Philosophy Course: Stoicism

Learn to answer fundamental questions about life with our philosophy short courses online & in Sydney.

Stoicism, dating from the fourth century BCE, has experienced a major revival in recent times owing to such popular authors and online figures as Ryan Holiday and Massimo Pigliucci. Emphasising the importance of reason for attaining a state of tranquillity, it remains as relevant to our contemporary experience as it did to that of our ancient Greek and Roman forebears. Key figures in the development of Stoicism – including the great statesman, Seneca, the ex-slave, Epictetus, and the meditative emperor, Marcus Aurelius – have helped formulate a timeless system of moral principles and psychological techniques that can help us meet the triumphs and tragedies of life with genuine equanimity and allow us to flourish in a manner that benefits not just ourselves but our loved ones and wider communities.

In this short course, we will explore the worldview of the Roman Stoics especially while discussing their striking careers and seminal works. To this end, we will break down the core components of the Stoic psychological apparatus and the underpinning virtues of courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. The course aims to make Stoicism both intelligible and enjoyable, and a potential means of attaining a good life.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this philosophy course, you should be able to:

• Delineate the historical development of Stoicism from ancient times to our own day and age and understand the reasons for its current popularity
• Consider and evaluate the lives and legacies of the great Roman Stoics, and how each of them used their philosophical formation to triumph over adversity
• Understand and apply key Stoic psychological techniques in your daily life, including the testing of impressions, mindfulness, negative visualisation, and the view from above

Course content

What is covered in this philosophy course?

Week 1: What is Stoicism?

• Contemporary Value: Reason and Virtue in an Age of Confusion
• Forerunners of Stoicism: Socrates, Heraclitus, and Diogenes
• The Great Founders: Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, and Chrysippus
• Historical Development: From the Painted Porch to the Digital Age
• The Walled Garden: Physics, Logic, and Ethics

Week 2: The Stoic Worldview and Psychological Apparatus

• The Cardinal Virtues: Courage, Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom
• Amor Fati
• Preferred and Dispreferred Indifferents
• Eudaimonia, Apatheia, and Ataraxia
• Negative Visualisation and the View from Above

Week 3: Seneca

• Seneca’s Life and Times: Intrigue, Exile, and Martyrdom in First Century Rome
• Exploration of the Moral Letters to Lucilius and Other Key Writings
• The Philosopher’s Mean

Week 4: Musonius Rufus

• Musonius Rufus’ Life and Times: The Influential (Yet Sometimes Forgotten) ‘Roman Socrates’
• Exploration of Musonius’ Lectures and Sayings
• The Egalitarian Nature of Stoicism

Week 5: Epictetus

• Epictetus’ Life and Times: The Ex-Slave and Master of Inner Freedom
• Exploration of the Discourses and Enchiridion
• The Dichotomy of Control

Week 6: Marcus Aurelius

• Marcus Aurelius’ Life and Times: The Philosopher King in An Age of Catastrophe
• Exploration of the Meditations
• The Inner Citadel

Week 7: Twilight and Renewal

• The Christian Appropriation of Stoicism
• The Neo-Stoics of the Renaissance

Week 8: Modern Stoicism

• Navigating the Flurry of New Publications
• Key Figures of Modern Stoicism: William B. Irvine, Donald Robertson, Massimo Pigliucci, and Ryan Holiday
• Further Avenues for the Study of Stoicism

Intended audience

Who is this philosophy course for?

• This philosophy course is for anyone interested in understanding Stoicism and applying its ethical principles to their daily life.

Course Venue

Online via Zoom

• Zoom details will be emailed to you with your enrolment confirmation
• Requirement: A device and stable internet connection

Course Materials

What to bring to class

• Textbooks (information below)
• Notebook and pen
• A willingness to engage and learn!

Learning Resources

• All materials to be provided by tutor via email, week by week.