John Sellars
I am a Reader in Philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London. I am also a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Philosophy, King's College London, where I am affiliated to the Ancient Commentators on Aristotle project. I am also a Member of Common Room at Wolfson College, Oxford (since 2007), where I held a Junior Research Fellowship (2004-7).
My research interests are focused on Hellenistic and Roman philosophy, and - increasingly - Renaissance philosophy. In particular I have worked on Stoicism and its reception.
My research interests are focused on Hellenistic and Roman philosophy, and - increasingly - Renaissance philosophy. In particular I have worked on Stoicism and its reception.
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It is a commonplace to say that in antiquity philosophy was conceived as a way of life or an art of living but precisely what such claims amount to has remained unclear. If ancient philosophers did think that philosophy should transform an individual's way of life, then what conception of philosophy stands behind this claim? In The Art of Living John Sellars explores this question via a detailed account of ancient Stoic ideas about the nature and function of philosophy. He considers the Socratic background to Stoic thinking about philosophy, Sceptical objections raised by Sextus Empiricus, and offers readings of late Stoic texts by Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Sellars argues that the conception of philosophy as an 'art of living', inaugurated by Socrates and developed by the Stoics, has persisted since antiquity and remains a living alternative to modern attempts to assimilate philosophy to the natural sciences. It also enables us to rethink the relationship between an individual's philosophy and their biography.
[Further information at http://www.johnsellars.org.uk/art-of-living.html]"
This book offers a general introduction to Stoicism, the first for over 30 years (since Sandbach's The Stoics from 1975, or Long's Hellenistic Philosophy from 1974). It outlines the central philosophical ideas of Stoicism and introduces the reader to the different ancient authors and sources that they will encounter when exploring Stoicism. The range of sources that are drawn upon in the reconstruction of Stoic philosophy can be bewildering for the beginner. The book guides the reader through the surviving works of the late Stoic authors, such as Seneca and Epictetus, and the fragments relating to the early Stoics found in authors such as Plutarch and Stobaeus. The opening chapter offers an introduction to the ancient Stoics, their works, and other ancient authors who report material about ancient Stoic philosophy. The second chapter considers how the Stoics themselves conceived philosophy and how they structured their own philosophical system. Chapters Three to Five offer accounts of Stoic philosophical doctrines arranged according to the Stoic division of philosophical discourse into three parts: logic, physics, and ethics. The final chapter considers the later impact of Stoicism on Western philosophy, from late antiquity to the present.
Selected Reviews:
'It's easy to recommend this book as the best introduction to the subject' (The Philosophers' Magazine 37);
'Sellars's book highlights important issues. He has provided an excellent introduction to Stoicism for all who want to know more about it, and that is a considerable achievement' (Philosophical Books 48/2)
'This is an outstanding, and long-desired, introduction to the Stoics ... Sellars has risen splendidly to the challenge of providing a new generation of students with an introduction to Stoicism. I recommend the book without hesitation. It is clearly written, well organized, and beautifully produced' (The Heythrop Journal 49/3)
It is a commonplace to say that in antiquity philosophy was conceived as a way of life or an art of living but precisely what such claims amount to has remained unclear. If ancient philosophers did think that philosophy should transform an individual's way of life, then what conception of philosophy stands behind this claim? In The Art of Living John Sellars explores this question via a detailed account of ancient Stoic ideas about the nature and function of philosophy. He considers the Socratic background to Stoic thinking about philosophy, Sceptical objections raised by Sextus Empiricus, and offers readings of late Stoic texts by Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Sellars argues that the conception of philosophy as an 'art of living', inaugurated by Socrates and developed by the Stoics, has persisted since antiquity and remains a living alternative to modern attempts to assimilate philosophy to the natural sciences. It also enables us to rethink the relationship between an individual's philosophy and their biography.
[Further information at http://www.johnsellars.org.uk/art-of-living.html]"
This book offers a general introduction to Stoicism, the first for over 30 years (since Sandbach's The Stoics from 1975, or Long's Hellenistic Philosophy from 1974). It outlines the central philosophical ideas of Stoicism and introduces the reader to the different ancient authors and sources that they will encounter when exploring Stoicism. The range of sources that are drawn upon in the reconstruction of Stoic philosophy can be bewildering for the beginner. The book guides the reader through the surviving works of the late Stoic authors, such as Seneca and Epictetus, and the fragments relating to the early Stoics found in authors such as Plutarch and Stobaeus. The opening chapter offers an introduction to the ancient Stoics, their works, and other ancient authors who report material about ancient Stoic philosophy. The second chapter considers how the Stoics themselves conceived philosophy and how they structured their own philosophical system. Chapters Three to Five offer accounts of Stoic philosophical doctrines arranged according to the Stoic division of philosophical discourse into three parts: logic, physics, and ethics. The final chapter considers the later impact of Stoicism on Western philosophy, from late antiquity to the present.
Selected Reviews:
'It's easy to recommend this book as the best introduction to the subject' (The Philosophers' Magazine 37);
'Sellars's book highlights important issues. He has provided an excellent introduction to Stoicism for all who want to know more about it, and that is a considerable achievement' (Philosophical Books 48/2)
'This is an outstanding, and long-desired, introduction to the Stoics ... Sellars has risen splendidly to the challenge of providing a new generation of students with an introduction to Stoicism. I recommend the book without hesitation. It is clearly written, well organized, and beautifully produced' (The Heythrop Journal 49/3)
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John Sellars is a Lecturer in Philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a member of Wolfson College, Oxford. He is the author of The Art of Living: The Stoics and on the Nature and Function of Philosophy (2003; 2nd edn 2009), Stoicism (2006), and Hellenistic Philosophy (2018), and he is the editor of Routledge Handbook of the Stoic Tradition (2016). He is one of the founding members of 'Modern Stoicism', the group behind Stoic Week and Stoicon. We present a Short interview with John Sellars about Roman Stoicism and Seneca in this paper.