The Stoic Challenge by William B. Irvine

Join, your host, Sean Murray, on a journey for the life well lived.

You’re listening to The Good Life by The Investor’s Podcast Network, where we explore the ideas, principles, and values that help you live a meaningful purposeful life. I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Professor Irvine as much as I did. On today’s show, William talks about the importance of finding your philosophy of life, how after looking around a bit, he eventually found stoicism, and how he applies the ancient principles of stoicism to achieve a more meaningful, flourishing life. Today’s guest is William Irvine, the professor of philosophy at Wright State University, and the author of two popular books on stoicism, The Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, and The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher’s Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient. Welcome to The Good Life podcast! I’m your host, Sean Murray. We strive to be as accurate as possible, but minor errors may occur. Not only can we overcome everyday obstacles―we can benefit from them, too.Disclaimer: The transcript that follows has been generated using Artificial Intelligence. Irvine’s updated “Stoic test strategy” teaches us how to transform life’s stumbling blocks into opportunities for becoming calmer, tougher, and more resilient.

The Stoics discovered that thinking of challenges as tests of character can dramatically alter our emotional response to them. The result is a surprisingly simple strategy for dealing with life’s unpleasant and unexpected challenges―from minor setbacks like being caught in a traffic jam or having a flight cancelled to major setbacks like those experienced by physicist Stephen Hawking, who slowly lost the ability to move, and writer Jean-Dominique Bauby, who suffered from locked-in syndrome. This book uniquely combines ancient Stoic insights with techniques discovered by contemporary psychological research, such as anchoring and framing. The Stoic Challenge, then, is the ultimate guide to improving your quality of life through tactics developed by ancient Stoics, from Marcus Aurelius and Seneca to Epictetus. Irvine teaches us to turn any challenge on its head.

Plumbing the wisdom of one of the most popular and successful schools of thought from ancient Rome, philosopher William B. Stoicism offers us an alternative approach. We often think that these responses are hardwired, but fortunately this is not the case. Some people bounce back in response to setbacks others break. A practical, refreshingly optimistic guide that uses centuries-old wisdom to help us better cope with the stresses of modern living.

The Stoic Challenge by William B. Irvine