Aha the moments of insight that shape our world by. The ancient art of stoic joy first printing by irvine, william b isbn. Takes the reader on a wideranging tour of our impulses, wants, and needs, showing us where these feelings come from and how we can try to rein them in. The moments of insight that shape our world, philosopher william b. The book challenges you to think about living life as an art. A guide to the good life summary lets look at things hypothetically and imagine that you are a greek kid living in the age of alexander the great around 300 bc. A man of average income feels he cannot be truly happy unless he owns an expensive luxury car. Irvine takes us on a wideranging tour of our impulses, wants, and needs, showing us where.
Irvine is a stoic expert, an author and professor at wright state university based in dayton, ohio he is the author of several books such as on desire and a slap in the face. Why we want what we want 9780195327076 by william b. Takes the reader on a wideranging tour of our impulses, wants, and needs. On desire is the result of philosophy professor william irvines academic study of desire. On desire follows the lead of those philosophers, religious thinkers, and modern psychologists who have argued to the contrary, that happiness is impossible unless we learn how to control our desires. Irvine takes us on a wideranging tour of our impulses, wants, and needs, showing us where these feelings come from and how we can try to rein them in.
Nov 24, 2005 enter irvine s on desire, a book which turns desire insideout to explore how and why desires arise, how they affect our lives, what advice exists from both religious and philosophical thinkers on mastering desire, and what methods they have pursued to achieve that goal. Irvine also looks at what modern science can tell us. Irvine takes us on a wideranging tour of our impulses, wants, and. On desire is a fascinating book that looks at how we interact with desire. Irvine and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Irvines research focuses on issues at the borderline of traditional philosophy and practical life, such as ethical. Why we want what we want new ed by irvine, william b. Stoicism, understood properly, is a cure for a disease. And when great ideas come to us, from where do they come. Why we want what we want by irvine, william b irvine, william braxton and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. He simply and clearly discusses biologically instilled incentive systems, the rich psychological research on the peculiarities of our motivation, and the wisdom of various religious and spiritual traditions. 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. He simply and clearly discusses biologically instilled incentive systems, the rich psychological research on the peculiarities of our motivation, and the wisdom of various religious and spiritual. Or, changing the metaphor a bit, he tells us that intense pleasures, when captured by us, become our captors, meaning that the more pleasures a.
Spicing his account with engaging observations by writers like seneca, tolstoy, and freud, irvine considers the teachings of buddhists, hindus, the amish, shakers, and. A philosophers guide to becoming tougher, calmer, and more resilient. The author also easily tiesin some of the ideas from his other book on desire, why we want what we want, so to get the most out of either book, you really need to read both. Irvine is a professor of philosophy at wright state university in dayton, ohio. William b irvine is professor of philosophy at wright state university, the author of seven books, including a guide to the good life, and he is a contributor for the huffington post, salon, time, and. Throughout human history and across cultures, people have thought the road to happiness is to get what we want. Spicing his account with engaging observations by writers like seneca, tolstoy, and freud, irvine considers the teachings of buddhists. William styron we set up this online bookstore to bring you closer to books. Buy this book while most contemporary philosophers mull over theoretical matters and. Irvine, author of a guide to the good life and on desire, explores these epiphanies, from the minor insights that strike us all daily to the major realizations that alter the course of history. Focusing on aha moments as they take place in five different domainsreligion. Online shopping from a great selection at books store.
On being captured, it can turn on us and tear us to pieces. The ancient art of stoic joy ebook written by william b. William b irvine is professor of philosophy at wright state university, the author of seven books, including a guide to the good life, and he is a contributor for the huffington post, salon, time, and the bbc. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought in ancient rome, and shows how its insight and advice are still remarkably applicable to modern lives. Only book on the market that both explores and attempts to interweave your various identities as a member of a species, a collection of cells, a collection of atoms, etc. The stoic challenge is a sequel to my guide to the good life. Irvine is a stoic expert, an author and professor at wright state university based in dayton, ohio.
Irvine explains the ancient stoic way of life in a manner suited to the modern, nonacademic reader. A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. Irvine will explore the advice the stoic philosophers and others have offered on aging well. Irvine combines key lessons from the ancient stoics thinkers including marcus aurelius and senecawith modern psychological techniques such as anchoring and framing to develop a surprisingly simple strategy for dealing with lifes unpleasant surprises. The first two thirds is a summary of his and others research results. Irvine has written a disarmingly seductive and easily readable treatise on the origins, nature, vicissitudes, and crises of desire. Irvine s research focuses on issues at the borderline of traditional philosophy and practical life, such as ethical issues involved in finances or ethical and political aspects of. Why we want what we want, the subtitle of william b. On desire follows the lead of those philosophers, religious thinkers, and modern psychologists who have argued to the contrary, that happiness is impossible. In that book, i described stoicism in general terms. William irvines on desire takes on what must be deemed a formidable task. Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our pro connect email alert. William irvine s on desire examines the nature of desire, exploring first how profoundly it affects our lives, then surveying psychological inquiries into its basis before at last turning to consider how religions, philosophies, and odd ducks have attempted to grapple with it.
Irvines research focuses on issues at the borderline of traditional philosophy and practical life, such as ethical issues involved in finances or ethical and political aspects of parenting. Nov 29, 2008 another valuable ally in your personal morale campaign can be found in william b. Unites scientific questions with philosophical questions that arise concerning the meaning of life. Why we want what we want and a guide to the good life. For more on his life and writings, visit his author website at there is the perception that practitioners of stoicism tend to try a guide to the good life. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Irvine is professor of philosophy at wright state university in dayton, ohio. Discover book depositorys huge selection of william b irvine books online. A guide to the good life by william irvine book summary. In aha the moments of insight that shape our world, philosopher william b. The result is a philosophy that will help you overcome suffering and achieve tranquility. The author comes off as a little prudish, advocating more of an approach of ignoring desires, but even with that tone, the book provides a look at what desire is, what the neurological basis of it is, as well as how different cultures and communities deal with desire. There are two tragedies in life, george bernard shaw wrote.
This is a book summary of a guide to the good life by william b. Nov 04, 2008 one of the great fears many of us face is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. Enter irvines on desire, a book which turns desire insideout to explore how and why desires arise, how they affect our lives, what advice exists from both religious and philosophical thinkers on mastering desire, and what methods they have pursued to achieve that goal. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read a guide to the good life. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought. Why insults hurtand why they shouldnt, the sequel to a guide to the good life. He is the author of several books such as on desire and a slap in the face. Irvine has given us a very engaging book on what desire is. What is delightful about this book is that the usual suspects are not as. A married person falls deeply in love with someone else. The remaining third is a survey of philosophical and religious views on the nature of desire, including the many and various recommendations for taming desire to maximize its positive contributions to our lives and minimize its.
The views and opinions expressed on unofficial pages of wright state university faculty, staff, or students are strictly those of the page authors. Irvine, a philosophy professor at wright state university, explores these and other questions in on desire. A book on the psychology and sociology of moments of inspiration in various domains oxford. Another valuable ally in your personal morale campaign can be found in william b. Irvine is professor of philosophy at wright state university, in dayton, ohio. Irvine has written a disarmingly seductive and easily readable. Takes the reader on a wideranging tour of our impulses, wants, and needs, showing us where these feelings come from and how we can try. One of the great fears many of us face is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. This is my book summary of a guide to the good life by william b. Irvines a guide to the good life is a rare treat, a book from an academic philosopher that can actually help you improve your life. Spicing his account with engaging observations by writers like seneca. Irvine, author of a guide to the good life and on desire, explores these epiphanies, from the minor insights that strike us all daily, to the major realizations that alter the course of history. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought in ancient rom. Sep 26, 2005 on desire is a fascinating book that looks at how we interact with desire.
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