Sam Solowiej | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Sam Solowiej
Title: The Effects of Hellenistic Worldviews on Happiness, Emotion Regulation, and View of Free Will
Majors: Psychology; Philosophy
Advisors: Amber Garcia; Lee McBride

This Independent Study is divided into four chapters. The first chapter, “Epicurus and the Atoms,” explores the roots of Epicureanism in the Hellenistic period. The chapter analyzes both the metaphysical foundations and the implications of the Epicurean position that the ethical theory of Epicurus rests upon. The chapter also focuses on clarifying the ethical doctrine of Epicureanism. I conclude the section by giving my thoughts on key parts of the doctrine.

The second chapter, “From Fiery Foundations; the Stoics,” explores Stoicism in the Hellenistic period. The chapter analyzes both the metaphysical foundations and the implications of the Stoic position. The chapter also focuses on clarifying the ethical doctrine of Stoicism. I conclude the section by giving my thoughts on key parts and implications of the doctrine whilst comparing Stoicism to Epicureanism.

The third chapter is a psychology research article examining how endorsements of Stoicism and Epicureanism predict measures of happiness and well-being. The results indicate that stronger endorsement of Epicureanism was associated with more positive outcomes compared to stronger endorsement of Stoicism. I discuss implications for future psychological research in this area.

The fourth and final chapter is “Contemporary Ideas and Concluding Remarks.” It starts by analyzing one modern Epicurean work and a modern Stoic text. After discussing the works, I contrasted my view of the ancient foundations and discussed how faithful the modern texts are compared to the Hellenistic roots. The end of the chapter focuses on the difficulties and benefits of working across disciplines.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.