Its a good book and one i frequently recommend to people who are new to the subject and interested in learning about stoicism, but who lack a background in academic philosophy. The book is split into sections that are typical from books about greek philosophy. In the end, whether it can be called stoicism or not, the book is usefulwhich is really what were looking for. He provides many vivid anecdotes from his own life in which he found stoic philosophy helpful. The first book i read was a guide for the perplexed. Free download or read online a guide to the good life. It is concerned not with moral right and wrong but with having a good spirit, that is, with living a good, happy life or with what is sometimes called moral wisdom. If you end up loving pierre hadots book on marcus, philosophy as a way of life is a natural next step. Despite that wrinkle, the book is a good primer and reference for stoicism. This book is written for those seeking a philosophy of life. The second book that i recommend, william irvines a guide to the good life, deals with this in some detail. A guide to the good life summary four minute books. Ill be talking about control, and how learning to focus on only what we can control, can help us live a better life. The best books on stoicism five books expert recommendations.
An english lesson based on the book a guide to the good life by braxton irvine. It is a philosophy of life that maximizes positive emotions, reduces negative emotions and helps individuals to hone their virtues of character. Oct 29, 2016 a guide to the good life summary october 29, 2016 march 30, 2019 niklas goeke self improvement 1sentencesummary. Stoicism is a philosophy founded in greece in the 3rd century by a man named zeno of citium. It was called a guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy. The ancient art of stoic joy as a public librarian, i see countless popular philosophy books pass my way. Its a detailed guide to learn more about stoicism and proper guide to living a stoic life and gain confidence.
The book contains a history, overview and advice on stoic philosophy. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought in ancient rome, and shows how its insight and advice are still remarkably applicable to. The clever norwegian pointed me to a book on the topic, which i immediately checked out of the library and read completely. The stoics the book of life is the brain of the school of life, a gathering of the best ideas around wisdom and emotional intelligence.
The question as worded, presupposes that stoicism is indeed a good way to live, and so only asks for explanations or reasons. A guide to the good life is another great modern book, written by william b. Signup for your free trial to the great courses plus here. One of the great fears many of us face is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. Massimo pigliucci is an important voice in the modern stoicism movement. The ancient art of stoic joy kindle edition by irvine. If you want to apply stoicism in your everyday life then you can follow this book. George stock authored the guide to stoicism, also published as a little book on stoicism. Stoicism was a philosophy that flourished for some 400 years in ancient greece and rome, gaining widespread support among all classes of society.
The most captivating modern books on stoicism highexistence. A guide to the good life by william irvine book summary. Irvines book excels as a guide for practicing stoics or for individuals seeking to. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 326 pages and is. Equal parts self help book, stoicism 101 course, and serenity now. Aug 19, 2014 full audiobook a guide to stoicism by st. The goal with this book is to restore stoicism to its rightful place as a tool in the pursuit of selfmastery, perseverance, and wisdom. George william joseph stock read by bill boerst summary st. I found myself surprisingly liking this book a lot. I find it to be the best laymans introduction to stoicism that i have ever read.
The ancient art of stoic joy first printing by irvine, william b isbn. In this book he shows that stoicism can provide a philosophy of life consistent with a modern scientific worldview. Tranquility is a state marked by the absence of negative emotions such as anger, grief, anxiety, and fear, and the presence of positive emotionsin particular, joy. At the very least it will give some insights on how to view your life and world and at best it will get you started on the path to a happier more tranquil. Oct 26, 2018 stoicism has always been the kind of philosophy that gets passed from one person to another. The book starts as a somewhat academic work, outlining history and philosophy of ancient stoics, then goes on to provide several interesting techniques to be. What did you love best about a guide to the good life. A guide to the good life is an eyeopening read about how to live a happier and more meaningful life.
The stoic philosophy principles may be old, but they merit the attention of any modern individual who wishes to have a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling who wishes, that is, to have a good life. In that book, i described stoicism in general terms. Stoicism as a philosophy of life the good men project. The art of living is a skill to be practised rather than misliving and failing to acquire the happiness you want. Be aware, however, that a guide to the good life is very much a starting point for further study, as some of irvines interpretations of stoic philosophy diverge from what the ancients conceived and taught. He points out that stoicism is very different than the stereotypes we have developed about unfeeling robots, and in fact it contains a lot of. I could easily write a whole series of articles like this, focusing on different aspects of stoic theory and practice applied to daily life.
A guide to the good life is a roadmap for stoicism, showing you how you can cultivate this ancient philosophy in your own life, why its useful and what stoics are really about. A guide to the good life summary if you lack a grand goal in living, you lack a coherent philosophy of life. Spiritual exercises from socrates to foucault by pierre hadot. A guide to the good life is an excellent introduction to stoic philosophy and how it can be used to have a happier life. And thats a good thing because you can read hundreds of books, but you can only live a handful. From reading the book, i learned that stoicism was actually a shockingly advanced old philosophy that found many followers in ancient rome. The book that had the biggest impact on me this year was a guide to the good life. The book challenges you to think about living life as an art. This book easily and simply lays out the principles of stoic philosophy and so i thought id summarise them, both to help myself as a reminder of stoic principles and to help those who are perhaps struggling to understand what the core tennets of stoicism are. One of the great fears many of us face is that, despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. Irvine offers a fresh perspective on stoicism and a roadmap to how we can use it to become more tranquil, minimize worry, deal with challenges and live a. Read this book and be prepared to change your life.
How to live a better life through stoicism lifechanging. The ancient art of stoic joy and millions of other books are available for instant access. The ancient art of stoic joy, is a wonderful exception. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 326 pages and is available in hardcover format. Stoicism has always been the kind of philosophy that gets passed from one person to another. If we lived in perfect accordance with natureif, that is, we were perfect in our practice of stoicismwe would be what the stoics refer to as a wise man or sage. If youre looking to live the good life, this book offers daily doses of inspiration and wisdom.
The book is called a guide to the good life for a reason. There are several chapters in which irvine goes into these ideas about the stoics and emotions. Someone who thinks something is more valuable than tranquility would therefore be foolish to practice stoicism. The ancient art of stoic joy pdf, epub, docx and torrent then this site is not for you. The stoic challenge is a sequel to my guide to the good life. The daily stoic by ryan holiday and stephen hanselman. We decided to put together a short list with three books that will help you both understand stoicism but also teach you valuable the stoic reading list. Dec 28, 2018 it is a solid book and will be a good read for somebody who heard about stoicism and thinking if this philosophy can be helpful in his life. Its so quotable that people often hear about it for the first time because they see it mentioned in a book east of eden or in a movie gladiator. Timeless wisdom to gain resilience, confidence, and calmness 2019 by jonas salzgeber is a new publication about applying stoic philosophy to modern life. When you live a book, you make the philosophy of the book your own.
It discusses how to systematically apply stoicism to your life. A guide to the good life the ancient art of stoic joy, by william b. May 17, 20 william irvines a guide to the good life. It is a solid book and will be a good read for somebody who heard about stoicism and thinking if this philosophy can be helpful in his life. Im reposting it because i am going to be reading some of the classic stoicism works and wanted to freshen up on the framework.
What is stoicism and how can it turn your life to solid gold. Picking up the wrong book can derail even the most interested student. The book is aimed at a popular audienceindeed, at an audience with no more acquaintance with the subject of stoicism than the ideas. The first edition of the novel was published in 2008, and was written by william b. Instead, the question could be asked, remove why, then is stoicism a good philosophy. It is a good one and if you are going to read more than a couple of books on stoicism, it will likely be in your library. The second one was william irvines a guide to the good life. The insight and advice of the stoic philosophy is still, remarkably applicable today. It demystifies what is commonly and mistakenly identified as a dour philosophy and makes it accessible to everyday, modern life. The author states that a reward of practicing stoicism is to experience less negative emotions and because of. A guide to the good life summary october 29, 2016 march 30, 2019 niklas goeke self improvement 1sentencesummary. Sharon lebell, author of the art of living from the inside flap. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought.
A guide to stoicism by st george stock full audiobook. In this video, i talk about stoicism, epictetus and his ideas on living the good life. It was a slam dunk for an introduction to stoicism. If youre looking for a free download links of a guide to the good life. Meditations by marcus aurelius, letters from a stoic by seneca, a guide to the good life. One of the great fears many of us face is that despite. Scott perry author, stoic guitarist the historic stoic and buddhist texts are very accessible, but william irvines a guide to the good life is a gentle introduction to stoicisms relevance to modern life and touches on.
In your book about stoic joy, a guide to the good life, you make the point that stoic wisdom, though ancient, is still very much applicable to contemporary life. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. He points out that stoicism is very different than the stereotypes we have developed about unfeeling robots, and in fact it contains a lot of timeless advice for psychological well being. It is a good user guide to stoicism no matter if you are new to the world of stoicism or already advanced in your study of the philosophy. While not focusing uniquely on stoicism, this book is a key text in understanding how philosophy is more than an academic discipline isolated from real life, but something to guide us and orient us.
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