MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2014



Stoicism 101: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Happiness

David Jimenez-Gomez

Feb/01 Sat 11:00AM-01:00PM 56-167

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, particpants welcome at any session
Prereq: None

Stoicism is an Ancient Greek philosophical system, mostly devoted to practical ethics. It has a set of philosophical tenets, as well as a toolbox of techniques, which were immensely popular in Ancient Greece and Rome. Among others, writer and politician Seneca and emperor Marcus Aurelius used Stoicism in their daily life.

Despite their pragmatic attitude, Stoics based their philosophy on a wide theoretical background, encompassing physics and logic. Like "philosophical engineers", they strived to derive practical implications  from scientific principles.

After briefly introducing the basic concepts of the philosophy, we will talk about how to apply it through case studies. This workshop is hands-on: participation in the discussions is highly encouraged.

Sponsor(s): Secular Society of MIT
Contact: David Jimenez-Gomez, JIMENEZD@MIT.EDU