William O. Stephens

Stephens was born in Lafayette, Indiana and grew up in West Lafayette where he attended West Lafayette Senior High School and began his study of ancient civilizations and Latin.[http://williamostephens.com/ "Biography"]. William O. Stephens. He studied Philosophy at the College of Wooster for two years before transferring to Earlham College, where he earned his undergraduate degree. Stephens completed his graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, studying under Charles H. Kahn, Alexander Nehamas, and Martin Ostwald. He received his doctorate in Philosophy in 1990.

In August 1990, he joined the faculty at Creighton University where he received the Omicron Delta Kappa Teaching for Tomorrow award in 2005. During his tenure at Creighton, Stephens published four books and numerous articles on topics including Stoic ethics, Epicureanism, philosophical vegetarianism, personhood, and sex and love.{{cite web|author=Solomon|first=Avi|date=2011-11-04|title=Interview with a Stoic: William O. Stephens|url=http://boingboing.net/2011/11/04/interview-with-a-stoic-william-o-stephens.html|access-date=2014-07-29|website=Boing Boing}} He has also written on being a Stoic and a Chicago Cubs fan, and on the similarities the Jedi philosophy in Star Wars shares with Stoicism.{{cite web|author=Hanselman|first=Stephen|date=2017-07-26|title=Is There a Connection Between the Jedi and the Stoics? Professor William O. Stephens Has the Answer|url=https://dailystoic.com/william-o-stephens/|access-date=2017-11-17|website=Daily Stoic}} He presented on phobias, terrorism, and Stoic fearlessness{{cite web|author=Sadler|first=Gregory|date=2017-10-28|title=Phobias, Terrorism, and Stoic Fearlessness by William O. Stephens|url=http://modernstoicism.com/phobias-terrorism-and-stoic-fearlessness-by-william-o-stephens/|access-date=2017-11-17|website=Modern Stoicism}} at Stoicon in Toronto, Canada, October 14, 2017,{{Cite web|last=|date=2018-11-06|title=Stoicon 2017: William Stephens on Phobias, Terrorism and Stoic Fearlessness|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWrv67ZtReU|website=Modern Stoicism|via=YouTube}} and on a Stoic approach to travel and tourism at Stoicon in London, England, September 29, 2018.{{Cite web|date=2018-11-08|title=Stoicon 2018: William Stephens 'A Stoic Approach to Travel and Tourism'|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-dP71A5pDw|website=Modern Stoicism|via=YouTube}} He is frequently interviewed about topics in Stoicism.

Stephens authored an influential paper examining five arguments for vegetarianism.Sabate, Joan. (2001). Vegetarian Nutrition. CRC Press. p. 478. {{ISBN|0-8493-8508-3}}Gamlund, Espen. "The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism". In Matthias Kaiser, Marianne Elisabeth Lien. (2006). Ethics and the Politics of Food. Wageningen Academic Publishers. pp. 123–127. {{ISBN|978-90-8686-008-1}} These were the arguments from distributive justice, environmental harm, sexual politics, moral consideration for animals, and the prudential argument from health. He concluded that compassion, humility, and integrity make working toward a meatless diet virtuous.Stephens, William O. "Five Arguments for Vegetarianism". In Susan Jean Armstrong, Richard George Botzler. (2003). The Animal Ethics Reader. Routledge. pp. 201–208. {{ISBN|0-415-27588-1}}

Books

• [https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/epictetuss-encheiridion-9781350009516/ Epictetus's Encheiridion: A New Translation and Guide to Stoic Ethics] (with Scott Aikin). London: Bloomsbury, 2023. {{ISBN|978-1-3500-0950-9}}.
• [http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/marcus-aurelius-a-guide-for-the-perplexed-9781441125613/ Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed]. London: Continuum, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-4411-2561-3}}.
• [http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/stoic-ethics-9780826496089 Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom]. London: Continuum, 2007. {{ISBN|0-8264-9608-3}}.
• [http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Person-The-Readings-in-Human-Nature/9780131848115.page The Person: Readings in Human Nature]. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-13-184811-5}}.
• [https://www.peterlang.com/document/1068979/ The Ethics of the Stoic Epictetus, An English Translation, Revised Edition], William O. Stephens, New York: Peter Lang, 2021. {{ISBN|978-1-4331-7616-6}}.

Papers

• [https://www.academia.edu/15773156/Five_Arguments_for_Vegetarianism Five Arguments for Vegetarianism] (Philosophy in the Contemporary World, 1994)
• [https://williamostephens.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/w.-o.-stephens-stoic-naturalism-rationalism-ecology_enviro-ethics-16-fall-1994.pdf Stoic Naturalism, Rationalism, and Ecology] (Environmental Ethics, Fall 1994)
• [https://williamostephens.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/ancient-phil_2014_365-391.pdf Epictetus on Fearing Death: Bugbear and Open Door Policy] (Ancient Philosophy, Fall 2014)
• [https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-94-024-1179-9_635 Fake Meat] (Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics, 2018)
• [https://irispublishers.com/abeb/fulltext/public-health-ethical-vegetarianism-and-the-harms-of-the-animal-food-industry.ID.000529.php Public Health, Ethical Vegetarianism, and the Harms of the Animal Food Industry] (Archives in Biomedical Engineering & Biotechnology, 2019)
• [http://symposion.acadiasi.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022.9.1.6.-Stephens-1.pdf Stoicism and Food Ethics] (Symposion, May 2022)

• List of animal rights advocates

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