The Stoics in Action Reading List

This growing reading list collects opinion pieces and scholarly work on the Discipline of Action, its myriad applications, and the creative efforts of modern practitioners to develop new Stoic approaches to life in the 21st century.

Stoic philosophy interacts in rich and complex ways with action, ethics, empathy, politics, and activism.

The philosophy’s focus on our individual deliberations, roles, and benevolent intentions makes it highly relevant to our real social lives.  The demands of Stoic “cosmic citizenship” begin with our closest relationships and extend outward from there into all levels of economic and political life.

Politically, the shared themes of cosmopolitanismnon-retribution, altruism, and social engagement are a mainstay of all Stoic thought.  But because the focus of ancient Stoic literature is more on personal character and action than on ideological systems or statecraft, practicing Stoics can and do hold a variety of political opinions.

With this in mind, we’ve loosely organized these readings—like the rest of this site—around our modified rendition of the Circles of Hierocles, albeit with the recognition that we will find diverse opinions in the Stoic community at every level of this model:

Theory

Philosophy as Social Engagement

Caring about External Things

Balancing Action with Self Cultivation

Stoic Love & Compassion

Stoicism Meets Personal Development

Stoicism Meets Family

Stoicism Meets Career

Stoicism Meets Service

Stoicism Meets Politics

Economics

Refugees, Immigration, and Nationality

Activism

Anger in Activism

Stoicism Meets the Environment and Animal Justice

Stoicism Meets Social Justice and Intersectionality

Racial Justice

Feminism

Sexual Harassment

Gender Identity

Social Insights from Other Schools

Critics of Stoicism: Does it encourage Do-Nothingism?

Replies to Critics