The school of philosophy known as Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium sometime around 300 BCE in Athens, Greece. Under Zeno, and his successors Cleanthes and Chrysippus, Stoicism became one of the leading philosophies of the Hellenistic period in Greece.  Upon migrating to Rome, it became one of the dominant schools of thought in the Roman Empire, with perhaps the most famous ancient Stoic – the emperor Marcus Aurelius.

While the philosophy of the Stoa had its sway in the ancient world – Marcus is the last known self-identified Stoic of antiquity – there has been a significant revival of Stoicism as a philosophy of life in the 21^st Century.

In this ZOOM workshop with philosopher Rob Colter, we'll explore several things:

• The philosophical and historical roots of Stoic philosophy (especially Socrates and Cynicism).
• Some of the central theses of Stoic philosophy
• The notion of philosophy as a way of life, with Stoicism as our exemplar
• The modern revival of Stoicism

Along the way, we might look at a few bits of text, and perhaps a philosophical exercise or two, but mostly we’ll have a conversation about Stoicism and how it manifests as a philosophy of life…and maybe (even) how Stoicism might affect our own lives. Check out the intro video below!

Our philosophy workshops are FREE.  That said, for those who still have the steady income to do so in these trying times, we could really use your financial support right now.  Donations help to cover workshop leader honorariums, implementation, and resource archiving, as well as community workshop scholarships for those in need.  You can make a donation by clicking here.  For those facing more challenging financial circumstances, we ask that you please try to “pay it forward” with acts of kindness for your neighbors and community. 

Please visit our website or contact Marisa Diaz-Waian, at #406-439-5788 or marisa@merlinccc.org.