Contemporary stoicism
Are you familiar with contemporary stoicism? This ancient philosophy is back in the news. What’s more, it’s a lifeline in the middle of the storm.
Marcus Aurelius (121-180), Roman emperor and author of Thoughts for Myself, is generally regarded as the last Stoic philosopher. Indeed, since the end of Antiquity, there has been no Stoic school to speak of. Yet Stoic philosophy has endured over time, in the form of principles and practices that have spanned the centuries and influenced authors such as Simplicius, Ignatius of Loyola, Juste Lipse, Guillaume du Vair, Montaigne, Descartes, Spinoza and many others. What’s more, Stoicism is currently enjoying a real revival of interest: in the English-speaking world first of all, under the name of “Modern Stoicism”, but also in the French-speaking world, under the name of “Contemporary Stoicism”.
Stoicism as a way of life
From the end of the 20th century onwards, a few isolated authors, such as Pierre Hadot, Michel Foucault, Martha Nussbaum and Julia Annas, turned their attention to the ancient philosophers and Stoics in particular, in order to study and promote philosophy as a way of life, the importance of self-care, the therapeutic dimension of philosophy and the relevance of virtue ethics. And today, in the first quarter of the 21st century, the influence of these authors has never been stronger. The academic and popular success of contemporary Stoicism is living proof of this.
Bringing Stoic philosophy up to date
On the academic front, the publication of Lawrence Becker’s A New Stoicism in 1998 marked the birth of contemporary Stoicism. In it, the author develops a Stoic ethic adapted to current scientific discoveries and modern psychology. Following in Lawrence Becker’s footsteps, there has been a succession of attempts to rehabilitate Stoicism, and today many authors defend the Stoic way of life. In France, this is the case of Estelle Godart, author of Ce qui dépend de moi, and Christelle Veillard, author of The Stoics. A philosophy of exigency . In 2012, an Anglo-Saxon research group, Modern Stoicismdecided to join forces to demonstrate the usefulness, and in particular the therapeutic nature, of Stoicism. This joint effort has taken the form of a blog(Stoicism Today), a Stoicweek, and an annual one-day event for people interested in the practice of Stoicism(Stoicon). This research group brings together university philosophers (Christopher Gill, John Sellars, William Irvine, Massimo Pigliucci, etc.) and psychotherapists (Tim Lebon, Donald Robertson, etc.). After 8 years of existence, they are defending not only the therapeutic dimension of Stoicism, but also its relevance as a philosophy of life, publishing numerous works along these lines, based on the updating of Stoic doctrines and practices.
A popular philosophy
Outside academia, the current interest in stoicism is equally striking. The success of an author like Ryan Holiday, author of L’obstacle est le chemin and L’ego est l’ennemi, two bestsellers translated into several languages, including French, reflects this popular infatuation with Stoicism. James Bond Stockdale (1923-2005), a US Navy officer during the Vietnam War, spent seven years in prison, suffering torture and humiliation. In his book, Courage under fire: testing Epictetus’s doctrines in a laboratory of human behavior, he recounts how he survived these extreme living conditions thanks to the philosophy of Epictetus. Similarly, Pierre Haese, author of Epictetus in Prison, published in 2017, testifies to how reading the Stoics helped him during his imprisonment. Sam Sullivan was mayor of Vancouver from 2005 to 2008. A quadriplegic at the age of 19, he explains how Stoicism gave him the strength to overcome his disability. In French-speaking Switzerland, Alexandre Jollien’s journey, which he recounts inEloge de la faiblesse, is similar, and is also inspired by Stoic wisdom.
Stoa Gallica: for a contemporary stoicism
In the French-speaking world, like Modern Stoicism, the Association Stoa Gallica pursues a similar project. It encourages study and reflection on Stoicism as it may be lived today. In order to encourage exchanges between people interested in the study and practice of contemporary Stoicism, Stoa Gallica moderates a discussion group on Facebook, which now has over 1800 members. Largely influenced by the thought of Pierre Hadot, and the conception of philosophy as a way of life, the members of this research group, both academic and non-academic, come from diverse backgrounds and bear witness to the current interest in Stoicism as a way of life.
In the BCUL collections
Increasingly present in university studies, Stoic philosophy nevertheless stands out for its popular roots, and its presence on the Internet and social networks. Particularly useful in times of crisis, Stoic philosophy offers tools for dealing with stress and fears, keeping our ability to judge intact, and remaining serene in the face of uncertainty. But above all, Stoicism offers a coherent choice of lifestyle, enabling us to live in harmony with our discourse and ourselves. It’s hardly surprising, then, that books on the subject are flourishing, and I’ve included a selection of them in this thematic selection.
