Guide to the Good Life

The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, by William Irvine

Our brains evolved to make us good at surviving and reproducing. That is why we fear pain and crave pleasure and sex. Because we live in groups that enhance our survival and reproduction, we also crave social status. At some point, our brains became so powerful that we developed reason, language, and complex culture. Unfortunately, our powerful brains are still plagued by insatiable craving and gnawing anxiety, and this drives most of our decision making.

The Greek and Roman Stoics developed a strategy to address these problems.