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
6
Sunday Stoa #129
·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 36, 37 and 38 from Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic: On the value of retirement, On allegiance to virtue, and On quiet conversation.
Here's the text and video if you’d like to check them out beforehand:
Letter 36
Text: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_36
Video: https://youtu.be/mXMZ7UNEMTQLetter 37
Text: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_37
Video: https://youtu.be/RCv54eiuJY8Letter 38
Text: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_38
Video: https://youtu.be/2Xosv07dQbUCome for the whole thing or join us whenever it works best for you. See you Sunday!
6 attendees
Stoicism 101: Week 7 - Anger
·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 anger and how to master this most dangerous of passions. We'll examine why anger is a form of temporary madness, the process for preventing and subduing it, and how we can use our daily reflection journaling to bring this vice under our control.
Here's the video we'll be watching: https://youtu.be/G1nM9UCJCIs?si=C_8QPw1yPWtsWcvu&t=7574
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
13 attendees
Overcoming the Influences of the Past
·OnlineOnlineCosponsored with Philosophy + Therapy
You already know where it came from. You've probably known for years.
So why are you still doing it?
Why do so many thoughtful, self-aware, well-read people still catch themselves:- bracing for criticism that hasn't come
- explaining themselves to people who didn't ask
- reading silence as rejection
- choosing the familiar over the good
- knowing exactly why they do it, and doing it anyway
A Guide to Rational Living — the 1961 book that became the foundation of modern cognitive therapy — has a blunt answer. The past shaped you, but it isn't what keeps the belief alive today. You are. Not through weakness. Understanding where a belief came from has never been enough to loosen it, because what holds it in place is how often you repeat it to yourself.
We'll get into:
- where these beliefs actually get installed
- why understanding the origin changes so little
- what the Stoics said about this two thousand years earlier
- the difference between a memory and a statement you keep repeating
- what it looks like to actually argue with a belief
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 7 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.
13 attendees
Stoicism 101: Week 2 - Wisdom
·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 wisdom, the dichotomy of control, good and evil in Stoicism, how to cultivate indifference and pursue virtue, and the proper place philosophy should hold in your life. We’ll also be going over the right way to use reflection journaling to build a Stoic practice.
Here's the video we'll be watching: https://youtu.be/G1nM9UCJCIs?si=WFczRCFPmNUZaRU8&t=1164
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
9 attendees
Past events
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