This week, we turn to a theme that rarely gets the attention it deserves in modern Stoic circles: beauty, not the commercial, cosmetic, or Instagram kind, but the deeper beauty the Stoics understood as virtue, harmony, and alignment with Nature. We’ll explore how the ancient Stoics, the Earl of Shaftesbury, and contemporary psychology all converge.

A virtuous life is a beautiful life. The ancient Stoics identified beauty with proportion, order, and right functioning, not in outward features, but in the internal structure of character. Seneca’s description of the sage as a mind shining with “constellations of the virtues” provides an entry point for understanding how moral beauty manifests in a human life.

We’ll also explore Brittany Polat’s writing on natural beauty, where Marcus Aurelius encourages us to see beauty even in unexpected places. For Marcus, beauty emerges not from curated perfection, but from an understanding of the deeper order of Nature. When we learn to see the world through this Stoic lens, beauty becomes available everywhere, not as decoration, but as a way of perceiving the coherence and rhythm of the cosmos. **The world becomes beautiful the moment we learn how to look.**

This meetup is inspired partly by the announcement of the upcoming Stoic Arts Conference (April 2026):
[https://modernstoicism.com/announcing-the-stoic-arts-conference-in-april-2026/](https://modernstoicism.com/announcing-the-stoic-arts-conference-in-april-2026/)

**Reading Material**
The Inspirational Power of Moral Beauty
[https://www.commonsenseethics.com/blog/the-inspirational-power-of-moral-beauty](https://www.commonsenseethics.com/blog/the-inspirational-power-of-moral-beauty?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Natural Beauty
[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M3-VyLIaEtYnUD2GblIgg1_5pFOraDuA/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M3-VyLIaEtYnUD2GblIgg1_5pFOraDuA/view?usp=sharing)

Time (USA)
7:00 PM Eastern
6:00 PM Central
5:00 PM Mountain
4:00 PM Pacific
[Convert your time]

**Zoom Link**
Click to Join
[https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85229202898?pwd=EUaEQn1bmcRK5l1fYkRCaFGUhhkd5i.1](https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85229202898?pwd=EUaEQn1bmcRK5l1fYkRCaFGUhhkd5i.1)
Join by Phone
+13092053325,,81756205936#,,,,\*069672# US
+13126266799,,81756205936#,,,,\*069672# US (Chicago)

Our group welcomes open-minded, respectful discussion on Stoicism and its relevance to daily life, relationships, and personal growth. We explore how Stoic ideas connect to modern philosophy, psychology, science, and culture—with the goal of strengthening our character and living wisely together.

This meeting is free and open to the public.

Joe Bullock

Rebecca Wright

Orlando Stoics

Science & Education

Atheist

Intellectual Discussions

Mindfulness

Life Transformation

Self-Help & Self-Improvement

Philosophy

Consciousness

Humanism

Stoicism

Marcus Aurelius

Seneca

Epictetus

Personal Development

Buddhism

Spiritual Growth

Moral Beauty, Natural Beauty, and the Stoic Art of Living 

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Orlando Stoics

Moral Beauty, Natural Beauty, and the Stoic Art of Living

Orlando Stoics

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