Lessons in Stoicism

How can Stoicism inspire us to lead more enjoyable lives?In the past few years Stoicism has been making a comeback. But what exactly did the Stoics believe? In Lessons in Stoicism philosopher John Sellars weaves together the key ideas of the three great Roman Stoics -- Seneca Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius -- with snapshots of their fascinating lives to show us how their ideas can help us today. In vivid prose Sellars shows how the works of these three Stoics have inspired readers ever since speaking as they do to some of the perennial issues that face anyone trying to navigate their way through life. Their works fundamentally are about how to live -- how to understand ones place in the world how to cope when things dont go well how to manage ones emotions and how to behave towards others. Consoling and inspiring Lessons in Stoicism is a deeply thoughtful guide to the philosophy of a good life. Review Lessons in Stoicism distils key Stoic tenets insofar as they can help contemporary readers into under 100 small pages. Sellars achieves the task he sets himself admirably. In elegant economical prose he urges us to become better happier people by focusing on rational decision-making -- Tim Whitmarsh ―GuardianAccessible and absorbing -- Roger Cox ―ScotsmanAn enlightening explanation of how Stoic philosophy can help us in our lives. . . It can put us in control of our feelings help us in adversity and guide us in our relationships with others. Sellars is ideally placed to offer these lessons in Stoicism as teacher scholar and as a founding member of the group that teaches living like a Stoic for a week -- Professor Sir Richard SorabjiExpertly and vividly John Sellars presents lessons in Stoicism that are strikingly relevant to modern life. From the great Roman Stoic authors he distills teaching on managing emotions dealing with adversity facing death and making the best use of every hour and situation. This is a book that excellently shows why Stoicism is the philosophy for our time. I recommend it with enthusiasm -- Professor A. A. Long author of Epictetus: How to be FreeExcellent. . . Sellars gives a lucid easy-to-follow account of what Stoicism as a way of life amounts to and how you might start to put it into practice. . . To cover so much ground without merely skimming the surface requires real skill as a writer -- Nigel Warburton author of A Little History of Philosophy About the Author John Sellars is a lecturer in Philosophy at Royal Holloway University of London and a member of Wolfson College Oxford. He is the author ofLessons in Stoicism andThe Art of Living as well as one of the founder members of Modern Stoicism the group behind Stoic Week an annual global event inviting members of the public to live like a Stoic for a week to see how it might improve their lives. His books have been translated into ten languages.