A wide-ranging philosophical and practical guide that teaches how to incorporate the wisdom of many ancient philosophers and build upon a Stoic way of life
For centuries, people have been grappling with life’s biggest questions: Who am I? What’s my purpose? How can I be happy? In modern times, many have found meaningful answers in Stoic philosophy. But there are other Greek and Roman philosophers who offer invaluable insights for modern life.
Each chapter introduces a new tool for our tool kit by combining a biographical sketch of a particular philosopher, an exploration of the larger philosophy, and applicable lessons and to tackle common challenges found in our everyday life. We learn how to avoid pain with Epicurus, how to strike the right balance between extremes with Aristotle, how to rebel like the Cynic Hipparchia, and how to embrace uncertainty with the help of Cicero. Organized around three main themes of pleasure, virtue, and doubt, this book offers something to learn from each master in our philosophical quest.
Even though these ideas were first presented thousands of years ago, they’re more relevant than ever today. We still want the same things: love, friendship, money, reputation; and still fear the same threats: poverty, sickness, pain, and death. These Hellenistic philosophers devised powerful wisdom on how to live—now, we can use it to make our lives better.
Table of Content
Chapter 1 (Prologue): A general introduction to the very idea of a philosophy of life; an explanation of why the focus on the Greco and Roman tradition; and a three-pronged approach to living a good life. The prongs are: pleasure, character, and doubt. They represent three fundamental areas explored by Greco and Roman life philosophies and provide the general framework for the book’s exploration of these philosophies.
Chapter 2: Aristippus and pleasure.
Chapter 3: Epicurus and the avoidance of pain.
Chapter 4: Socrates on knowing yourself.
Chapter 5: Plato and the just society.
Chapter 6: Aristotle on striking the right balance.
Chapter 7: Epictetus and what is truly up to us.
Chapter 8: Hipparchia and the courage of rebellion.
Chapter 9: Cicero and uncertainty.
Chapter 10: Pyrrho and suspending judgment.
Chapter 11 (Epilogue): How to generate one’s own manual for a good life. This will be an interactive section where readers will review their experience with each philosophy they have sampled in the book and select what approaches they found most useful. Based on the results of a self-assessment exercise, they will then be guided through constructing their own practical philosophy and given suggestions for further readings to explore how to live a fulfilling philosophical life.
About the author
Massimo Pigliucci is the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. He has written for publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Philosophy Now, and The Philosophers’ Magazine, among others. Pigliucci is the author or editor of sixteen books, including the bestselling How to Be a Stoic and most recently The Quest for Character. He is the coauthor with Gregory Lopez of A Handbook for New Stoics.More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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