Stoic Philosophy and Social Theory

Mutually exclusive disciplines for some and fully complementary for others, philosophy and sociology maintain a contrasting dialogue. In Stoic Philosophy and Social Theory (2020), Will Johncock defends the interest of bringing the two subjects closer together. However, it is not ‘philosophy’ in general that he confronts with modern sociological authors and concepts, but a system of practical philosophy that is thousands of years old: Stoicism.

Will Johncock is a sociologist and philosopher specialising in time. He is the author of Naturally Late: Synchronization in Socially Constructed Times (2019). His book Stoic Philosophy and Social Theory, published in 2020, explores the boundary between the Stoic self, which is by nature universal and fundamental, and the sociological self, which results from our interactions with the social world, and therefore is a socially constructed self.

“Through integrating social and sociological theory into discussions with Stoic impressions of subjectivity and sociality, I instead want to consider how separated our individuality actually ever is from our social environment for the Stoics. The modern social and sociological theories incorporated into this work provide an ideal counterpoint to Stoic notions of what is internal and external to the self” (p.2)