Distilled: A Guide to the Good Life
A Guide to the Good Life
Author: William B. Irvine
“If you consider yourself a victim, you are not going to have a good life; if, however, you refuse to think of yourself as a victim — if you refuse to let your inner self be conquered by your external circumstances — you are likely to have a good life, no matter what turn your external circumstances take.”
Review & Thoughts
This is, first and foremost, an instructional handbook for modern Stoicism. It is not, by any means, the only interpretation of Stoic philosophy, and it is not the “Stoic Bible”. It simply presents one complete system of Stoic ethics that is secular and compatible with modern life and science. The Stoics had many interests outside of ethics, including physics and logic. The ancients did not know what we know now about the universe, and were thus left to speculate based on their limited information.
One might argue that to change Stoicism is to sever its connection with the ancient philosophers, and as a result, create something entirely new and different which should not bear the same name. However, the philosophy of Stoicism that we attribute to Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius was itself adapted for Roman life from Greek Stoicism as created by Zeno. Furthermore, the Roman Stoic philosophers did not even universally agree amongst themselves! It is clear that Stoicism, like any philosophy, is not a settled and resolved belief system. On the contrary, it is a living organism that is highly subject to change and interpretation. If Seneca himself were to study this modern interpretation of the ancient philosophy, he would, despite inevitable shock and disgust at our scientific ideas, find agreement with 90% of these ethics. That is reason enough for this philosophy to be called Stoicism. Chapter 21 of this book provides a more in-depth response to this dilemma.
While I stated already that this book is not the “Stoic Bible”, I do believe that anyone interested in a sweeping overview of the Stoic philosophy should start here. It serves as an excellent foundation for those seeking to adopt Stoicism as a philosophy of life, and will give great context for future study of the ancient Stoics. The introduction gives a great, succinct summary of the history of ancient Stoicism and its key players.
A Guide to the Good Life is the quintessential curriculum of modern Stoicism, but, due to the broad and general nature of its guidance, it is not useful to revisit and reference for maintaining Stoic values. I find it much more advantageous, in times when I feel the need reinvigorate my inner Stoic, to read the ancient works of my personal favorites: Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. This, for me, is what truly connects my practice of modern, secular Stoicism with the wisdom of the ancients, and allows me to draw philosophical power straight from the source.
Rating: 9/10
Excerpts & Notes
Introduction
“The Stoics realized that a life plagued with negative emotions — including anger, anxiety, fear, grief, and envy — will not be a good life.”
“…the goal of the Stoics was not to banish emotion from life but to banish negative emotions.”
Philosophy Takes an Interest in Life
“What had been a trickle of philosophical activity before Socrates became, after his death, a veritable torrent.”
“Indeed, most religions, after telling adherents what they must do to be morally upstanding and get into heaven, leave it to them to determine what things in life are and aren’t worth pursuing.” [As a result, many adopt the simple pursuit of not breaking any of these rules, and anything else is inconsequential.]
Roman Stoicism
“Epictetus knew that his words would be wasted on students who didn’t yet recognize their own inadequacies or who weren’t willing to take the steps necessary to deal with them.” [I should remember Epictetus’ wisdom here in my own interactions.]
“Just as wood is the medium of the carpenter and bronze is the medium of the sculptor, your life is the medium on which you practice the art of living.”
“…modern individuals rarely see the need to adopt a philosophy of life. They instead tend to spend their days working hard to be able to afford the latest consumer gadget, in the resolute belief that if only they buy enough stuff, they will have a life that is both meaningful and maximally fulfilling.”
Negative Visualization
“We humans are unhappy in large part because we are insatiable; after working hard to get what we want, we routinely lose interest in the object of our desire.” [Hedonic adaptation is a recurring theme in Stoic philosophy, and universally (if not explicitly) considered the arch enemy of tranquility.]
“…the easiest way for us to gain happiness is to learn how to want the things we already have.” [This never made sense to me until I started taking negative visualization seriously. I wondered how I could want something when it is already in my possession. I now realize that by vividly envisioning the thing being taken from me, and really trying to feel the pain of that loss, it is quite easy to conjure feelings of gratitude and satisfaction for things that I have. On the other hand, if I find that I cannot summon grateful feelings, it is because the thing in question is actually not important to me. It is useless to be grateful for things to which you are indifferent.]
“Besides contemplating the death of relatives, the Stoics think we should spend time contemplating the loss of friends, to death, perhaps, or to a falling-out. Thus, Epictetus counsels that when we say good-bye to a friend, we should silently remind ourselves that this might be our final parting.” [This is the raison d’être of negative visualization. Appreciation for your things is one matter, but appreciation and gratitude for the people in your life is another matter entirely.]
“As we go about our day, we should periodically pause to reflect on the fact that we will not live forever and therefore that this day could be our last.” [Contemplating our own mortality is, in essence, contemplating the loss of all things, all people, and all future experiences simultaneously. Gratitude for life itself is the cornerstone of a cosmic perspective.]
“Most of us are ‘living the dream’ — living, that is, the dream we once had for ourselves.” […and subsequently became indifferent to through our insatiable hedonism.]
“One might imagine that the Stoics, because they go around contemplating worst-case scenarios, would tend toward pessimism. What we find, though, is that the regular practice of negative visualization has the effect of transforming Stoics into full-blown optimists.” [The explanation that follows essentially states that because a Stoic will spend time to periodically cultivate gratitude and contentment with he has, he will experience life with significantly more appreciation and joy than a non-philosopher. Furthermore, he will not be stricken with grief and pain to the degree that others might upon the loss of such things, and will not have to question whether or not his time together with that thing (or person) was well-spent.]
“…there is a difference between contemplating something bad happening and worrying about it.” [An important distinction.]
The Dichotomy of Control
[Premise of this chapter is to discern between things we have total or partial control over, and things we have no control over. Make it a habit to regularly conduct this analysis when negative feelings arise. If you find yourself feeling “powerless” in a situation, it’s because you probably are, and should not spend any more time or energy entertaining these feelings.]
Fatalism
“We have no control over the past; nor do we have any control over the present, if by the present we mean this very moment. Therefore, we are wasting our time if we worry about past or present events.”
[This chapter takes quite a departure from true Stoicism as the ancients practiced it. There’s very clear evidence that the ancient Stoics believed the future was already decided by the Fates, which is a belief that I firmly disagree with. This is one example of the necessity of reimagining Stoicism to be compatible with modern science.]
Self-Denial
“…by undertaking acts of voluntary discomfort — by, for example, choosing to be cold and hungry when we could be warm and well fed — we harden ourselves against misfortunes that might befall us in the future.”
“Besides periodically engaging in acts of voluntary discomfort, we should, say the Stoics, periodically forgo opportunities to experience pleasure. This is because pleasure has a dark side.”
“For the Stoics — and, indeed, for anyone attempting to practice a philosophy of life — self-control will be an important trait to acquire. After all, if we lack self-control, we are likely to be distracted by the various pleasures life has to offer, and in this distracted state we are unlikely to attain the goals of our philosophy of life.”
“Indeed, by practicing Stoic self-denial techniques over a long period, Stoics can transform themselves into individuals remarkable for their courage and self-control. They will be able to do things that others dread doing, and they will be able to refrain from doing things that others cannot resist doing.”
Grief
“In normal, prospective negative visualization, we imagine losing something we currently possess; in retrospective negative visualization, we imagine never having had something that we have lost. By engaging in retrospective negative visualization, Seneca thinks, we can replace our feelings of regret at having lost something with feelings of thanks for once having had it.”
Anger
“We live in a world, after all, in which there is much to be angry about, meaning that unless we can learn to control our anger, awe will be perpetually angry.”
“If we are overly sensitive, we will be quick to anger. More generally, says Seneca, if we coddle ourselves, if we allow ourselves to be corrupted by pleasure, nothing will seem bearable to us, and the reason things will seem unbearable is not because they are hard but because we are soft.”
“What seems vitally important to us will seem unimportant to our grandchildren. Thus, when we feel ourselves getting angry about something, we should pause to consider its cosmic (in)significance. Doing this might enable us to nip our anger in the bud.”
Personal Values: On Seeking Fame
“Stoics value their freedom, and they are therefore reluctant to do anything that will give others power over them. But if we seek social status, we give other people power over us: We have to do things calculated to make them admire us, and we have to refrain from doing things that will trigger their disfavor.”
“If we wish to retain our freedom, says Epictetus, we must be careful, while dealing with other people, to be indifferent to what they think of us.”
Personal Values: On Luxurious Living
“Those who crave luxury typically have to spend considerable time and energy to attain it; those who eschew luxury can devote this same time and energy to other, more worthwhile undertakings.”
“It is indeed ironic: A Stoic who disparages wealth might become wealthier than those individuals whose principal goal is its acquisition.”
The Decline of Stoicism
“We citizens are encouraged, in our pursuit of happiness, to resort to politics rather than philosophy. We are encouraged to march in the streets or write to our congressman rather than read Seneca or Epictetus. More significantly, we are encourage to vote for the candidate who claims to possess the ability, by skillfully using the powers of government, to make us happy.”
“If you consider yourself a victim, you are not going to have a good life; if, however, you refuse to think of yourself as a victim — if you refuse to let your inner self be conquered by your external circumstances — you are likely to have a good life, no matter what turn your external circumstances take.”
Practicing Stoicism
“Those who lack self-discipline will have the path they take through life determined by someone or something else, and as a result, there is a very real danger that they will mislive.”
Enjoy this edition of Distilled?
Pick up A Guide to the Good Life on Amazon here.
Distilled is an edition of the Side Effects blog that I publish upon completion of a new book. My reviews are an account of my personal, subjective experience of the book. I do my best to describe the impact it had on me, and any lessons I’ve taken away from it. The included excerpts and notes are sections that I highlighted and noted while reading, and represent what I feel to be the most poignant pieces of information. By publishing these reports here publicly, it is my hope that others will be able to receive the best of the knowledge and lessons from my literary journey.
