The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient

William B. Irvine

Sep 2019 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

“The ultimate mental fitness program” (David Heinemeier Hansson, coauthor of Rework), The Stoic Challenge teaches us how to respond to the challenges of our increasingly unpredictable age.

In this practical, refreshingly optimistic guide, philosopher William B. Irvine explains how centuries-old wisdom can help us better cope with everything from the everyday stresses of modern living to its significant crises. The Stoic Challenge uniquely combines insights from ancient Stoics like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus with techniques discovered by contemporary psychological research, such as anchoring and framing. The result is Irvine’s surprisingly simple, updated “Stoic test strategy,” which teaches us how to dramatically alter our emotional response to life’s stumbling blocks. Not only can we overcome these obstacles?we can benefit from them, too.

Ratings and reviews

I got it the day before its official release on Google books. Started to read it immediately afterwards, I got to say I really enjoy reading it. It is similar to How to Live a Good Life but different in some way. The central idea is still about How to use Stoic ideas to deal with life and live a good life. But this one incorporated new ideas from others. What I really appreciate about this book is it uses the concept from Thinking Fast and Slow to explain the Stoic strategis of handling setbacks in our l

Great quick read, perfect for those looking to change their outlook on the things that happen in life.

About the author

William B. Irvine is professor of philosophy at Wright State University. The author of seven books, including The Stoic Challenge and A Guide to the Good Life, he has also written for the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Salon, Time, and the BBC. He lives in Dayton, Ohio.