Andrew
Full-disclosure up front: my 5 star rating is a reflection of the impact the book had on me the first time I read it 16 years ago as a recent college dropout with no prospects who had just moved back to my hometown, dissatisfied with my Catholic faith, and with no prior knowledge of Stoicism.
At that time, it was electric and revelatory. It opened the door to Stoic philosophy for me, which radically changed my way of thinking. Rereading now as someone older, more secure in my worldview, and with a broader understanding of Stoicism, I'd rate it around 3 stars.
The book is written as an introduction to Stoic philosophy and attempts to "update" it to make it applicable to modern life. It's roughly divided into 4 parts: part one being a brief history of the development and practice of Stoicism in ancient Greece and Rome, part two covering the basic axioms of Stoic practice, part three in which the author demonstrates how those practices can be of use in our daily life, and part four in which he attempts to head off criticism or doubters.
The author focuses heavily on negative visualization, or the practice of imagining bad things happening so that we're more appreciative of them not happening and more prepared for if they do. To quote one passage:
We need to keep firmly in mind that everything we value and the people we love will someday be lost to us. If nothing else, our own death will deprive us of them. More generally, we should keep in mind that any human activity that cannot be carried on indefinitely must have a final occurrence. There will be - or already has been! - a last time in your life that you will brush your teeth, cut your hair, drive a car, mow the lawn, or play hopscotch. There will be a last time you hear the sound of snow falling, watch the moon rise, smell popcorn, feel the warmth of a child falling asleep in your armals, or make love. You will someday eat your last meal, and soon thereafter you will take your last breath.
The point of this is not to leave people paralyzed with anxiety but to make them more aware of and connected to the moment, both to not take good things for granted and also to not over-catastrophize the bad things. "This too shall pass..."
The book does a good job of hammering home this point, and the author works hard to combat the perception of Stoics as cold, emotionless, robotic, etc. In practice, a good Stoic should naturally be more optimistic and relaxed than the average person, without letting themselves get carried away by the highs or lows.
The book is less successful in the third and fourth parts. Irvine does not practice a pure form of Stoicism but has simply adapted some of the more accessible practices into his own personal life and is heavily informed by his pre-existing conceptions (he was a practicing Buddhist previously) and some of his defenses of Stoicism in the fourth part feel like loosely-constructed strawmen.
However, I still find the book to be a good entry to Stoicism and would recommend it as a starting point to someone interested in the philosophy but would quickly follow that up with a recommendation of classical Stoic literature to buttress it. To his credit, Irvine says the same himself and provides a lengthy recommended reading list in the appendix.
This book is very much an elementary take on Stoicism and one should not expect to walk away an expert after reading it. But to someone in the same position I once was, lost and questioning, it can open an invaluable door towards making sense of life.
This is the downside of failing to develop an effective philosophy of life: you end up wasting the one life you have.
_____
My Rating Scale
5 stars - An all-time classic, a book that fundamentally changed or enriched my life. Would recommend to any and all readers.
4 stars - An excellent book that stands out in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre or subject matter.
3 stars - A perfectly serviceable book that may be entertaining or informative but does not push the envelope or linger long in the memory. Would recommend to pre-existing fans of the genre or author.
2 stars - A book that falls short in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would only recommend with reservations or would not recommend at all.
1 star - A book that has nothing to say, or says it so poorly it isn't worth reading. Would not recommend and would actively warn away from.
Full-disclosure up front: my 5 star rating is a reflection of the impact the book had on me the first time I read it 16 years ago as a recent college dropout with no prospects who had just moved back to my hometown, dissatisfied with my Catholic faith, and with no prior knowledge of Stoicism.
At that time, it was electric and revelatory. It opened the door to Stoic philosophy for me, which radically changed my way of thinking. Rereading now as someone older, more secure in my worldview, and with a broader understanding of Stoicism, I'd rate it around 3 stars.
The book is written as an introduction to Stoic philosophy and attempts to "update" it to make it applicable to modern life. It's roughly divided into 4 parts: part one being a brief history of the development and practice of Stoicism in ancient Greece and Rome, part two covering the basic axioms of Stoic practice, part three in which the author demonstrates how those practices can be of use in our daily life, and part four in which he attempts to head off criticism or doubters.
The author focuses heavily on negative visualization, or the practice of imagining bad things happening so that we're more appreciative of them not happening and more prepared for if they do. To quote one passage:
We need to keep firmly in mind that everything we value and the people we love will someday be lost to us. If nothing else, our own death will deprive us of them. More generally, we should keep in mind that any human activity that cannot be carried on indefinitely must have a final occurrence. There will be - or already has been! - a last time in your life that you will brush your teeth, cut your hair, drive a car, mow the lawn, or play hopscotch. There will be a last time you hear the sound of snow falling, watch the moon rise, smell popcorn, feel the warmth of a child falling asleep in your armals, or make love. You will someday eat your last meal, and soon thereafter you will take your last breath.
The point of this is not to leave people paralyzed with anxiety but to make them more aware of and connected to the moment, both to not take good things for granted and also to not over-catastrophize the bad things. "This too shall pass..."
The book does a good job of hammering home this point, and the author works hard to combat the perception of Stoics as cold, emotionless, robotic, etc. In practice, a good Stoic should naturally be more optimistic and relaxed than the average person, without letting themselves get carried away by the highs or lows.
The book is less successful in the third and fourth parts. Irvine does not practice a pure form of Stoicism but has simply adapted some of the more accessible practices into his own personal life and is heavily informed by his pre-existing conceptions (he was a practicing Buddhist previously) and some of his defenses of Stoicism in the fourth part feel like loosely-constructed strawmen.
However, I still find the book to be a good entry to Stoicism and would recommend it as a starting point to someone interested in the philosophy but would quickly follow that up with a recommendation of classical Stoic literature to buttress it. To his credit, Irvine says the same himself and provides a lengthy recommended reading list in the appendix.
This book is very much an elementary take on Stoicism and one should not expect to walk away an expert after reading it. But to someone in the same position I once was, lost and questioning, it can open an invaluable door towards making sense of life.
This is the downside of failing to develop an effective philosophy of life: you end up wasting the one life you have.
_____
My Rating Scale
5 stars - An all-time classic, a book that fundamentally changed or enriched my life. Would recommend to any and all readers.
4 stars - An excellent book that stands out in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre or subject matter.
3 stars - A perfectly serviceable book that may be entertaining or informative but does not push the envelope or linger long in the memory. Would recommend to pre-existing fans of the genre or author.
2 stars - A book that falls short in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would only recommend with reservations or would not recommend at all.
1 star - A book that has nothing to say, or says it so poorly it isn't worth reading. Would not recommend and would actively warn away from.