Putting Up With It: Year 10 Athenaeum Examines Stoicism
Following on from their examination of Ovid last year, members of the Year 10 Athenaeum returned to a classical theme in a session on Stoicism, led by Miss Cogni. I say, “returned to a classical theme,” but the list of prominent Stoics referred to by Miss Cogni contained Tom Brady, along with Marcus Aurelius and Seneca.
One of the central points of the talk was that Stoicism is not some moribund philosophy consigned to the past but a view of life — and indeed, a way of dealing with life — that has seen a revival of interest in recent times. The students were invited to consider why this might be the case and offered many sensible ideas, including the growing uncertainties in the world and the rise of secularism.
Miss Cogni skilfully explained the nature and origin of Stoic thinking, focusing on the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his work Meditations. What was particularly interesting were his views on what constituted a valuable life, and the fact that this was open to all, as Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher born into slavery, would testify.
There was an engaging discussion about the recent surge in interest in Stoicism and whether it might be linked to the decline in belief in religion in some parts of the world.
As in so many ways, the Ancients have much to teach us. This lesson clearly showed us why that is the case and why Stoicism is much more than just “putting up with it”.
