Hi LA Stoics
OK. We need to decide what readings to adopt for our upcoming meeting (Feb. 9th). So, I have decided to host a Google Hangout video chat where we can discuss options.
To join, all you have to do is use the following link and click “Join Meeting”: https://hangouts.google.com/call/2YH4GIR7ZH_c2_tww6BQAEEE
You don’t need to have a Google account. And if can’t use your video or microphone, you can just type messages to us in the meeting.
- First Meeting: TONIGHT (Jan. 24) at 7pm
- Second Meeting: TOMORROW (Jan. 25) at 12pm only if there is a demand for it (or if the first meeting flops!)
- Third Meeting?: Hopefully not
READING OPTIONS (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER):
- Plato’s Dialogues (In particular, his Apology and/or Euthydemus) — the early dialogues are especially important to Stoicism
- Collected Fragments and Abridged Works of Greek Stoics
- Seneca’s Moral Letters or his Essays — maybe we can choose one of his essays that are popular (On Anger, On the Shortness of Life, etc.)
- Sayings and Lectures of Musonius Rufus — he was the teacher of Epictetus and his philosophy seems pretty similar (very practical)
- More Epictetus — that is, the Discourses which make up the rest of the book we used for the Enchiridion/Handbook
- Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations — he seemed primarily inspired by Epictetus
- Diogenes Laertius on the Stoics (this would just be Book 7 of his Lives of Eminent Philosophers)
ALSO,
- Massimo Pigliucci’s How to Be Stoic — this is a intro to Stoicism using Epictetus as a guide
[I mention this last book because it would be a good continuation of our discussion on Epictetus, but feel free to suggest other modern introductions to Stoicism]
That’s all. Hope to see some people tonight… Also, keep an eye out for a message about a possible meeting tomorrow.
Justin K.