October 28
Wednesday, October 28, 2026Breakout
Stoic Exercises
This class session is an opportunity to discuss the material on Stoicism presented over the last week — particularly the Stoics' conception of freedom — as well as the currently ongoing Live Like a Stoic exercises.
Goals
Goals
- Develop a grasp of the Stoics’ conception of freedom
- Understand how the Stoics looked to distinguish their views in ethics from Epicureanism
- Understand the Stoics’ views on emotions
- Become familiar with the influence of the Stoics in modern times and the revival of their views in the Modern Stoicism movement
- Learn how this week’s exercises are going for your peers and share feedback with one another
- Prepare for next week’s Midterm Debate!
Before Class
- Watch and comment on Lecture 2.1 and Lecture 2.2 in Perusall
- As you read Epictetus for today’s class, consider how his views connect with the core principles of Stoicism discussed in last week’s lectures.
- Come prepared to class to discuss how the Live Like a Stoic exercises have been going for you this week.
- Prepare for the upcoming Midterm Debate!
After Class
Further Resources
Further Resources
- A conversation with Nancy Sherman for Stoicon 2021 covering various issues from her recent book, Stoic Wisdom, including the Stoics’ views on emotions and other misreadings of their understanding of the good life.
- “Epictetus” – entry from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Margaret Graver)
- “Care For Ourselves, Others, And Our World – Can Stoicism Help Us Hold These Together?” – short essay on the relation for the Stoics between self-care, care for others, and care for the world and our environment (Christopher Gill)
- Website for Modern Stoicism