Stoicism for women

[ArabellaScott]

There can be a bit of macho posturing among some Stoic groups, but on the whole I find people who practise Stoicism generally calm, thoughtful and amenable to reasoned discussion. Especially the women.

I thought a thread of resources might be of interest (I know little, so would be delighted if anyone with more knowledge would like to add their perspective):

www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/19/inject-that-stoicism-into-my-veins-10-tools-of-ancient-philosophy-that-improved-my-life

astoicremedy.com/2018/01/29/why-women-should-explore-stoicism/

dailystoic.com/stoic-women/

Re Oliver B:

He's astute to say the least.

I've been trying to practise Stoicism for about a year. I use the Daily Stoic journal as often as I remember, and I like reading Holiday's books and listening to his podcasts. It seems hands-down the most sensible way to live one's life, but of course it has lots of overlaps with other philosophies. The concept of non-attachment in Buddhism aligns nicely with Stoicism's control theory.

I was fascinated to discover the links between Stoicism and CBT, and I think kids would benefit from being taught these techniques from an early age.

Great thread. Yeah, a lot of Stoic spaces are really dude bro-y, but it’s for everyone. Wisdom of the ancients and concentrated mental health distillate.

Most of the people I knew in my deprived working class area acted like this during covid. It was nothing to do with a prescribed philosophical outlook - it’s just what pragmatic grown up people did.

Many parallels between Buddhist teachings and Stoicism, yes. Memento Mori, equanimity, emphasis on our inner responses rather than external circumstances.

@ArabellaScott Christians like Augustine read, admired and derived a lot from the Stoics. They were influential.

@UWhatNow , my working class neighbor stayed immured in his home, fell into a deep depression. His working class in-laws next door were depressed and felt lost.

Pragmatic, grown-up people are likely to have a number of Stoic traits. There's nothing more grown up than Stoic philosophy.

Subscribing to this thread. Here to learn so I probably won't post much. I do try to be stoical. I try to model myself on my mum who was definitely stoical though she probably didn't see it like that. But that was her generation (born 1925). I admire them hugely.

Thanks for the bump - I'd forgotten about this thread!

Here's Marcus Aurelius' Meditations on archive.org:

archive.org/details/meditationsofmar00marc/

Great, I like the look of this and will check out the other thread too. Been a stoic of sorts since childhood so may have something to add.

Stoicism was discussed on BBC Radio 4 in the past few days, but annoyingly I can't remember the programme. It might have been Woman's Hour? Anyway, here's a discussion of the philosophy on R4's In Our Time (amazing how they do these complex episodes on live radio): www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9fs

We had a very stoical cat named Marcus Clawrelius until April 2020.

That In Our Time discussion is very good on the historical origins and cosmology of Stoicism IIRC. Bridget Kendall also discussed the history of the school and modern application of the philosophy in this episode of The Forum with Massimo Pigliucci, Nancy Sherman and Donald Robertson, three experts on the subject:

Calm in the chaos: The story of the Stoics

We had a very stoical cat named Marcus Clawrelius until April 2020.

Hats off to you. 😄

Here's a photo of Marcus Clawrelius with my DD Ana from almost exactly two years ago: whyevolutionistrue.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/thumbnail_fullsizeoutput_ba3.jpg

Weirdly, Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode we’re discussing Stoics and Stoicism on their film review podcast.
Happened to see this in the active list and I am intrigued. Have ordered Happy and the Stoics Handbook.

Aww, Marcus looks doughty and wise.

Excellent cat-naming! Suits him perfectly.

Such a handsome cat. He looks like he's contemplating what kind of people he will meet today that do not know the difference between good and evil, and how he will respond.

Marking place to read later

I heard about stoicism this year* and was planning to study while on vacation. This thread is going to be very useful

*I heard about it at school but didn't care at the time and completely forgot about it

psyche.co/ideas/sprinkle-a-little-ancient-philosophy-into-your-daily-routines

Short article on Stoicism in daily life.

'To live well, our focus must shift from the external goods we imagine will bring us happiness and on to ourselves: the judgments we make, the way we behave, the things we pursue, and what we value.'

Highly recommend 'Happy' by Derren Brown

Now I keep finding references to Stoicism. Here's a short article on Seneca and fear.

www.themarginalian.org/2016/02/15/seneca-letter-18/

Ooh, Brain Pickings (as was)! I used to love that site.