A Handbook for New Stoics Book Summary - A Handbook for New Stoics Book explained in key points

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A Handbook for New Stoics summary

Name: A Handbook for New Stoics
Rating: 4.6 (644 reviews)
Author: Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez

Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez

How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control

4.6 (644 ratings)

23 mins

Table of Contents

A Handbook for New Stoics
summarized in 8 key ideas

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What’s in it for me? Learn the basics of Stoicism, the ancient but persistently popular philosophy.

Stoicism dates back to ancient Greece, so it stands to reason that plenty of criticism and misconceptions have built up about it over the years. Some people will dismiss Stoicism as nothing more than a fancy way of saying, “Keep a stiff upper lip.” But the truth is far more meaningful and helpful than that.

Stoicism has remained a popular philosophy for all these thousands of years because it offers an effective framework for those who desire a life of virtue and serenity. This philosophy prioritizes reason and logic in offering ways to navigate difficult social situations and to continually make virtuous decisions. Perhaps now, more than ever, we are surrounded by ways to indulge in easy and unrewarding pleasures. So why not check in with the Stoics to see what advice they have on how to avoid the pitfalls of modern life?

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how Stoicism can lead to more happiness;
how journaling can help you become a Stoic; and
what Stoicism has in common with mindfulness.

Stoicism offers one of the best bets for happiness.

No one wants to live an unhappy life, right? In fact, people have been seeking the best ways to avoid unhappiness for a very long time. And in doing so, some of the brightest minds in history have spent lifetimes asking themselves what causes unhappiness and how we can avoid such things.

While there have been advances in psychotherapy and neuroscience, the philosophy of Stoicism continues to be a popular resource for people who are seeking a reliable system of principles in their lives.

The key message here is: Stoicism offers one of the best bets for happiness.

Stoicism can be traced back to 300 BCE. However, one of the reasons it’s still relevant today is that many of the principles in Stoicism can still be found in modern psychiatric practices, like cognitive behavioral therapy.

For example, one of the core tenets of Stoicism is about learning how to focus on the things that are truly under your control. Often, our sources of unhappiness are related to things that are completely out of our control. We get hung up on the opinions of others, getting stuck in traffic, bad weather, illnesses, or fluctuations in the economy.

What if we could learn to let go of our desires for goals that are unreliable? What if our happiness didn’t depend on things like money and the opinions of others? What if we could train ourselves so that our happiness was only dependent on things that are entirely in our control? This is one of the essential insights of Stoicism.

If this sounds appealing to you, then let’s take it a step further and quickly break down some of the fundamental Stoic principles.

For starters, there are three key areas to focus on: ethics, physics, and logic – all of which are interconnected. Ethics is about finding an ideal way to live. In order to do that, we should have an understanding of physics, which, in this case, refers to understanding how nature and humans work. And one of the main things to know about human beings is that we have the capacity for reason and logic, which will play a central role in solving problems and finding our ideal way of life.

All of this can be summed up by saying that Stoics believe the key to a peaceful existence is to live according to nature. So we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of understanding human nature – which includes recognizing the common habits and tendencies that can stand in the way of our wellbeing.

The practice of Stoicism is three-fold, and it begins with the Discipline of Desire.

In A Handbook for New Stoics, the authors present 52 exercises that are designed to guide you from being a beginner to an advanced student over the course of a year. But the authors also suggest nine exercises that should give you enough of an impression to determine if Stoicism is something you want to pursue further.

These nine exercises are divided evenly between three categories: the Discipline of Desire, the Discipline of Action, and the Discipline of Assent. These make up what is known as the three-disciplined practice of Stoicism. These disciplines are designed to improve your character and help you be the best person you can be.

When paying attention to what’s in your control, focus on character.

In many ways, human nature today isn’t all that different now than it was back in 300 BCE. Many of our desires remain the same. Temptations like food, sex, alcohol, drugs, and gambling continue to be at the root of compulsive desires that can harm or even destroy lives. The Discipline of Desire is about building up your will to avoid or control the desires that do not contribute to good character.

Ultimately, one thing over which we do have complete control is our character, since our character is essentially the sum of our decisions and actions. We can control our urges, and we can make decisions based on sound reasoning and our own set of values and ideals. Yes, there are often outside forces trying to get us to do things that may not align with those values, whether it’s persistent advertising or the opinions of friends, family, or coworkers, but ultimately the decision is ours to make.

Keep in mind the impermanence of life, possessions, and circumstances.

The final exercise in the Discipline of Desire deals with a tricky subject: impermanence. Chances are, deep down, you know the reality of the situation: nothing lasts forever. Yet, for many of us, this is something that we choose to ignore.

For old-school Stoics like Epictetus and the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, there was good reason to keep in mind the impermanence of life. Only four of Aurelius’s 13 children lived to adulthood, and during his reign, there was a terrible plague that took the lives of five million Romans. So, bracing yourself for the possibility of a loved one passing did make sense.

The Discipline of Action involves preparing yourself for what’s likely to happen.

Following the Discipline of Desire, we enter the Discipline of Action. While the first discipline was about learning how to focus on the things you can control, the second discipline is about the actions you take or don’t take. This is about how we respond to adversity and the steps we can take in order to make the best, most virtuous decisions.

The key message here is: The Discipline of Action involves preparing yourself for what’s likely to happen.

Journaling is an effective and indispensable tool in starting your Stoic practice.

The final exercise under the Discipline of Action is really an exercise that can benefit all three disciplines. In fact, it’s an exercise that is recommended by many mental health professionals and by therapists who are simply trying to help their patients get a better night’s sleep. It’s the simple act of reflecting on your day and writing down some thoughts.

The key message here is: Journaling is an effective and indispensable tool in starting your Stoic practice.

The first exercises in the Discipline of Assent involve catching and countering initial impressions.

Following the Discipline of Desire and the Discipline of Action, we enter the Discipline of Assent, the most advanced of Stoicism’s three disciplines.

Now is a good time to recall the three things that Epictetus believed are in your complete control: thoughts, impulses, and the will to avoid and to get. In the Discipline of Desire, we work on our ability to master our will to avoid and to get. With the Discipline of Action, we work on controlling our impulses. In the Discipline of Assent, it’s our thoughts. And remember, in Stoicism, “thoughts” essentially refer to the snap judgments we make. While we can’t stop these from occurring, we can learn how to counter them with logic, reason, and a desire to live more virtuously.

The final exercise is about internalizing the principles of Stoicism and keeping them with you always.

Everyone loses their cool from time to time. Even the most fervent Stoics in history were open about their flaws. So don’t beat yourself up if you decide to apply Stoic principles to your life and still find that anger gets the better of you every once in a while.

Stoicism isn’t about being perfect. It's about learning from your mistakes and having a discipline in place that will allow for more equanimity – more emotional stability, calmness, and maybe even happiness. It’s about not letting the messy aspect of interacting with people get the better of you.

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What is A Handbook for New Stoics about?

A Handbook For New Stoics (2019) is a step-by-step guide to understanding and practicing the philosophy of Stoicism. You’ll find a helpful overview as well as recommended exercises for starting out and gradually becoming an advanced student of the popular philosophy.

Best quote from A Handbook for New Stoics

Stoicisms basic tenets can be distilled into three major topics: live according to nature, three-disciplined practice, and the dichotomy of control.

—Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez

Who should read A Handbook for New Stoics?

Folks curious about Stoicism
Anyone yearning to be more resilient in the face of life’s challenges
People who’d like to live a more virtuous life

About the Author

Massimo Pigliucci is a professor of philosophy at New York’s City College, as well as a fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also a student and practitioner of Stoicism. His writing has appeared in such publications as Philosophy Now, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Gregory Lopez is the editor-in-chief of the Examine Research Digest and the lead editor of the Examine.com website. He is also the founder of the New York City Stoics Meetup and, alongside Massimo Pigliucci, he runs the Stoic Camp New York.

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