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Stoicism

Invitation: Plato’s Academy Centre Virtual Conference

Tickets are now available for our virtual conference on philosophy, 21st May.

Hi everyone,

I’m delighted to announce that the Plato’s Academy Centre will be holding its inaugural conference online on 21st May, to commemorate the birthday of Plato. We have an amazing program of speakers for you, including leading experts on Greek philosophy, including Plato, Aristotle, Epicureanism, and Stoicism. Everyone is welcome to join us. If you’re interested in how ancient philosophy can help us today, this is the event for you!

Book now as a limited number of tickets are available! As this is a nonprofit organization, payment is by donation, an amount of your choosing (or free if you prefer not to donate at all — just get in touch). All proceeds go to promoting the Plato’s Academy Centre’s goals of bringing Greek philosophy to a wider international audience.

Get your Tickets

Go to our EventBrite listing for the full program of speakers and other essential details.

Look forward to seeing you there,

Donald Robertson
President of the Plato’s Academy Centre

Categories
Stoicism

I don’t understand.

I don’t understand. I’ve never said anything about anyone “having the capability to be a Nazi because we are human” — are you sure you’re referring to this article?

Categories
Events Philosophy

Announcing: Plato’s Academy Centre Virtual Conference

Ancient Philosophy Comes Alive

Virtual Conference on Greek Philosophy and the Good Life

If you’re interested in how Greek philosophy can help us live better lives today, this is the online event for you!

Tickets now available on EventBrite. Payment is by donation, an amount of your choosing, and all proceeds go toward the Plato’s Academy Centre nonprofit. Not available or in a different time zone? Don’t worry as recordings will be available afterwards to everyone booking tickets in advance.

What’s it all about?

We bring together a special program of world-class philosophers and renowned authors for an exclusive online event that you absolutely won’t want to miss.

Each speaker will share with you their knowledge and captivating insights into the most famous ancient philosophers, including effective and practical advice and strategies to help understand and manage the challenges of our uncertain and complex daily lives.

Speakers

  • Prof. Angie Hobbs, University of Sheffield; author of Plato’s Republic: A Ladybird Expert Book
  • Prof. Voula Tsouna, University of California, Santa Barbara; author of Plato’s Charmides: An Interpretative Commentary
  • Prof. Nancy Sherman, University of Georgetown; author of Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience
  • Prof. Chloe Balla, University of Crete; author of Platonic Persuasion: From the Art of the Orator to the Art of the Statesman
  • Dr John Sellars, Royal Holloway, University of London; author of Hellenistic Philosophy and The Pocket Epicurean
  • Robin Waterfield, classicist and translator of Plato and Xenophon
  • Donald Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

NB: Presentation titles will be added shortly. Details may be subject to change without prior notification.

Who will be hosting?

Our hosts will be Donald Robertson, the president of the Plato’s Academy Centre, and Anya Leonard, the founder and director of the Classical Wisdom website.

About Plato’s Academy Centre

The Plato’s Academy Centre is a new nonprofit, based in Greece, run by a multidisciplinary team of volunteers from around the world. Our mission is to make ancient Greek philosophy more accessible to a wider international audience and to celebrate the legacy of Plato’s Academy in Athens. Everyone is welcome to join us.

FAQ

  1. Will recordings be available? Yes, everyone who orders a ticket in advance will automatically have access after the event to recordings of all presentations. So don’t worry if you’re unavailable at these times or located in another time zone.
  2. Will it be too academic for me? While many of our speakers are notable academics, the sessions are aimed at a nonacademic audience.
  3. How much does it cost? We’re making this event payment by donation, amount of your choosing, so it’s available to the widest possible audience. As a rough guide, tickets for a physical conference like this might cost €150. Your generosity helps support our nonprofit’s work and allows us to reach more people through future events.
  4. Why this date? 21st May is the approximate date of the Platoneia, on which Plato’s birthday is traditionally celebrated. The event begins at 12pm EST.
  5. Where can I get updates? Follow our Facebook Event page and our Twitter account for updates on this event.

Thanks

We’re grateful to our board of advisors, Orange Grove incubator, Classical Wisdom, and the Aurelius Foundation, for their support in bringing you this event. Special thanks to Phil Yanov, Gabriel Fleming, and Kasey Robertson for their help organizing the event.

Categories
Stoicism

Sure but your point basically seems to be that he denies supporting the alt-right whereas my point…

Sure but your point basically seems to be that he denies supporting the alt-right whereas my point, I think, already moves the debate beyond that. He’s being insincere, or at least inconsistent, when he denies supporting them. He poses with them, repeats their talking points, supports their leaders, and has received very large sums of money from his supporters in the alt-right. When you say the “far left” have misrepresented Peterson, that seems like an ad hominem fallacy. I”m definitely not far left myself, and neither are most of the people who I’ve seen pointing out Peterson’s links to alt-right extremism, which are surely right there in plain view for everyone to see.

Categories
Stoicism

This is addressed in the article, where I included a photo of him posing, for instance, with…

This is addressed in the article, where I included a photo of him posing, for instance, with alt-right activists. He stated on Twitter that he was receiving funding from the alt-right outlet Rebel Media. (Looks like that ran to six figures.) That’s the opposite of distancing yourself from them, surely. You can also find many other examples of his association with the alt-right and failure to disavow them but the fact he’s already publicly stated that he was receiving money from them is a pretty good place to start.

Categories
Stoicism

Video: Talking about Stoicism

Categories
Socrates Stoicism

Interview with Ward Farnsworth

Thought you might be interested in today’s latest article from The Plato’s Academy Centre, this new interview with Ward Farnsworth, author of The Practising Stoic and The Socratic Method.

…the Socratic style of thought is what our culture needs right now. It’s an antidote to social media and to the toxic state of our politics.

Ward Farnsworth

Ward talks in this interview about his love of the Socratic Method and the influence of Socrates on the Stoics. Read the Interview

You’ll find dozens of articles about philosophy and its modern applications now on our new website, which launched officially at the start of the year. If you’re interested, you can also find details of how to support us in our project to bring philosophy back to the grounds of the Plato’s Academy in Athens.

Finally, stay tuned for details, including program of speakers, coming very soon for our inaugural virtual conference in May this year!

Regards,

Donald Robertson

Categories
Books Comics Marcus Aurelius Stoicism

Get Verissimus for 25% off at Barnes and Noble

Good news! We’re delighted to announce that from Wednesday 26th until Friday 28th January, for three days, you can get 25% off when pre-ordering either the ebook or hardback edition of our new graphic novel from Barnes and Noble, in the US. NB: Make sure you enter the special offer code PREORDER25 when ordering to claim your discount!

Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius is a philosophical epic, 2-3 years in the making, a 250pp. full-colour publication with stunning artwork from our award-winning illustrator Zé Nuno Fraga. It’s like Gladiator meets The Meditations: and combines a lot of carefully researched historical action, from the life of Marcus Aurelius, with philosophical insights from Stoicism. Go to Barnes and Noble now, and claim your discount using the code above.

We hope you enjoy the book and look forward to hearing your comments.

Regards,

Donald Robertson Signature

Donald Robertson

Categories
Stoicism

Stoicism at the Academy

People keep asking me about the relationship between Stoicism and the ancient Athenian Academy, where we’re working to create a new event space celebrating Greek philosophy and literature. I just wrote a new article, which includes links to some of our friends, experts on Stoicism, who have written for the Plato’s Academy Centre website recently.

Stoicism at the Academy

The Academy’s name is synonymous with the philosophy of Plato but it also plays a part in the history of Stoic philosophy.

Zeno of Citium studied at the Platonic Academy for many years before founding his own Stoic school, located in the Agora of Athens, and toward the end of his life a monument was erected in the grounds of the Academy, commemorating Zeno’s exemplary virtue and temperance, and honouring his contributions to philosophy.

Categories
Stoicism

Thanks for the review!

Thanks for the review!