at cost.
- 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 Beyond Stoicism 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!
![[Reading group] The Four Stoic Personae cover photo](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/b/d/c/a/event_527448586.webp "[Reading group] The Four Stoic Personae")
