Reformed Stoicism

Here is the landing site for my project of reformed Stoicism.

What is it? I lay it all out in my book Manual of Reformed Stoicism. Here is the key quote:

„Why reformed Stoicism? Because it is time, in short, for a new generation of Stoics: new Stoics to cope with new problems and seize new opportunities. Human eyes now look into the new millennium and beyond: into a new world of breathtaking change, unprecedented challenge and unfathomable advancement. For these reasons and according to the founding doctrines of our school, our quest for progress and our pursuit of happiness require us to evolve. Our time, in short, calls for a fresh interpretation of Stoicism.” (page x)

Reformed Stoicism is, simply, the new version of Stoic philosophy — revised and updated to the 21st century.

The book can be purchased here, or here as an e-book. The Introduction which outlines the idea in detail is available online here.

Contact me for an interview, lecture, collaboration or anything else  — mikolaj.piotr@gmail.com !

Media 

Common Sense Ethics interview (April 30, 2020)
Practical Stoic Podcast (April 24, 2020)
Stoic Solutions Podcast (April 16, 2020)
Sunday Stoic Podcast (March 2020)
Hidden Why PodCast (March 30, 2020)

Media (in Polish)

„Czy my się znamy?” podcast, (May 10, 2020)
interview in RDC Radio, part II (March 29, 2020)
interview in RDC Radio, part I (March 22, 2020)
interview in TOK FM Radio  (April 3, 2019)
interview by prof. Wiktor Osiatyński, radio TOK FM (January 5, 2015)

Important links

My Stoic fanpage on Facebook (in Polish) – updated (almost) daily, a goldmine of Stoic advice and doubt

Głos stoika (in Polish) – my Stoic biweekly column in „Przekrój Magazine”; 73 Stoic pieces as of June 2020

And here is the site of my other Stoic book in English, Does Happiness Write Blank Pages? On Stoicism and Artistic Creativity

Me speaking at Stoicon 2018 in London; the talk outlines the ascetic and conservative misintepretations of Stoicism – the two major pifalls for Stoic followers

My piece on the ascetic misinterpretation of Stoicism

Stoicism and Auschwitz – my piece on the contemporary limits of Stoicism

Praises for Manual of Reformed Stoicism:

Stoicism has been surging in popularity, for the simple reason that this ancient Greco-Roman philosophy has helped countless people in times of turmoil, social upheaval, or simply with the standard vicissitudes of human existence. However, a philosophy that was first articulated 24 centuries ago may be in need of some kind of update, to take into consideration modern sensitivities, not to mention advancements in both science and philosophy. Piotr Stankiewicz offers just one such update, what he calls „reformed” Stoicism, a term inspired by the similarly intentioned reformed Christianity and Judaism. It’s a bold attempt, which will no doubt be controversial and inspire rebuttals, improvements, and alternative offerings. Which has been in the spirit of Stoicism from the very beginning. Philosophies are not judged by whether they are „true,” but by whether they are coherent and — especially — useful. Let the discussion begin!

Massimo Pigliucci

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