Listen free for 30 days

  • A Field Guide to a Happy Life

  • 53 Brief Lessons for Living
  • Written by: Massimo Pigliucci
  • Narrated by: Peter Coleman
  • Length: 2 hrs and 26 mins
  • 3.6 out of 5 stars (5 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
A Field Guide to a Happy Life cover art

A Field Guide to a Happy Life

Written by: Massimo Pigliucci
Narrated by: Peter Coleman
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $14.46

Buy Now for $14.46

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A brilliant philosopher reimagines Stoicism for our modern age in this thought-provoking guide to a better life.

For more than 2,000 years, Stoicism has offered a message of resilience in the face of hardship. Little wonder, then, that it is having such a revival in our own troubled times. But there is no denying how weird it can be: Is it really the case that we shouldn't care about our work, our loved ones, or our own lives? According to the old Stoics, yes.

In A Field Guide to a Happy Life, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers a renewed Stoicism that reflects modern science and sensibilities. Pigliucci embraces the joyful bonds of affection, the satisfactions of a job well done, and the grief that attends loss. In his hands, Stoicism isn't about feats of indifference, but about enduring pain without being overwhelmed, while enjoying pleasures without losing our heads. In short, he makes Stoicism into a philosophy all of us - whether committed Stoics or simply seekers - can use to live better.

©2020 Massimo Pigliucci (P)2020 Basic Books

What the critics say

"A shrewd take on Stoic philosophy that's one part inspiration and one part manual for cultivating resilience in daily life. Pigliucci's prudent advice will have broad appeal among philosophically inclined readers of self-help." —Publishers Weekly

"A wonderfully fun introduction to Stoic philosophy, bursting with practical wisdom and engaging stories. I particularly admire how Pigliucci revisits and reinterprets Epictetus's Enchiridion while showing why we need a 'Stoicism 2.0' for twenty-first century happiness, and clearly illustrating how his version differs from the original. It's an excellent book, written in Pigliucci's splendidly lucid and accessible style." —Skye C. Cleary, author of Existentialism and Romantic Love

"This is a bold, contemporary updating of Stoicism for the present day. Taking the ancient Stoic Epictetus as his inspiration, Pigliucci has rewritten Epictetus's Handbook in order to update it, make it more relevant to a modern audience, but also to ensure that the core Stoic ideas shine through. The result is what Pigliucci calls Stoicism 2.0. This is a manual for living for those who approach the ancient Stoics as guides, not masters." —John Sellars, author of Stoicism

What listeners say about A Field Guide to a Happy Life

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Promoting the omission of animal foods

I thought this was ok to listen to and had good points until chapter 5 where he said “ 47. Here is how to practice excellence at being human on your own without showy displays of virtue to others. Did you decide that a simple diet with less impact on the environment and less suffering imposed on animals is preferable? Excellent. So eat that way without feeling the need to explain to others why you do so.” In this sentence and in one of his other books, the author is promoting the omission of animal foods from the diet. I am not sure what this has to do with the stoics. I have the daily stoic by Ryan Holliday and a guide to the good life by William b irvine and did not hear any mention of diet in there. Whether the stoics promoted this or not, I think it’s a bad idea to omit the most nutrient dense bio available foods from our diet - the foods we evolved on. I would recommend the author read the Big Fat surprise by Nina teicholz, any book by Gary Taubes, Lies my doctor told me by Ken berry, some of Dave Aspreys books and Metabolical by Dr Robert Lustig. He should not be proliferating this propaganda under the guise of stoicism. I returned both his books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!