About us
This group is dedicated to the serious study and lived practice of Stoic philosophy as a way of life. Together, we explore how the teachings of the ancient Stoics can be applied thoughtfully and rigorously to the challenges of modern living.
We welcome newcomers and experienced practitioners alike. No prior background is required, only a genuine interest in examining one’s beliefs, habits, and character. Our discussions are structured to meet people where they are, while also encouraging steady growth in understanding and practice.
Our meetings focus on engaging directly with Stoic texts, reflecting on real-life situations, and considering how Stoic ideas apply to the choices we face. We emphasize virtue, self-discipline, sound judgment, and responsibility for one’s inner life not as abstract ideals, but as habits formed through daily attention and effort.
How the course works
We run an ongoing 12-chapter Stoicism 101 course that repeats continuously throughout the year.
- We meet Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
- Each night covers a different chapter
- After Chapter 12, the course loops back to Chapter 1
- You can join at any point
If you attend one night per week, you will complete the full course in about three months. If you attend multiple nights per week, you can move through the course more quickly. Each session stands on its own while also fitting into the larger structure.
Alongside the main course, every week we host Sunday Stoa, a more community-oriented, book club–style gathering.
If you’re looking for thoughtful conversation, sincere self-examination, and a community committed to practicing philosophy rather than merely talking about it, you’re very welcome to join us.
Upcoming events
5
How to Feel Frustrated but Not Depressed or Enraged
·OnlineOnlineCosponsored with Philosophy + Therapy
It was unfair. That part isn't up for debate.
The question is what happened between the unfairness and the hours you spent furious about it.Why do so many thoughtful, self-aware, well-read people find that:
- the size of the reaction has almost nothing to do with the size of the offence
- they can be reasonable about a real injustice and lose an afternoon to a small one
- the anger arrives already convinced it's justified
- "I can't stand this" turns up long before any evidence for it
- being told to calm down produces the opposite result
- they'd defend the anger as reasonable and still not want to feel it
A Guide to Rational Living — the 1961 book that became the foundation of modern cognitive therapy — points at a step most of us don't notice taking. Frustration is what happens when something you wanted doesn't arrive. Rage is what happens when you've added a rule about how it must have. The unfairness doesn't produce the fury. The demand does.
We'll get into:
- why frustration is reasonable and rage is something else
- the difference between "I don't like this" and "this must not be"
- what the Stoics said about whether anger is ever worth having
- how "I can't stand it" survives being obviously untrue
- what's left of the anger once the demand comes out of it
No reading required. We listen to the chapter together.
The plan for the night:- Quick intro from me — who I am, and where these ideas came from
- We listen to Chapter 13 together (~20 min)
- Small-group discussion (~20 min)
- Q&A and open discussion
Not therapy. No diagnosis. Nothing you have to share. Just a good book and a more reasonable way to see the world.
14 attendees
Stoicism 101: Week 6 - Self-Control
·OnlineOnlineJoin us for an evening of Stoic philosophy and discussion. We'll kick off the event with a short presentation exploring one of the core ideas of Stoicism, focusing on its real-world application with some practices drawn from the texts. Following the presentation, we'll break into smaller groups for a lightly-facilitated discussion about the topic.
This week, we’ll be discussing self-control and the value of voluntary self-denial across several areas of our lives, including food, money, sex, travel, and substance use. We'll also discuss a practice designed to help free us of from the fear of poverty.
Here's the video we'll be watching: https://youtu.be/G1nM9UCJCIs?si=3SYe2bX3xpt3t9A_&t=6203
And here's the text, along with the rest of the resources for the course: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-6r2KFyv7f-vChnX-9eKovdFsQ6DYoc_CV5RZtJb9XA/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks so much for your interest, and please remember:
"There is no such thing as good or bad fortune for the individual; we live in common. And no one can live happily who has regard to himself alone and transforms everything into a question of his own utility; you must live for your neighbor, if you would live for yourself." - Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, Letter 48
16 attendees
Sunday Stoa #134
·OnlineOnlineIf you're interested in going deeper than just the intro classes and exploring the community side of Stoicism, please join us for Sunday Stoa.
We begin at 4:00 PM (ET) with 10 minutes of Stoic breath meditation followed by 15 minutes of writing practice.
At 4:30 PM, we move into introductions and social time.
Around 5:00 PM, we’ll listen to selections from the original Stoic texts and then discuss the ideas they present.This week, we’ll be listening to Letters 48 and 49 from Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic: On quibbling as unworthy of the philosopher, and On the shortness of life.
Here's the text and video if you’d like to check them out beforehand:
Letter 48
Text: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_48
Video: https://youtu.be/-GcjvCCmSScLetter 49
Text: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_49
Video: https://youtu.be/JjJqi0kRv4YCome for the whole thing or join us whenever it works best for you. See you Sunday!
2 attendees
Stoicism 101: Week 12 - How to Practice Stoicism
·OnlineOnlineJoin us for an evening of Stoic philosophy and discussion. We'll kick off the event with a short presentation exploring one of the core ideas of Stoicism, focusing on its real-world application with some practices drawn from the texts. Following the presentation, we'll break into smaller groups for a lightly-facilitated discussion about the topic.
This week, we’ll be finishing the course by discussing how to put everything together into a personal Stoic practice, the levels of Stoicism, and how much we can expect to achieve. We'll also discuss an example of a Stoic daily plan.
Here's the video we'll be watching: https://youtu.be/G1nM9UCJCIs?si=79sCVKbB6IcabEiz&t=13962
And here's the text, along with the rest of the resources for the course: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-6r2KFyv7f-vChnX-9eKovdFsQ6DYoc_CV5RZtJb9XA/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks so much for your interest, and please remember:
"There is no such thing as good or bad fortune for the individual; we live in common. And no one can live happily who has regard to himself alone and transforms everything into a question of his own utility; you must live for your neighbor, if you would live for yourself." - Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, Letter 48
7 attendees
Past events
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