What does it mean to be a good person? Is there a point to our existence, or are we accidents in the multiverse? Is there such a thing as free will? These are questions we still ask ourselves, and in the Hellenistic Era (323-30 B.C.) they were hotly debated among Greek philosophers. Two rival schools—the Stoics and the Epicureans—proposed two dramatically different worldviews that remain locked in competition for dominance today. Stoicism has attracted a huge following among modern readers, as it did among the ancient Romans, for its practical life advice. But Epicureanism might still be, to the dismay of John Adams and the delight of Thomas Jefferson, the default philosophy of 21st-century America.
Classicist Spencer Klavan has edited two collections of Stoic and Epicurean writings. He is joined by Emory professor emeritus and First Things Senior Editor Mark Bauerlein to discuss the opposing philosophies of the Stoics and the Epicureans—which one governs our lives today, and which one should.
Spencer Klavan comes to New College as a lecturer in the Classics and Languages programs. An accomplished scholar, writer and podcaster, he is the host of the Young Heretics podcast and associate editor of the Claremont Review of Books, where he has written for many outlets, including The Federalist, The Daily Wire, Newsweek, The Atlantic, City Journal, and The American Mind. He is the author of two acclaimed books: Light of the Mind, Light of the World and How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises and the editor of Gateway to the Stoics. He has held lecturer and research stints at Oxford University. Klavan earned his Ph.D. and master’s from Oxford University.
Mark Bauerlein is Professor Emeritus of English at Emory University and an editor at First Things magazine. In 2003–‘05, he served as the Director, Office of Research and Analysis, at the National Endowment for the Arts. He is the author or editor of 11 books, including Negrophobia: A Race Riot in Atlanta, 1906 (2001) and The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (2008). His essays have appeared in Yale Review, Partisan Review, Wilson Quarterly, P.m.LA, and Philosophy and Literature. Apart from his scholarly work, Dr. Bauerlein publishes in popular periodicals such as New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, TLS, and Chronicle of Higher Education. He has been interviewed by media outlets more than 500 times, including spots on CNN, Fox News, NPR, BBC World Today, CBS News, Nightline, PBS Frontline, and 20/20. Bauerlein earned his doctorate in English from UCLA.
What does it mean to be a good person? Is there a point to our existence, or are we accidents in the multiverse? Is there such a thing as free will? These are questions we still ask ourselves, and in the Hellenistic Era (323-30 B.C.) they were hotly debated among Greek philosophers. Two rival schools—the Stoics and the Epicureans—proposed two dramatically different worldviews that remain locked in competition for dominance today. Stoicism has attracted a huge following among modern readers, as it did among the ancient Romans, for its practical life advice. But Epicureanism might still be, to the dismay of John Adams and the delight of Thomas Jefferson, the default philosophy of 21st-century America.
Classicist Spencer Klavan has edited two collections of Stoic and Epicurean writings. He is joined by Emory professor emeritus and First Things Senior Editor Mark Bauerlein to discuss the opposing philosophies of the Stoics and the Epicureans—which one governs our lives today, and which one should.
