The Daily Bulletin Archive

The Philosophy Department is pleased to announce the 2019 lecture in the Mary Lou Littlefield Speaker Series in Philosophy, “Stoicism as a Personal Philosophy of Life,” presented by Massimo Pigliucci, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at the CUNY Graduate Center, on Wednesday, April 10, at 3:00 p.m. in the Alumni Center's Costello Hall.

What exactly is a philosophy of life? Who needs it, and why? Answers to these questions begin with a story that happened 23 centuries ago and resulted in the articulation of one of the most influential philosophies of antiquity: Stoicism. That philosophy is experiencing a comeback in the twenty-first century, for the simple reasons that it resonates with fundamentals of the human condition and that it works in practice. We will see how Stoicism can offer a compass to navigate life, to set priorities for what is important, to become better citizens of the world, and even to prepare ourselves for the most difficult test of our character: our own demise at the end of our life.

The annual Mary Lou Littlefield Speaker Series in Philosophy was established in 2018 by Mrs. Littlefield’s daughter, Adele Littlefield Cloutier, ’81, and granddaughter Emily Elise Cloutier, ’18. Mrs. Littlefield worked at Buffalo State for more than 20 years, serving in various departments on campus, including the Research Foundation and the Peace Corps and Admissions offices, and as an administrative assistant to President D. Bruce Johnstone.