Philosophy for Life
by Jules Evans · first published 2012
4mentions
2recommended by
3HN commenters
2014–2016first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
Jules Evans explains how philosophy quite literally saved his life, and shows how we can make use of it everyday in our own. He imagines his dream school, with a rowdy faculty that includes 15 of the greatest and most colourful philosophers the world has ever known.
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…likes of Seneca and Aristotle thousands of years ago, and there are good reasons why those writers are still the foundation for philosophy today - they were right. [1] I would recommend something like "Philosophy For Life (And Other Dangerous Situations)" by Jules Evans or "Consolations of Philosophy" by Alain De Botton as a starting point.
on “Life is a game, this is your strategy guide” ↗Anything by Alain De Botton but especially "Consollations of Philosophy" and "Status Anxiety", "How To Live: Micheal De Montaigne" by Sarah Bakewell, and "Philosophy for Life" by Jules Evans. None of them are hardcore academic works; they're just really interesting introductions to how philosophy can actually be useful.
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite way to save money?” ↗…are happy so long as they have health and enough to eat" is bollocks. I rather liked the "Happiness Hypothesis" by Haidt although it's more of an academic look at the area than a self help book. Also "Philosophy for Life: And other dangerous situations" is good on the philosophical side.
on “How to Be Happy” ↗…still, a good intro. There are other good Stoicism books, and anyone who's been through cognitive behavioral therapy will find Irvine's book a bit of a refresher course. Anyone have any comments about "Philosophy for Life" or "Stocism and the Art of Happiness"?
on “A Guide to the Good Life” ↗