I came upon this book in a somewhat unusual manner. I had
read How to Be A Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci and he not only referenced Irvine’s
book profusely but he recommended that his readers read this book as well. The
kudos worked its magic with me and I bought this book on line. I eagerly
attacked this book as soon as I finished Pigliucci’s book, and I am very glad
that I did.
Irvine’s tone is different than Pigliucci’s not better, not
worse, but different. He is more laid back and truly lived up to the Stoic goal
of tranquility. The descriptions and arguments has a very tranquil quality to
them, even as he discusses difficult questions like dealing with anger, death,
grief, et. al. His voice is that of a gentle guide through the various knotty
arguments that is so typical of anything philosophical.
The book starts with a good historical background of
Stoicism, we meet the philosophers who make up the bulk of what we are about to
read, and we are introduced to both the Greek and Roman Stoics. The second part
of the book is devoted to the psychological tools used by the Stoics in order
to practice Stoicism. This can be considered as teaching the reader to use the
tools and to becoming comfortable wielding the weapons of great import.
The third part of the book is devoted to specific topics
which have proven to be difficult for people to navigate as they attempt to
live a Stoic life. The aforementioned
topics of anger, death, grief, insults, social relations, etc. were covered in
short compact chapters detailing the ways a philosopher could approach the
discussion and ensuing argument. This
section was a touch pedantic but it was a necessary exercise because it allowed
us into the mind of a practicing Stoic and gave us a glimpse of what practicing
philosophers do: state problems, formulate arguments and most importantly guide
us through his reasoning.
The most impressive and important section of this book to me
is the last section: Stoicism for Modern Lives. Three excellent chapters proceed
from the description of the fall of Stoicism in the public eye and throughout
history, to reasons why we should reconsider Stoicism as a personal philosophy,
the meaning of having a personal philosophy, and finally he describes his own
journey through making Stoicism his own personal philosophy. The last two
chapters made the most impact on me personally as Dr. Irvine drew us into his
personal experience and allowed us to look behind the curtain into how he was
able to explore Stoicism in his own way. His chapter on reconsidering Stoicism
is particularly impactful as he made some very salient arguments for taking the
personal journey into investigating the practice.
Even though I had committed myself to practicing Stoicism on
my own, this book made the act seem much less dramatic and much more matter of
fact for someone to partake in this most personal of journeys. I am at a
beginning stage obviously, but I feel reassured and comfortable in knowing that
I can always reach back and gain wisdom from this remarkable book.
