SLIPPERY ROCK — In this fast-paced world careening between presidential elections, violence at home and abroad and economic shocks, the best remedy might be found in a 2,000-year-old philosophy.

Slippery Rock University philosophy instructor Andrew Winters hopes to prove the ancient Stoics still have a lot to teach their distant descendants

As part of “Live Like a Stoic Week” running Oct. 17 through 21, Winters will be giving a talk every morning from 6:30 to 7:30 at the Old Stone House, 2865 William Flynn Highway, Brady Township.

It's part of the Humanities Month event lineup organized by the Stone House Center for Public Humanities, which is housed at SRU.

“A small group of students and members of the public are invited to attend as well. These are small meditation groups using texts in helping us understand contemporary times through Greek and Roman stoicism. Stoicism can help us understand love and our relationships,” said Winters.

Winters said the early hour was picked because “I presume most people don't have things scheduled at 6:30 in the morning.

“And Stoics have a view from above meditation where you view your life from the vantage point of a star to see if life is going the way you wanted it to.”

“We kind of have that perspective in mind and to carry forth the metaphor, we're doing it when the stars are still out.”

He has been studying stoicism for five years. He said he had a good turnout last year for the meditations: eight students and four faculty members.”

He added anyone wishing to participate in the meditations this year contact him at his e-mail address, andrew.winters@sru.edu, so he can send perspective participants materials, including selections of stoic texts and examples of morning, afternoon and evening reflections.

The Stoics taught destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment and believed it is virtuous to maintain a will that is in accord with nature.

Winters said, “The important thing to note is that Stoics are portrayed as individuals who want to remove all emotions. That's not true. The purpose of this is to help people see that Stoicism is developing psychological techniques to cope with obstacles and to ensure the person continues to flourish.”

“Stoicism is a school of philosophy that came about as one of the four original schools of philosophy in about 300 B.C.,” Winters said.

Stoic philosophy was first taught by Zeno of Citium, said Winters. “Stoicism means porch, and Zeno would teach from a porch.”

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was thought to be a Stoic, as was Seneca, the adviser to the Emperor Nero.

Winters said Stoicism “teaches you to recognize what is in your control and what is not, to recognize most of our negative emotions are a result of our own perceptions and not how things are.”

“I think it's had a revival in the past 15 years. I think that people realize that their beliefs of what makes a life go well are mistaken,” Winters said. “Suicide rates are up, drug rates are up, antidepressant sales go up, divorces go up. This is an indication that our beliefs about happiness are being misplaced.”

The Stoics would certainly be able to provide advice during this presidential election year, he said.

“The Stoics were very much interested in contributing to the well-being of their city states and were very involved in politics. They thought they had a responsibility to the rest of humanity,” Winters said.

“They would not be disengaged at all. The Cynics would be the ones not involved, the predecessors to the Stoics,” Winters said.

If anyone would like more exposure to the Stoic philosophy, Winters recommends further reading of Marcus Aurelius' “Meditations,” Seneca's “Letters” and William Irvine's “A Guide to the Good Life.”

He recommends spending 20 minutes a day meditating on Stoic principles.

If the Stoics aren't to everyone's liking, they might find a more palatable philosophy at the Socrates Café Oct. 24 at Sweet Jeanie's Ice Cream Shop, 241 S. Broad St., Grove City.

Professor Tom Sparrow of the Slippery Rock University Philosophy Department, said, “The Socrates Café is meant to provide a public forum for philosophical discussion of issues like 'What is happiness?' 'What is knowledge?' 'How should one live their life?' and 'What gives meaning to human existence?'”

The cafe is led by SRU students who are part of the SRU philosophy club, said Sparrow, and is open to anyone who is interested.

Sparrow said, “Part of the mission of the Center for Public Humanities is to engage the public with questions and issues that are important to us as human beings striving and struggling to make sense of the world and to get along with the other humans that share the world with us.”

He said, “With any luck, the CPH and its events will help acquaint the public with what the humanities is all about and how they go about investigating the world.”

“And, importantly, the purpose is not to stage public academic performances, but rather to invite the public to participate in the kind of investigation typically reserved for academic study,” he said.

The philosophy club itself is made up of SRU students, most of whom are either majors or minors in philosophy.

<b>Community Archaeology Day</b>WHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. SundayWHERE: Old Stone House, 2865 William Flynn Highway, Brady TownshipINFO: Sponsored by the Slippery Rock University Archaeology Club, the free event will include artifact identification. For more information, call Aksel Casson, at 724-738-4632.Live Like a Stoic WeekWHEN: 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17 through Oct. 21WHERE: Old Stone House, 2865 William Flynn Highway, Brady TownshipINFO: Sponsored by the Slippery Rock University Philosophy Department, includes the discussion “Living Like a Stoic in the Modern World” at 7 p.m. Oct. 20