Stoicism and the Art of Happiness: A Teach Yourself Guide Paperback – February 12, 2014

In “Stoicism and the Art of Happiness” Donald Robertson presents a detailed look into the various aspects of the ancient practice of Stoicism, weaving in famous quotes, a number of “Try it now” and “Remember this” sidebars, and even insight on how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy relates to Stoic techniques. He covers a lot: The goal of living in agreement with nature; Stoicism’s framework in “Physics” (how the universe works in accordance with a natural order); “Ethics” (what is the good, including the virtues of courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom); the major aspects of the practice such as the Disciplines of Desire, Action, and Assent; and certain spiritual or other practices such as “the view from above,” the contemplation of impermanence, and the premeditation of adversity. To his credit, he presents it all, without resorting to a selective modern take or approximation of Stoicism, and rather introduces modern aspects such as approaches in CBT as an adjunct to the ancient Stoic concepts. Highly recommended.Yes, from other reviews, the feel of the writing may be too academic and requiring a lot of filtering and reflection–legitimate point–but ithe book is nevertheless well written from that standpoint, having to bring together a lot of elements that make up a rather intricate philosophy. I think that’s why I appreciate it, that I don’t have to slog through another Stoicism work of surface-level fluff, as there’s plenty of that out on the market. Yes, again, it’s not perfect–maybe a visual chart or diagram would help readers absorb the general framework that supports the Stoic worldview–but I think it’s a good thing that this book demands some reflection on our part, because ultimately that’s what’s needed to make progress in improving our character. The promise is that, if you can really take this practice to heart, happiness follows as a consequence.(Note: I also recommend Chris Fisher’s podcast “Stoicism on Fire,” which helps shed more light on Stoicism from the traditional perspective and emphasizes a trust in the natural or cosmic order, i.e. God or Providence if you will, and a sense of gratitude in the events that befall us.)

Academic in writing style. Thorough like a text book I may go back and build a mind-map model of this book as it describes stoicism in a comprehensive manner. A mind-map would make the content easier to digest.

From the first chapter of the book: “Stoicism is a philosophy that focuses on teaching us how to excel in life, how to become better human beings, and how to live a good life” to the very last chapter: “Seneca said that the only true good resides entirely within our mind, in the ‘ruling faculty’ or consciousness, we should somehow seek to enlarge that part of ourselves, because in doing so, we ‘rise above’ individual external things, diluting their perceived significance.” Donald Robertson presents a flawless way to change the reader’s life and way of thinking.Inside the pages of this valuable work of art, are countless detailed professional suggestions, proven techniques, and historic Stoic quotes from (the closest thing to) the Stoic sages of old, that will have an impact on not only the reader’s life, but also on the lives of others within the reader’s sphere of influence.The fusing together of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), and Stoicism produces a truly beautiful and effective recipe that produces a ‘good’ and ‘happy’ life, when practiced daily. This recipe however is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of hard, (personal) yet rewarding work (in the form of time commitments) required to transform oneself into the strong-minded “sage” described in this book.The process of becoming a Stoic sage is not difficult in and of itself, but the necessity to commit to a certain amount of time each day in practice can seem somewhat daunting to the average ‘busy’ person who is caught up in the ‘rat race’ of what we call (making a) living.While reading this great book, the reader WILL experience many “Aha! I’ve got it” moments and may even feel compelled to reread certain sections two or three times to let the information presented sink into the deepest parts of the thinking process. I personally highlighted the parts (and there are many) that resonate with my personal practice. I can quickly go to the highlighted parts when I feel I need a refresher of all the wonderful information presented.Readers who want to change their lives for the better, to start, and continue, living a ‘good’ life will find this read extremely helpful and enlightening. Putting the information inside into practice is not difficult, but it does require a certain investment of time each day for perceptible results.I gave this book a five-star rating because it changed my life. I will use it as reference material because the information presented within has had and will continue to have a profound effect on my life and in my way of thinking.

This book has started me on a journey of reading other great stoic philosophers. This book lays it all out in an easy to ready and understand format with many references and activities that embody stoic principles. I would argue that this book has been life changing in some respects. I think everyone could benefit from reading this book. Kudos to the author and the way he presents the material.