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Name: A Guide to the Good Life
Rating: 4.6 (289 reviews)
Author: William B. Irvine

William B. Irvine

The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

4.6 (289 ratings)

22 mins

Topics

Stoicism Happiness

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A Guide to the Good Life
Summary of 9 key ideas

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What’s in it for me? Discover what the ancient philosophical school of Stoicism has to teach us about living a better life.

Have you ever waited in a line in the grocery store that just doesn’t seem to move at all. Did you start feeling annoyed and frustrated? Did you ask yourself what the other customers could possibly be doing, and why on earth it’s taking such an unreasonably long time. If so, you know how this frustration can drain your energy and put you in a bad mood. But is this all really necessary? What if you could just learn to stay calm and unruffled in situations like this?

In ancient Greece, there were philosophers, later known as Stoics, who argued for a life of moderation and greater self-control in order to achieve peace of mind and avoid frustration and pain. Reaching this goal is no easy task, but, as these blinks will show you, we’re all equipped with the necessary mental faculties to take control of our lives and deal soberly with things that are beyond our control.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

why being stuck in traffic is not so bad;
what taking a cold shower has to do with living a more fulfilling life; and
how to deal with losing a tennis match.

Stoicism is rooted in an ancient Greek philosophy that taught the art of living a good life.

If you were a child in Greece around 300 BC and your parents wanted you to get a top education, rather than sending you off to business school as they might today, they would send you off to become well versed in the study of philosophy. One of the main schools of ancient Greek philosophy, and one that is still well known today, is the Stoic school.

Aside from rhetoric and logic, pupils studying philosophy would be taught a philosophy of life, that is, the art of living a good life. But what did this entail, and why would you need a philosophy of life back then – or even today?

Having a philosophy of life is a lot like having a road map for your life. Philosophy inspires you to reflect on what you really want, so that you are able to articulate and define your goals. For instance, if you decide that your goal is to be more caring and attentive, a philosophy of life will assist you in finding the best approach to reach this goal.

Conversely, failing to set out goals may mean that you live your life in a way that you’ll regret as you get older.

But pinpointing your goals can be tricky and tiresome in the modern world, where thousands of distractions compete for your attention on a daily basis and keep you from reflecting on your life.

Stoicism can help point you in the right direction, however, as it teaches a moderate way of life; it preaches neither absolute asceticism and a hand-to-mouth existence, nor ruthless hedonism. The Stoics endorsed a middle way, the path of moderation.

A Stoic, then, could enjoy a good meal and companionship, as long as he didn’t depend on such pleasures all the time. In our modern, material world, the Stoics would argue that we shouldn’t rely on expendable goods that promise short-lived happiness. Rather, we should find happiness and joy within.

The Stoics saw two central goals worth pursuing: virtue and tranquility.

We’ve seen that setting goals is important. But what kind of life goals did the Stoics pursue? They tried to be both virtuous and tranquil, and considered these two qualities to be the crucial tenets for living a good life.

First, let's take a look at virtue. Being virtuous might not bring to mind what modern readers think of when they hear the word “virtue” today; it doesn't mean living like Mother Theresa. To the Stoics, living a virtuous life meant leading the life we were created to live.

In order to fight our consumerist insatiability, we must learn to appreciate what we already have.

Even though a lot of us think of ourselves as fairly noble and reasonable people, we all share one troublesome imperfection: We always want more, even though many of us are aware that getting whatever it is we want won’t ultimately make us happier than we are.

Psychologists Shane Frederick and George Loewenstein call this phenomenon hedonic adaption, and it follows a typical progression: You lust after a new possession, such as a wide-screen TV or a flashy handbag. You buy it and enjoy it for a short while, but soon your new item starts to bore you.

Voluntary discomfort is one step toward appreciating the people and things in your life.

As with the exercise in the previous blink, when we imagine losing certain things, we tend to start enjoying them more in the present. But this principle can be taken even further.

Rather than merely picturing the loss of things that make our lives enjoyable and comfortable, what if we deliberately abstain from them? This is a practice the author calls voluntary discomfort and it’s based on what the famous Roman Stoic Seneca called "to practice poverty." There’s no need to worry, however; you don’t need to starve or flog yourself. In fact, the Stoics only had mild discomfort in mind.

Change your attitude toward things you can't control.

It’s easy to pine over something we want to have but just can’t get, whether it’s a perfect family or that big career break. But these things are largely out of our hands. The problem is that we let them trouble us when we don’t get them.

So what would a Stoic do? They would separate the things they can control from the things that are beyond their influence. They would then abandon the pursuit of uncontrollable things, and focus on finding happiness through that which is within their power.

It’s pointless to get angry about others or seek their approval.

Everyone knows the feeling of when a stupid comment by a coworker or friend irks you so much that it essentially ruins your day. The Stoics would look at this situation and say that you let others disturb your tranquility. But it’s hard to remain tranquil when dealing with annoying and mean-spirited people, so what can you do?

Topping the grand list of things we cannot change is a bullet point reading "other people," or more precisely, "other people's flaws." Yet, since you sometimes have no choice but to interact with others, it pays to increase your tolerance instead of getting aggravated, which only exacerbates the situation.

We should not let wealth corrupt us.

The very act of chasing after riches is commonly seen as a desirable and honorable pursuit, as it’s supposed to make us happy. But what do the Stoics think about this and how do they view money?

According to the Stoics, your mental state contributes far more to your happiness than wealth.

The Stoics can teach us to deal with grief and old age.

Some topics are particularly unpleasant to think about and, for nearly all of us, death is one of them. So how do Stoics deal with it?

Stoics say that when someone we love passes away, the most natural reaction is to grieve. Thankfully, they also offer ways to prevent this grief from consuming us.

Becoming a Stoic will change your life – but you shouldn’t rush.

Now that we've seen what life advice Stoic philosophers can offer us, how can we develop a Stoic temperament ourselves? Or, to put it differently, why become a Stoic and what are the benefits?

Since Stoicism is a life philosophy, it can give our life direction and meaning. It shows us what is worth pursuing, such as tranquility, and what is not, such as external pleasure. As such, it is a way to greatly simplify our lives.

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What is A Guide to the Good Life about?

What's most important to you? What goals are worth pursuing? A Guide to the Good Life (2009) tackles these pivotal questions, guiding the reader through the ancient Stoic philosophy of life and offering advice on how to practice it in a modern world. Focused on the goals of virtue and tranquility, this book shows us how to find joy in our lives.

Best quote from A Guide to the Good Life

The Stoic philosophy of life may be old, but it merits the attention of any modern individual who wishes to have a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling.

—William B. Irvine

Who should read A Guide to the Good Life?

Philosophy students
Those who are seeking to curb their negative emotions
Anyone wanting a simpler and more tranquil life

About the Author

William B. Irvine is a professor of philosophy at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He is also the author of On Desire: Why We Want What We Want and A Slap in the Face: Why Insults Hurt – and Why They Shouldn’t.

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