Seminar in Ethical Values (YR)

Is there a single belief system that offers the best prospect for contentment in our busy, modern world? This seminar will explore one candidate: Stoicism—its ancient teachings and its ongoing relevance to our lives today. When you hear the term “stoic,” you may imagine a character like Star Trek’s Spock—someone (usually a guy) facing life in a purely logical, emotionless manner. Or maybe you think of one of the many recent self-help books pitching Stoicism as the secret to success. In reality, there’s far more to this 2300-year-old philosophy than pop culture tropes or motivational mantras. Indeed, Stoic thought touches on everything from the mundane (“How can I deal with difficult people?”) to the existential (“What is a meaningful life?” “How should I think about death?”). In this seminar, we’ll explore these issues—and many more. We’ll discuss what lessons Stoicism might offer for us (as people and as lawyers) today. We’ll explore how Stoicism’s principles relate to those of other religions and philosophies. We’ll also critique Stoicism: Does it exacerbate gender stereotypes? Is it too negative? Does it reflect today’s social values? We’ll hold our seminar discussions over meals throughout the fall and spring. To inform our discussions, we’ll read a wide range of (short) sources, both ancient and modern—from Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius to blog posts and Reddit threads. We’ll also explore modern works of popular culture that contain (or at least purport to contain) Stoic themes. This seminar is designed to be approachable, non-technical, and welcoming to all. It requires no background in philosophy or familiarity with Stoicism.