Book cover of A Field Guide to a Happy Life: 53 Brief Lessons for Living

Book description

'Bursting with practical wisdom and engaging stories ... a Stoicism 2.0 for twenty-first century happiness' Skye Cleary

'A bold, contemporary updating of Stoicism for the present day' John Sellars, author of Lessons in Stoicism

Learn how to survive life's hardships and enjoy its pleasures with the modern stoic mindset.

In…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked A Field Guide to a Happy Life as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

A Field Guide to a Happy Life is an outstanding example of what a modern Stoic book can and should be. Pigliucci has taken the famous Handbook (Enchiridion) of the Roman Stoic teacher, Epictetus, and reworked it to reflect a more modern approach to the philosophy. As such, this field guide is a portable, practical guide to applying Stoic wisdom in your day to day life.

What I most appreciate about A Field Guide to a Happy Life is that the author’s update of the philosophy is clearly described in a later section of the book. This allows the reader…

From Matthew's list on practicing Stoicism.

Massimo Pigliucci is a professor of philosophy with a strong background in the sciences (holding advanced degrees in genetics and evolutionary biology — in addition to his Ph.D. in philosophy). He is also a living Stoic who is determined to bring Stoicism into the 21st century. That background situates him perfectly to update Epictetus’ Handbook (a.k.a. the Enchiridion) for a modern audience. As I wrote in my blurb for the book, “The result is a work more timely than ever for it warns us of the dangers of superstition while it reminds us that reason and virtue are essential…

If you love A Field Guide to a Happy Life...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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