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Stoa Nova: Stoic Comedy, Anyone? w/ Michael Connell
July 9, 2020 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Join Massimo Pigliucci and his guest, Australian comedian Michael Connell, for a conversation about the unlikely use of Stoic philosophy in a comic act. Or, conversely, the use of comedy to explain Stoicism.
Visit the Stoa Nova Meetup for information on how to join.
Michael Connell is a comedian, juggler, corporate speaker and — on his better days — a bit of a thinker. As a comedian, he gets a twisted sense of satisfaction out of making boring topics funny. He’s gotten laughs explaining ancient Greek philosophy, current attitudes towards poverty and affluence, and futuristic cryptocurrency. Watch out for his next show, which mixes jokes about meta-learning and neuroplasticity with circus tricks — you should trust him, it really is funny. You can find more about Michael here: https://michaelconnellcomedian.com.
Massimo Pigliucci is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His books include How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (Basic Books), A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control (The Experiment, with Greg Lopez), How to Live a Good Life (Vintage, co-edited with Skye Cleary and Dan Kaufman), and Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk. His forthcoming book (out September 15th) is A Field Guide to a Happy Life: 53 Brief Lessons for Living. More by Massimo at massimopigliucci.com.
Hosted by philosopher Massimo Pigliucci, Stoa Nova is inspired (with a bit of immodesty) to the ancient Greco-Roman schools of philosophy. Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Epictetus and many others simply gave lectures about their favorite topics and engaged in Socratic discussions with people interested in what they had to say. In our case, we will examine the theory and practice of Stoicism as a modern applied philosophy that aids us in navigating a world in some ways just as confusing and uncertain as that of ancient Athens and Rome. For more on Stoicism, click here (http://tinyurl.com/m7hzr4x)!
