The Stoic Approach to Happiness
Discover who the Stoics were, what they meant by happiness, and how they thought happiness could be achieved.
About the Event
Presented by Basic Program instructors and open to all, these lectures also complement the texts and ideas from our curriculum and always include a Q&A session.
Given how the word "stoic" is used nowadays, it might come as a surprise that the ancient Stoics believed that the goal of human life was to be happy. Their conception of happiness, however, differed significantly from many if not most present-day views on the subject. This lecture will focus on who the Stoics were, what they meant by happiness, and how they thought happiness could be achieved.
Who's Speaking
David Shiner
Basic Program Instructor
David Shiner is Professor Emeritus at Shimer College (now the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College), where he taught for forty years and served several terms as Dean of the College. At Shimer, Professor Shiner taught all sixteen required courses on subjects as distinct as literature, chemistry, psychology, and politics. He has also taught at other colleges as well as at Great Discourses, an online provider of high-quality noncredit courses. He has written on the dialogues of Plato, the philosophy of the French Enlightenment, game theory, economics, and paradox. His non-academic activities include chess, acting, musical performance, and sports. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Pacific Miramar University. He has a special interest in classics, especially classical philosophy.
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