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Business Business & Investing Economics Philosophy Self Help Self-Help Self-Help & PsychologyOnce in a while, one comes across an idea so profound that it has the power to change one's life. So was the case for me yesterday on my way to Columbus, OH. Feeling like Christopher Columbus (re)discovering the Americas, I re-discovered the ancient Stoic philosophy through the reading of A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B Irvine's, thanks to a program I recently listened to on KPFA. I had...
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For the most part, reading contemporary philosophy is a bit like watching a rabid dog chase its tail: round and round it turns, growling here, nipping there, until exhausted it collapses in the same place it began, upon a sorry bed of deconstructed words, free-floating signifiers "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Ironically, philosophy has perhaps never been more sorely needed than now, and those who are skeptical...
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I first read Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" while flying to the eastern United States for a scientific meeting. It was during a rather difficult period in my life and I had picked up on "Meditations" because of a mention of this work by Edwin Way Teale in "Near Horizons" as a book he turned to in times of trouble. I was not disappointed by these insightful notes written for his own use nearly 2000 years ago by the Roman Emperor...
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William B. Irvine's "A Guide to the Good Life" is a rare treat, a book from an academic philosopher that can actually help you improve your life. Irvine explains the ancient stoic way of life in a manner suited to the modern, non-academic reader. The result is a philosophy that will help you overcome suffering and achieve tranquility. While stoicism may not be the ideal way of life for everyone, Irvine's book will at the very...
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