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A Guide to the Good Life

Written by: William B. Irvine
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
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Publisher's Summary

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. Listeners 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 listeners 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.

©2009 William B. Irvine (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about A Guide to the Good Life

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Convinced to try stoicism

I didn’t know anything about philosophy before I read this book. I first heard the author interviewed about the book on Ideas on CBC radio and was intrigued by his proposals. I purchased the book but then never had time to read it. Then I subscribed to audible and listened to it twice. First of all the narrator’s voice and way of speaking are great. The content is very deep. The author convinced me that if I implement some of these strategies like negative visualization and the trichotomy of control I could attain tranquility more often than not and reduce the amount of negative emotions that I experience. As someone with generalized anxiety disorder, I think his proposals are worth a shot. I can’t critique his interpretation or tweaks of Roman stoicism but I think he’s into something here.

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5 people found this helpful

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A Modern Stoic

I really enjoyed the book. If you are interested in Stoicism this is a good introduction

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3 people found this helpful

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Very Dry

The narrator and content were dry and hard to listen to. A ton of information not organized fluidly. It felt like I was in a university history class with a monotone professor. Depends what you’re into - I’m currently consuming books for entertainment and/or personal growth, not to gain knowledge of facts, dates, historic players, and quotes. Unfortunately this was a return.

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3 people found this helpful

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  • A
  • 2021-03-08

Irvine accomplishes his goal

the author, William Irvine, sets out to synthesize the teachings of the stoic philosophers into a modern-day manual. he fully accomplishes this and I know I and hopefully other listeners will find a lot to take away from this book and hopefully bring some tranquility to modern life. great book!

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A great overview

Irvine has given us a great overview, primarily of the Roman Stoics - a start and a jumping-off point for those interested in exploring the Stoic philosophy.

#Audible1

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decent introduction

Irvine knows a lot about philosophy and history, but almost nothing about psychology and politics. When he's writing about his areas of expertise, he is precise and wise. When he's not, he suddenly becomes quite vague and surprisingly judgmental. Still, a good introduction for a modern person to the idea of living Stoically.

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Not for everyone

I enjoy philosophy and was looking forward to learn about Stoicism. I like the premise. But what they describe as the main mechanic to live with this mindset buggles the mind. Negative visualisation is the very reason I almost went down to suicide. I lived expecting the worst all my life. I went deep into depression. Suggesting Negative visualisation is probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard. You can achieve the main goal without suggesting such a drastic and ill adviced method. Visualisation is a powerful tool. Don't mess around and lose yourself into imagining the worst all the time. You'll end up miserable. Completely the opposite to what the book pretend to aim for.

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  • 2020-06-02

A must read for anyone.

for anyone wishing to understand true gratitude for our lives and our interactions with others.

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A great introduction to stoicism

This book did an excellent job of explaining the history, principles and techniques used by stoicism without overdoing it and getting boring.

It was just a great overall explanation on why one may want to adopt a philosophy of life, and why stoicism is a great choice. To help one achieve more tranquillity and satisfaction in daily living. A great read for young professionals like myself especially.

I appreciated the way the book explained the parallels and comparisons to Zen Buddhism and other philosophical positions and practices.

Also the narrator was great.

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So boring

If your life is perfect except you struggle with work and traffic, this book is for you.

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