This pinned thread is a place to introduce yourself and share your interests. Since I’m the creator/moderator for this forum, I’ll get started…

I’ve recently returned to studying philosophy after a break of a couple decades. I’m currently studying Stoicism so I’ll seed this forum with some posts about it. I’m hoping that my studies will help me in a few ways:

• prioritize my values in this hectic world
• give me words to explain my values to others in my life
• find a community that shares my values, and maybe reestablish the foundations of a good society

I’ve been interested in Hellenistic philosophies since my youth, when Epicureanism clicked with me the most. I’m studying Stoicism now since it seems to be fundamentally sensible and has been developed the most – both in antiquity and during the modern revival. I’ve also found a lot of value in ‘existentialism’. Like the existentialists, I have no interest in sectarianism or labeling myself. Notably, while the Stoics and Epicureans seemed to have clear demarcations between their schools/sects, each was willing to openly borrow from the other when they had a useful insight. I also am interested in Buddhism and Taoism, but those philosophies of living do not click so easily with my Anglo mind, and it sometimes seems hard to extract insights from those traditions (especially Buddhism) without full commitment. I also have a book of Peter Singer’s that I’m meaning to read, and have heard good things about the Analects of Confucius.

I’m hoping that this community can focus on practical philosophy, to be applied by amateurs/laymen. While I have enjoyed the more abstract discussions that you may find on philosophy@lemmy.world, I think we have a need to bring philosophy out of the ivory tower and into our lives. Ultimately, I’d like this web-community to support the development of in-person communities, and would also like to discuss ideas on how to make that happen.