Primary-source grounded.
At the College of Stoic Philosophers, we preserve and teach Stoic philosophy by close study of ancient texts, read carefully and in context, alongside authoritative modern commentary and other relevant scholarship.
Informed by scholarship.
We engage modern research and later interpretations, with a focus on scholars specialized in ancient philosophy, while remaining open to contributions from the broader academy.
Logic, Physics, and Ethics are integral.
We present Stoicism as the ancients did: as a unified framework in which Ethics, Physics, and Logic are integrally and intrinsically linked.
Stoicism as a coherent system.
What distinguishes the College from much of the modern “Stoic revival” is our commitment to Stoicism as a holistic philosophy. While we recognize that selective approaches focused on wellness practices or “life hacks” can benefit some people, we consider the systematic approach far more grounded and transformative for those willing to take it up.
Metaphysical assent is not a requirement.
One need not accept Stoic physics—or a providentially ordered universe—as literally true in order to practice Stoicism as a philosophy of life. We teach Stoic physics because it is structurally integral to the philosophical system, not as a condition of membership or moral standing.
Mentorship committed.
All of our courses utilize a one-on-one mentorship model. All faculty members have completed our curriculum.
Contemporary in application.
We bring Stoicism into present life without detaching it from its original aims: the pursuit of truth, improvement of reasoning, rational agency, and ethical formation.
Intellectually hospitable.
Like the ancient Stoa, we are a community of learning and practice. Similarly, we tend to agree on our fundamental philosophical orientation, but openly debate specifics.
No political alignment; no litmus tests.
The College is not politically aligned and imposes no required beliefs on students or graduates.
Non-discrimination.
The College welcomes students without regard to gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or nationality.