STOICON ’16: Jules Evans

Let’s resume our limited series of posts leading up to the STOICON 2016 conference, scheduled in New York City for 15 October. (More info? Here. Tickets? Here. Looking for cheap accommodation with a fellow Stoic? Here.) The idea is to briefly feature each of the scheduled speakers for our talks and workshops so that people can better appreciate some of the leading figures behind the Modern Stoicism movement (is that what it is?), as well as give their reasoned assent to the impression that this is a conference well worth attending…

It’s the turn of author Jules Evans, host of the last two STOICON events in London.

Jules is interested in therapeutic practices from ancient philosophies and wisdom traditions, how individuals and organisations use them today, and how they inform public policy ideas about well-being, ethical resilience, flourishing and transcendence.

His first book, Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, explored how people are rediscovering ancient Greek and Roman philosophies and how Greek philosophy (particularly Stoicism) inspired Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It’s since been published in 19 countries and was a Times book of the year.

Jules’ research on well-being, resilience and practical philosophy has been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. He is also involved in the Modern Stoicism and Stoic Week projects, which have received press coverage everywhere from Newsweek to the New York Times, and have helped to instigate the revival of Stoic philosophy in modern culture.

Jules is currently researching the history, philosophy and psychology of ecstasy and ecstatic experiences in modern culture. This includes looking at the role of ecstasy and altered states in modern popular religion, in politics, and also in the arts, particularly music and cinema. He is interested in the role of non-rational or altered states of consciousness in emotional and physical healing.

At STOICON ’16 Jules will talk about his work teaching Stoicism in companies, prisons, mental health charities and sports teams — including his work with Saracens, the European champions of rugby. Imagine if Greco-Roman philosophy was as widely known and practiced as Buddhism and Yoga…