A Guide to the Good Life : The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

Introduction. Part One: The Rise of Stoicism. The Birth of Philosophy. The First Stoics. The Roman Stoics. Part Two: Stoic Psychological Techniques. Negative Visualization: What's the Worst That Can Happen?. The Dichotomy of Control: On Becoming Invincible. Fatalism: Letting Go of the Past ... and the Present. Self-Denial: On Dealing with the Dark Side of Pleasure. Meditation: Watching Ourselves Practice Stoicism. Part Three: Stoic Advice. Duty: On Loving Mankind. Social Relations: On Dealing with Other People. Insults: On Putting Up with Put-Downs. Grief: On Conquering Tears with Reason. Anger: On Overcoming Anti-Joy. Personal Values: On Seeking Fame. Personal Values: On Luxurious Living. Exile: On Surviving a Change of Place. Old Age: On Being Banished to a Nursing Home. Dying: On a Good End to a Good Life. On Becoming a Stoic: Start Now and Prepare to Be Mocked. Part Four: Stoicism for Modern Living. The Anti-Stoics. Stoicism Reconsidered. Practicing Stoicism. A Stoic Reading Program. Notes. Works Cited. Read more... Abstract: Introduction. Part One: The Rise of Stoicism. The Birth of Philosophy. The First Stoics. The Roman Stoics. Part Two: Stoic Psychological Techniques. Negative Visualization: What's the Worst That Can Happen?. The Dichotomy of Control: On Becoming Invincible. Fatalism: Letting Go of the Past ... and the Present. Self-Denial: On Dealing with the Dark Side of Pleasure. Meditation: Watching Ourselves Practice Stoicism. Part Three: Stoic Advice. Duty: On Loving Mankind. Social Relations: On Dealing with Other People. Insults: On Putting Up with Put-Downs. Grief: On Conquering Tears with Reason. Anger: On Overcoming Anti-Joy. Personal Values: On Seeking Fame. Personal Values: On Luxurious Living. Exile: On Surviving a Change of Place. Old Age: On Being Banished to a Nursing Home. Dying: On a Good End to a Good Life. On Becoming a Stoic: Start Now and Prepare to Be Mocked. Part Four: Stoicism for Modern Living. The Anti-Stoics. Stoicism Reconsidered. Practicing Stoicism. A Stoic Reading Program. Notes. Works Cited
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. In A Guide to the Good Life, William B. 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 modern lives.

In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life. Using the psychological insights and the practical techniques of the Stoics, Irvine offers a roadmap for anyone seeking to avoid the feelings of chronic dissatisfaction that plague so many of us. Irvine looks at various Stoic techniques for attaining tranquility and shows how to put these techniques to work in our own life. As he does so, he describes his own experiences practicing Stoicism and offers valuable first-hand advice for anyone wishing to live better by following in the footsteps of these ancient philosophers. Readers learn how to minimize worry, how to let go of the past and focus our efforts on the things we can control, and how to deal with insults, grief, old age, and the distracting temptations of fame and fortune. We learn from Marcus Aurelius the importance of prizing only things of true value, and from Epictetus we learn how to be more content with what we have.

Finally, A Guide to the Good Life shows readers how to become thoughtful observers of their own lives. If we watch ourselves as we go about our daily business and later reflect on what we saw, we can better identify the sources of distress and eventually avoid that pain in our life. By doing this, the Stoics thought, we can hope to attain a truly joyful life.

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. In A Guide to the Good Life , William B. 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 modern lives. In A Guide to the Good Life , Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life. Using the psychological insights and the practical techniques of the Stoics, Irvine offers a roadmap for anyone seeking to avoid the feelings of chronic dissatisfaction that plague so many of us. Irvine looks at various Stoic techniques for attaining tranquility and shows how to put these techniques to work in our own life. As he does so, he describes his own experiences practicing Stoicism and offers valuable first-hand advice for anyone wishing to live better by following in the footsteps of these ancient philosophers. Readers learn how to minimize worry, how to let go of the past and focus our efforts on the things we can control, and how to deal with insults, grief, old age, and the distracting temptations of fame and fortune. We learn from Marcus Aurelius the importance of prizing only things of true value, and from Epictetus we learn how to be more content with what we have. Finally, A Guide to the Good Life shows readers how to become thoughtful observers of their own life. If we watch ourselves as we go about our daily business and later reflect on what we saw, we can better identify the sources of distress and eventually avoid that pain in our life. By doing this, the Stoics thought, we can hope to attain a truly joyful life. Cover ......Page 1 Title Page ......Page 4 Copyright ......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Introduction A Plan for Living......Page 16 PART ONE The Rise of Stoicism......Page 30 1. Philosophy Takes an Interest in Life......Page 32 2. The First Stoics......Page 44 3. Roman Stoicism......Page 59 PART TWO Stoic Psychological Techniques......Page 78 4. Negative Visualization What’s the Worst That Can Happen?......Page 80 5. The Dichotomy of Control On Becoming Invincible......Page 100 6. Fatalism Letting Go of the Past . . . and the Present......Page 117 7. Self-Denial On Dealing with the Dark Side of Pleasure......Page 125 8. Meditation Watching Ourselves Practice Stoicism......Page 134 PART THREE Stoic Advice......Page 140 9. Duty On Loving Mankind......Page 142 10. Social Relations On Dealing with Other People......Page 149 11. Insults On Putting Up with Put-Downs......Page 157 12. Grief On Vanquishing Tears with Reason......Page 168 13. Anger On Overcoming Anti-Joy......Page 174 14. Personal Values On Seeking Fame......Page 181 15. Personal Values On Luxurious Living......Page 188 16. Exile On Surviving a Change of Place......Page 198 17. Old Age On Being Banished to a Nursing Home......Page 203 18. Dying On a Good End to a Good Life......Page 212 19. On Becoming a Stoic Start Now and Prepare to Be Mocked......Page 217 PART FOUR Stoicism for Modern Lives......Page 222 20. The Decline of Stoicism......Page 224 21. Stoicism Reconsidered......Page 241 22. Practicing Stoicism......Page 265 A Stoic Reading Program......Page 296 Notes......Page 300 Works Cited......Page 312 Index......Page 316 "In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life. Using the psychological insights and the practical techniques of the Stoics, Irvine offers a road map for anyone seeking to avoid the feelings of chronic dissatisfaction that plague so many of us. Irvine looks at various Stoic techniques for attaining tranquility and shows how to put these techniques to work in our own life. As he does so, he describes his own experiences practicing Stoicism and offers valuable firsthand advice for anyone wishing to live better by following in the footsteps of these ancient philosophers. We learn how to minimize worry, how to let go of the past and focus on the things we can control, and how to deal with insults, grief, old age, and the distracting temptations of fame and fortune. We learn from Marcus Aurelius the importance of prizing only things of true value, and from Epictetus we learn how to be more content with what we have. Finally, A Guide to the Good Life shows us how to become thoughtful observers of our own lives. If we watch ourselves as we go about our daily business and later reflect on what we saw, we can better identify the sources of distress and eventually avoid that pain. By doing this, the Stoics thought, we can hope to attain a truly joyful life"--Provided by publisher "In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life. Using the psychological insights and the practical techniques of the Stoics, Irvine offers a road map for anyone seeking to avoid the feelings of chronic dissatisfaction that plague so many of us. Irvine looks at various Stoic techniques for attaining tranquility and shows how to put these techniques to work in our own life. As he does so, he describes his own experiences practicing Stoicism and offers valuable firsthand advice for anyone wishing to live better by following in the footsteps of these ancient philosophers. We learn how to minimize worry, how to let go of the past and focus on the things we can control, and how to deal with insults, grief, old age, and the distracting temptations of fame and fortune. We learn from Marcus Aurelius the importance of prizing only things of true value, and from Epictetus we learn how to be more content with what we have." "Finally, A Guide to the Good Life shows us how to become thoughtful observers of our own lives. If we watch ourselves as we go about our daily business and later reflect on what we saw, we can better identify the sources of distress and eventually avoid that pain. By doing this, the Stoics thought, we can hope to attain a truly joyful life."--Jacket xi 1 The Rise of Stoicism Philosophy Takes an Interest in Life The First Stoics Roman Stoicism Stoic Psychological Techniques 65