We talked with Massimo Pigliucci about his experiences organizing and running various Stoic groups, or “stoas”, including The Global Stoa and Stoic Camp. Among the topics we covered:
The various online and in person Stoicism groups he’s led
An advantage of online groups for some people
Stoic Camp — an annual, intensive, 3-day Stoic retreat in the Hudson valley
His upcoming seminar in Paris on anger
The proper role of stoas in the modern world
His advice for how stoas can engage in political issues without descending into partisanship
How to facilitate discussions of personal issues
Handling people’s common misunderstandings of Stoic terms
Epictetus vs. Socrates as role model for stoa facilitators
Doing practices with his groups beyond just having discussions
When people in a stoa would benefit from therapy
How Stoicism would have evolved if it hadn’t been interrupted by Christianity
The future of stoas over the next 50 or so years
Whether stoa facilitators should “proselytize” Stoicism
Massimo Pigliucci is an author, blogger, podcaster, as well as the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His academic work is in evolutionary biology, philosophy of science, the nature of pseudoscience, and practical philosophy. Massimo publishes a regular column in Philosophy Now entitled “The Art of Living.” His books include How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (Basic Books) and Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk (University of Chicago Press). Massimo’s forthcoming book is Beyond Stoicism: A Guide to the Good Life with Stoics, Skeptics, Epicureans, and Other Ancient Philosophers (The Experiment).
You can find more information about Massimo on his website.
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