ABSTRACT

When, in 1924, University of Michigan professor of philosophy R. M. Wenley wrote on the modern influence of Stoicism, it did not occur to him to mention any intellectuals from his own country (Wenley 1924). To this day, Stoicism hardly makes an appearance in standard handbooks on American philosophy and culture. 1 And yet, to varying degrees, Stoicism has always been present. Because it is an uneven presence, parts of this survey are necessarily patchwork. But what emerges from this historical investigation is that Stoicism is a recurrent and an occasionally important theme in America.