A Guide to the Good Life
William B. Irvine, a philosophy professor at Wright State University, wrote A Guide to the Good Life as a working manual for modern readers who want to actually run Stoicism on their daily lives. The book splits into three sections: a history of ancient Stoicism through Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus; a set of psychological techniques including negative visualization, the dichotomy of control, and voluntary discomfort; and Irvine's own argument for why Stoicism beats Buddhism and other contemplative traditions for the modern Western reader. Published by Oxford University Press in 2009, the book has become the gateway to modern Stoicism that sits behind Ryan Holiday and Mark Manson's work.
What you might want to know about A Guide to the Good Life
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A philosophy professor turns ancient Stoicism into a practical playbook for modern life, covering negative visualization and the dichotomy of control.
No. A Guide to the Good Life is widely recommended as an entry point to Stoicism precisely because it does not require prior reading of the ancient sources. It quotes Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius throughout.
A Guide to the Good Life was written by William B. Irvine, published in 2009 by Oxford University Press.
A Guide to the Good Life is 326 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, A Guide to the Good Life takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
A Guide to the Good Life is a standalone novel by William B. Irvine, not part of a series.
A Guide to the Good Life is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.