Hello! We are the Aurelius Society of Cambridge University. We want to share the awesomeness that is Stoicism - a modern, practical life philosophy with roots dating back to Ancient Greece.

What does the society do?

We set up events, such as discussion groups, talks and socials on Stoicism, focusing on topics relevant to young people. We do this as an autonomous chapter of the Aurelius Foundation. We also collaborate with greater good societies where possible. You can find out more in this podcast documentary.

How can I sign up? How do I get involved?

That's absolutely great you want to get involved. Simply subscribe to the mailing list here: https://lists.srcf.net/mailman/listinfo/aurelius-soc-members. If you'd like to get in touch with the Committee, email us at aurelius-soc-committee@srcf.net

What is Stoicism?

Here is the shortest and best intro I know of. Also check out the TED-Ed video on it, and a more in-depth introduction in a TED-x talk by Massimo Pigliucci.

Stocism has always been around as an inspiration for some of history's most notable figures, and it has been experiencing a noted resurgence since around 2012 thanks to the efforts of Modern Stoicism. It is particularly relevant for the challenging times we live in as a global society, having to handle the finanical crash, climate change and the recent Covid-19 pandemic. It is also particularly relevant to potentially high stress situations such as studying at Cambridge.

Most of ancient Stoicism survives to us from the letters and essays of Seneca, journal (Meditations) of Marcus Aurelius (after whom this society is named) and lecture notes of the dry-witted Epictetus. However, these days Stoicism has been modernised and popularised by a number of writers, such as Ryan Holiday, Massimo Pigliucci, John Sellars and Donald Robertson, to name but a few.

Who is it for?

We believe everyone can benefit from Stoicism. We encourage everyone, from the sceptical and curious, to the aspirant sages, to come along to our events, though we will prioritise topics relevant to young adults. As a society, we wish to promote the Stoic pursuit of arete, by developing reason, prosociality and the cardinal virtues of practical wisdom, moderation, courage and justice. We wish to create a community of resilient, compassionate and altruistic people. We want this community to promote and develop, the principles and practices of Stoic philosophy and demonstrate by example, the application of Stoic philosophy to real-world, greater good issues. This is a living philosophy, and in that spirit, we encourage open dialogue and debate on historic and modern Stoic texts and ideas.