Happiness and Stoicism
On Ryan Holiday, Tim Ferriss, and Derren Brown
Every year, I teach a class that centers on happiness. I begin it with a simple question: “How many of you want to be happy?” And everyone always raises their hand.
I could start the class with the more appropriate philosophical question: “How many of you want to live a good life?” But I know better. The students would just stare at me with confusion.
This pedagogical tactic reveals an important point: “happiness” functions in English-language popular discourse as the term to talk about a core philosophical idea: the good life.
The Stoic answer to this question, that the good life consists in flourishing (eudaimonia), has seen a resurgent interest that is indicative of a cultural shift. Interestingly, it looks to be taking the place left open by the retreat of religious belief.
Holiday, Ferriss and Brown have made a greater impact on the public than nearly all the members of the American Philosophical Association have…
Tellingly, the resurgence is due, in no small measure, to the efforts of non-academics, especially Ryan Holiday, a marketing specialist, Tim Ferriss, a personal development specialist, and…
