Many in the Sydney Philosophy community will know Mary Sutton: her infectious enthusiasm for philosophy has been a very welcome addition to our classes, workshops, and seminar series in recent years. I became curious about her path to Philosophy, after a career in taxation law (!). She generously wrote the following reflection, which I suspect will resonate for many. — Emily Hulme
Until Christmas 2022, I had no idea a small paperback on Stoicism would open the door to a lifelong interest in Greek philosophy. The gift was Brigid Delaney’s book “Reasons Not to Worry – How to Be a Stoic in Chaotic Times”, which I read cover to cover because I was intrigued by her suggestion that the wisest minds in history were grappling with the same questions that trouble us today: how to be good, how to find calm and how to work out what truly matters. The book showed me that Greek philosophers are not distant historical figures but living conversation partners for people trying to make sense of chaotic times.
What struck me most was that the ancient Greeks also lived with war, disease, political turmoil and moral corruption, not unlike our own turbulent world. Thinkers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle did not simply offer answers; they modelled a way of life built around curiosity, dialogue and reflection. I was especially drawn to the Greek Stoic Epictetus, a former slave who became a leading teacher in the Roman Empire, whose “Enchiridion and Discourses” (recorded by his student Arrian) presents Greek Stoic ethics as a practical discipline of focusing on what is in our control, examining our impressions and treating the state of our character as more important than fortune or external success.
Wanting to go further, I enrolled in the University of Sydney’s Liberal Arts and Science degree with a major in Philosophy, hoping to study Greek thought more seriously. In my first year, Dr Kirk Dodd introduced me to Aristotle as a powerful resource for thinking critically, examining my assumptions and learning to write more persuasively. My interest deepened through the Greek Philosophy Reading Group run by Dr Emily Hulme and Dr David Bronstein, where this year we read Aristotle’s “Politics”. The Greek Philosophy Reading Group involved the close study and profound discussion of this primary text in English translation and explored what a good life in a good community might look like. I found the Greek Society Reading Group was a unique opportunity for me to deeply enrich my own learning within a warm and friendly group of world class scholars and enthusiastic classmates.
What I love most about Greek philosophy is that it treats wisdom not as a destination but as a journey shared with others: from Andrew, who gave me the book, to Brigid Delaney, who made Greek philosophy accessible, to teachers like Kirk, Emily and David and classmates who continue to shape how I think about living well – all guides who have led me to join the Sydney Greek Philosophy Society and to invite others to join this journey too.
Sydney Greek Philosophy Society 