SCHOOL FOR A NEW STOICISM
ETHICS, LOGIC, AND SCIENCE TO LIVE ACCORDING TO NATURE
Noted
In the last Redux post I called Donald Robertson a workhorse. Today I present a sparkplug, Massimo Pigliucci. Massimo energizes the Stoic movement with wisdom, humor, and a multi-discipline background.
Massimo’s writings were an early influence into my Stoic journey and I continue to be guided by his weekly podcast, Practical Wisdom, a delightful four- to five-minute shot of practical Stoicism. There are many ways to access his work. You’ll see links below. Today I want to lift up a couple of writings about Massimo and his newest work.
Quotes
Selections from
Massimo Pigliucci Feb 27 · Figs in Winter: New Stoicism and Beyond
What is philosophy to you?
At this point in my life, it is two things: on the one hand, my chosen profession; on the other hand, and far more importantly, a way of life I strive to follow. Professionally, I am a philosopher of science, which means someone who wants to understand the nature of science from the point of view of its internal logic, epistemic warrants, and so forth. As a consequence, I draw on my experience as a biologist, I read a lot of science and philosophy papers, and I publish the sort of technical, academic articles that are read by a few dozen people on a good day.
But I have also embraced Stoicism, and more broadly Greco-Roman-inspired virtue ethics, as a way of life. And that has had far broader consequences for myself, my family, my friends, my students, and a lot of others who read the sort of public articles and books that these days make up the bulk of what I do.
How do you practice philosophy today?
In the dual way that I sketched above. During my day job at the City College of New York, part of the CUNY system, I teach classes on general philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of sci-fi, and ancient Greco-Roman philosophy. I go to technical conferences, and I present papers on the philosophy of science, specifically philosophy of evolutionary biology and philosophy of pseudoscience (another long-term interest of mine).
At all other times, I try to practice Stoic principles, which means striving to act rationally and prosocially, thinking of all human beings as a large family (cosmopolitanism), and behaving according to the cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. I often fail, but I get up and try again.
Below are selections from Massimo’s post on March 4 outlining out a new program of guidance for new and seasoned Stoics.
Back in 2019 my friend Greg Lopez and I published a book that is still, insofar as I know, unique: A Handbook for New Stoics—How to Thrive in a World out of Your Control (The Experiment). It is a collection of 52 exercises, which we propose reader try out one per week during a whole year, to actually live like a Stoic.
In the series of posts we are starting today I will propose one such exercise every Monday, and interested readers will discuss with me and Greg—who has agreed to participate to the project—their progress or difficulties. The goal is to try out all the exercises and then come up with a shorter list of practices that one can keep doing, potentially for the rest of their lives, in the attempt to become a better human beings in the sense outlined by Stoic philosophy.
Here is how it’s going to work. Beginning next Monday I will post the passage, from one of the ancient Stoics, that constitutes the original source for the exercise, followed by a brief discussion of its meaning. Interested readers will then look at the second part of the pertinent chapter in the book and actually carry out the exercise Monday through Saturday. On Sunday they will get a break and use the time to write down their impressions about the exercise and whether it’s a keeper for the future or not.
Reflection
I will go to Massimo’s new program because that is what I do — attempt to follow Modern Stoicism as it takes over the world for the purpose of helping people to live meaningful lives. And, I will go to the program to strengthen my own Stoic take on life.
Stoicism is growing rapidly around the world. That is a really good thing. At the same time I am overwhelmed with the “new” schools, the various approaches, the entrepreneurial thrusts, the new book titles (I saw 2 more this morning!), the this way and that. You see, because I have a hard time grasping 7 billion plus people on earth. I don’t know how many sold Teslas it took to make Elon Musk a billionaire. Or how many people needed to buy a Slinky to make it iconic? How about #2 pencils? Well, as I work through this intensive mind game on numbers and feasibility I am beginning to think that there must be enough people with different needs, notions, capabilities, and compatibilities for the current crop of Stoic gurus to make it work for everyone. Anyway, I am all for it because I believe Massimo and the others have much to offer the world with their great work of making ancient wisdom modern.
Resources
https://newstoicism.org/
Books….an Amazon listing
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IU0D3K/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=c6f1972a-d812-4f7c-89df-8d3121bd4c80&ref_=ap_rdr
Events
Go to: https://platosacademy.org/ to register.