Being Better

Stoicism for a World Worth Living In

Kai Whiting, Leonidas Konstantakos

• Publisher: New World Library
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781567926118
• eBook ISBN:
  9781608686940
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Personal Success

Practical answers to the urgent moral questions of our time from the ancient philosophy of Stoicism

Twenty-three centuries ago, in a marketplace in Athens, Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, built his philosophy on powerful ideas that still resonate today: all human beings can become citizens of the world, regardless of their nationality, gender, or social class; happiness comes from living in harmony with nature; and, most important, humans always have the freedom to choose their attitude, even when they cannot control external circumstances. In our age of political polarization and environmental destruction, Stoicism’s empowering message has taken on new relevance. In Being Better, Kai Whiting and Leonidas Konstantakos apply Stoic principles to contemporary issues such as social justice, climate breakdown, and the excesses of global capitalism. They show that Stoicism is not an ivory-tower philosophy or a collection of Silicon Valley life hacks but a vital way of life that helps us live simply, improve our communities, and find peace in a turbulent world.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Chapter 1: The Promise of the “Good Life”
• Chapter 2: Virtue as a Way Forward
• Chapter 3: Know What’s in Your Control (and Isn’t!)
• Chapter 4: Recognize Luck
• Chapter 5: No One Is an Island
• Chapter 6: Put People in Circles, Not Boxes
• Chapter 7: Only the Educated Are Free
• Chapter 8: Live According to Nature
• Chapter 9: Well on the Way to a Life Transformed. . .
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Index
• About the Authors