A Life Worth Living
Meditations on God, Death and Stoicism
-
- USD 15.99
-
- USD 15.99
Descripción editorial
Stoicism offers rationally grounded, proven psychological techniques for the gradual development of consistent self-mastery, and emotional detachment from those elements of the human condition that tend to cause the most pervasive and unsettling forms of fear, anxiety, and avoidable disquiet. In the essays in A Life Worth Living, William Ferraiolo examines what it means to incorporate Stoicism into 21st century life, adapting classical Stoic philosophy for the modern day. 'William Ferraiolo’s new book represents an essential contribution to all who struggle with living a meaningful life.' Eldon Taylor, Ph.D, New York Times bestselling author of Choices and Illusions
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ferraiolo (Meditations on Self-Discipline and Failure), philosophy professor at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif., argues that stoicism can help negotiate most modern ills in this wide-ranging, quirky work. To make the case, he presents the ancient Greek school of thought through the writings and reflections of slave Epictetus and emperor Marcus Aurelius, encouraging readers to take up stoicism as a life plan for peace and tranquility regardless of one's circumstances. Centered on cultivating virtue and living in harmony with reason and being indifferent to the twists and turns of pleasure and pain stoics, Ferraiolo writes, take the world as it comes and do not seek to govern what is not within their power. This, Ferraiolo argues, is the only means of staying sane in a world that is so often out of control. Straightforward, practical, and level-headed (as one might expect from a stoic), Ferraiolo's counsel is convincing. Most intriguing are his discussions about how stoicism does not require belief in a deity and about suicide being a perfectly moral choice to make in the face of a life not worth living. Unfortunately, the text often wanders off topic, with chapters featuring the author's musings about, for instance, Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men, multiverse theory, and the "problem of evil." Despite this, those interested in using philosophy for self-help will enjoy Ferraiolo's ode to stoicism.
