Class 2 / 11 of The Stoics, a philosophy course by Dan Taylor. This week, we introduce the world of the first Stoic school in Athens and its later move to Rome. We discuss Zeno, Cleanthes and Chrysippus. The texts under discussion are excerpts from Diogenes Laertius and Cicero in Brad Inwood's The Stoic Reader.



About the course:
Pitched at an introductory to intermediate level, spanning the Stoics from the ancient Athenian porch to 21st century neo-Stoicisms.

Along the way we take in Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, as well as resonances in the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Dhammapada, Montaigne's essays and Spinoza. We explore how Stoic thinking is challenged by Nietzsche and Camus. We conclude with Viktor Frankl and Foucault on the search for meaning and the care of the self - logos and ethos.

Read more about the course, the readings and the materials here: https://dantaylor.blog/the-stoics/

This course was taught during the covid-19 lockdown of 2020. Each class had a YouTube lecture (here) then a two-hour Zoom discussion where things came to life.

This video isn't an exhaustive guide then nor a substitute for teaching. It is shared here simply out of goodwill, offering a longer and deeper introduction to thinkers who really matter.