May Lecture Invitations & Why Stoics Need God
Stoicism is not as secular as you might think
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People think of stoicism as a secular philosophy that can improve our lives without the baggage of organized religion. But the legendary stoic scholar Tad Brennan argues otherwise: Stoicism fundamentally does not work without a belief in Zeus.
In this interview, we explore three different formulations of the stoic way of life:
To Act virtuously
To Select things well
To Live in accordance with nature
…and find that these seemingly simple prescriptions are grounded on a whole host of theological views. You can’t be a stoic without believing in Zeus. Stoic ethics just does not work without stoic religion.
Topics we cover:
05:02 Why Stoics Reject Everything But Virtue
07:23 Why Stoicism Doesn't Work Without Zeus
11:11 Is Virtue Always In Our Control?
27:49 Why The Stoics Believed in a Personal Deity
32:21 How the Stoics Viewed Nature
37:03 The Three Formulations of Stoic Ethics
40:02 Why The Stoics Don't Imitate Role Models
43:02 The Political Philosophy of Stoicism
48:10 Don't Let Your Children Be Stoics
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