Stoic Consolations on Attachment and Loss

Thursday, May 18, 4 p.m.
Wyckoff Auditorium

The ancient Stoics force us to rethink our views on attachment and loss since they hold that virtue alone is sufficient for happiness. We may lose our homes and homeland to natural disaster or war, our loved ones to disease and untimely deaths, but for the wise person these amount to a different kind of injury from that of losing or failing to cultivate one’s goodness. This view strikes many of us as inhumane, an expression of the overly austere side of Stoicism. Still, the Stoic view gives us space to wonder if we don’t at times fail to cultivate attitudes that build greater resilience. Nancy Sherman, PhD, Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University, will address whether there are viable ancient Stoic lessons for modern resilience.

Professor Sherman's most recent book is Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons and Modern Resilience (Oxford, 2021). She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. For more information about Professor Sherman, visit her website.