Who am I?What’s my purpose? How can I be happy?This book is a compass that helps us navigate these treacherous existential waters. Each chapter introduces a new tool for our toolkit by combining a biographical sketch of a particular philosopher, an exploration of the larger philosophy, and applicable lessons and to tackle common challenges found in our everyday life. We learn how to avoid pain with Epicurus, how to strike the right balance between extremes with Aristotle, how to rebel like the Cynic Hipparchia, and how to embrace uncertainty with the help of Cicero. Organized around three main themes of pleasure, virtue, and doubt, there’s something to learn from each master in our philosophical quest.Even though these ideas were first presented thousands of years ago, they’re more relevant than ever in the twenty-first century. We still want the same things: love, friendship, money, reputation; and still fear the same threats: poverty, sickness, pain, and death. These Hellenistic philosophers devised powerful wisdom on how to live—now, we can use it to make our lives better.
Massimo Pigliucci is the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. He has written for publications such as
The New York Times,
TheWashington Post,
TheWall Street Journal,
Philosophy Now, and
The Philosophers' Magazine, among others. Pigliucci is the author or editor of sixteen books, including the bestselling
How to Be a Stoic and most recently
The Quest for Character. He is the coauthor with Gregory Lopez of
A Handbook for New Stoics.
Gregory Lopez is a practicing secular Buddhist and Stoic, founder of the New York City Stoics, cofounder and board member of the Stoic Fellowship, cohost of Stoic Camp New York, and on the team at the Modern Stoicism organization. He has published essays on Stoicism in the Stoicism Today blog and in
The Philosophers' Magazine. He is the coauthor with Massimo Pigliucci of
A Handbook for New Stoics.
Meredith Alexander Kunz is a writer, editor, and communications professional who has worked in journalism, higher education, and the technology industry. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Daily Journal, and The Industry Standard. Since 2016, she has published the Stoic Mom blog, exploring the many ways that caregivers and children can benefit from practicing Stoic life philosophy. She is a contributing editor for The STOIC magazine, has written for the Stoicism Today blog, given invited talks at national and regional conferences, and been interviewed on podcasts and NPR-affiliate radio. She also hosts The Philosopher's Compass, a podcast dedicated to exploring Stoic ideas in everyday life.
