A Field Guide to a Happy Life
53 Brief Lessons for Living
Published on 15. September 2020
160 pages
978-1-5416-4694-0 (ISBN)
Description
A brilliant philosopher reimagines Stoicism for our modern age in this thought-provoking guide to a better life.
"A bold, contemporary updating of Stoicism for the present day." ―John Sellars, author of Stoicism How do we find joy and meaning in our lives when everything we care about can be destroyed in an instant?
Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci found the answer in ancient Stoicism, and in A Field Guide to a Happy Life, he offers a new rendition of this philosophy adapted for the twenty-first century. Stoicism is thought of as simply having a stiff upper lip. In Pigliucci's hands, however, the point isn't about indifference; it's about maintaining equanimity in the face of strife and embracing level-headed enjoyment in a culture of excess.
Modern life overflows with both pleasure and pain. Whether you are already practicing Stoicism or are simply someone looking for help navigating the ups and downs, A Field Guide to a Happy Life is an essential and accessible companion.
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09/2020
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Person
Massimo Pigliucci is the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. The author or editor of twenty-one books, he has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Salon, among others. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Table of Contents
- Dedication
- PART I: BETTING ON THE PHILOSOPHER-SLAVE
- I.1. Epictetus and Me
- I.2. How to Use This Book
- I.3. Stoicism 101
- I.4. Epictetean Philosophy 101
- PART II: THE FIELD GUIDE
- II.1. Setting Things Straight: Where You Learn the Most Important and Practical Lesson of Them All
- II.2. Training Your Desires and Aversions: Where You Begin to Reorient Your Likely Misguided Desires and Aversions
- II.3. Training to Act in the World: Where You Prepare Yourself to Behave Justly Toward Other People
- II.4. Training Yourself to Think Better: Where You Prepare Yourself to Improve Your Judgments About Things and People
- II.5. Training to Live Well: Where You Prepare Yourself to Practice the Art of Living
- II.6. Four Pieces of Advice from Epictetus: Where We Listen to the Master
- PART III: STOICISM 2.0
- III.1. Updating Stoicism
- III.2. This Is Not the First Time, and It Won't Be the Last
- Appendix I. A Conceptual Map of the Differences Between the "Enchiridion" and the Field Guide
- Appendix II. A Reasoned Bibliography on Epictetus, Ancient Stoicism, and Modern Stoicism
- Acknowledgments
- Discover More
- Notes
- About the Author
- Praise for a "Field Guide to A Happy Life
