Gregory Bassham

Former Professor of Philosophy at King's College (Pennsylvania)

Gregory Bassham is a former Professor of Philosophy at King's College (Pennsylvania). A native of Oklahoma, Bassham received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Oklahoma, and his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. Among his twelve books are: Stoicism for Dummies (co-written with Tom Morris, 2024), Environmental Ethics: The Central Issues (2020), The Philosophy Book: 250 Milestones in the History of Philosophy (2016), Critical Thinking (7th ed., 2023, cowritten with William Irwin, James Wallace, and Henry Nardone), The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy (2010), Basketball and Philosophy (co-edited with Jerry Walls, 2007), The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (co-edited with Eric Bronson, 2003), Original Intent and the Constitution: A Philosophical Study (1991), and C. S. Lewis's Christian Apologetics (2015). He lives in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania with his wife Mia.

Philosopher's Notes on Gregory Bassham's Books

Philosopher's Notes

Stoicism for Dummies

by Tom Morris and Gregory Bassham

As you know if you’ve been following along, Tom Morris is one of my ALL-TIME favorite teachers. As I mentioned in the SIX other Notes we’ve created on his great books, Tom has two PhD’s from Yale—one in Philosophy and the other in Religious Studies. He was a beloved philosophy professor at Notre Dame for 15 years. This book is fantastic. It isn’t for “Dummies” though. Tom and his co-author, fellow academic philosopher Gregory Bassham, do a great job of rigorously covering the history and practical application of Stoicism while injecting plenty of humor along the way. It’s arguably THE most thorough overview of Stoicism you’ll find. I highly recommend it if you want a deeper dive. As you’d expect, the book is PACKED with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share a few of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!