updated 1d ago
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
In my research on desire, I discovered nearly unanimous agreement among thoughtful people that we are unlikely to have a good and meaningful life unless we can overcome our insatiability. There was also agreement that one wonderful way to tame our tendency to always want more is to persuade ourselves to want the things we already have. This seemed
... See morefrom A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Luc Castera added 9mo ago
We will reconsider our goals in living. In particular, we will take to heart the Stoic claim that many of the things we desire—most notably, fame and fortune—are not worth pursuing. We will instead turn our attention to the pursuit of tranquility and what the Stoics called virtue. We will discover that Stoic virtue has very little in common with wh
... See morefrom A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Luc Castera added 9mo ago
Here is how, according to Seneca, a Stoic sage would explain the difference between the Stoic take on pleasure and that of the ordinary person: Whereas the ordinary person embraces pleasure, the sage enchains it; whereas the ordinary person thinks pleasure is the highest good, the sage doesn’t think it is even a good; and whereas the ordinary perso
... See morefrom A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Jean-Charles Kurdali added 2mo ago
these ancient philosophers did not keep their discoveries to themselves or share them only with their fellow philosophers. Rather, they formed schools and welcomed as their pupils anyone wishing to acquire a philosophy of life. Different schools offered different advice on what people must do in order to have a good life.
from A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Jean-Charles Kurdali added 2mo ago
A second benefit of undertaking acts of voluntary discomfort comes not in the future but immediately. A person who periodically experiences minor discomforts will grow confident that he can withstand major discomforts as well, so the prospect of experiencing such discomforts at some future time will not, at present, be a source of anxiety for him.
from A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Jean-Charles Kurdali added 2mo ago
What Stoics discover, though, is that willpower is like muscle power: The more they exercise their muscles, the stronger they get, and the more they exercise their will, the stronger it gets. Indeed, by practicing Stoic self-denial techniques over a long period, Stoics can transform themselves into individuals remarkable for their courage and self-
... See morefrom A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Jean-Charles Kurdali added 2mo ago
EIGHT Meditation Watching Ourselves Practice Stoicism
from A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Jean-Charles Kurdali added 2mo ago
Epictetus takes Seneca’s bedtime-meditation advice one step further: He suggests that as we go about our daily business, we should simultaneously play the roles of participant and spectator.3 We should, in other words, create within ourselves a Stoic observer who watches us and comments on our attempts to practice Stoicism. Along similar lines, Mar
... See morefrom A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Jean-Charles Kurdali added 2mo ago
Besides reflecting on the day’s events, we can devote part of our meditations to going through a kind of mental checklist. Are we practicing the psychological techniques recommended by the Stoics? Do we, for example, periodically engage in negative visualization? Do we take time to distinguish between those things over which we have complete contro
... See morefrom A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Jean-Charles Kurdali added 2mo ago