PWL International Seminar #5

PWL INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR #5

“Four Unique Features of Stoicism: How They Enable and Hinder PWL”

JENNIFER BAKER

ONLINE | September 24 | 8 PM (CET)

Abstract

In this talk, I present four distinctive features of Stoicism and consider how each can either enable or complicate living one’s life philosophically (PWL) in the way Pierre Hadot describes. Many familiar Stoic recommendations were endorsed by Hadot, including philosophical exercises, the development of virtue, a critical approach to our own beliefs and judgments, and the cultivation of a cosmic perspective. But Stoicism’s use of traditional social norms in practical reasoning, its resulting account of justice, and, more generally, its category of moral indifferents still need to be situated within a PWL context.

Bio

Dr. Jennifer Baker is Professor of Philosophy at the College of Charleston. She earned her B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from Brown University and her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Arizona, where she studied with Julia Annas. Her research focuses on virtue ethics, with particular attention to ancient ethical theories and their application to contemporary moral life. She has written extensively on Stoicism, virtue, practical ethics, and the relationship between philosophical theory and lived practice. Baker teaches courses in ethical and political theory, environmental ethics, business ethics, bioethics, American philosophy, and ancient philosophy. Her work on Stoicism explores the ways ancient philosophical practices can inform contemporary approaches to ethical development, character, grief, technology, and everyday life. She also writes on virtue and economics, co-editing Economics and the Virtues: Building a New Moral Foundation. Beyond her academic research and teaching, Baker has been involved in public philosophy and community dialogue. She has served for many years on the Ethics Committee at the Medical University of South Carolina and has participated in philosophical dialogue initiatives connecting academic philosophy with local communities on the issues of gun violence and criminal justice.

Attendance is free but restricted to the members of the ISPWL. If you wish to become a member, please fill in this form.