Jonas Salzgeber is the bestselling author of The Little Book of Stoicism. His interest in the mystery of life has sculped him into a mindful reader & learner for almost a decade now. Together with his brother Nils they write at NJlifehacks.com and share what they find most valuable.
Where can you find joy? Gain strength? How should we face our fears? Deal with the death of a loved one? And what about those reoccurring depressing thoughts? While traditional schooling doesn't address such questions, it's exactly what ancient schools of philosophy were all about: They taught you how to live. Even though these schools don't exist anymore, you and I and most people are in as much need of a philosophy that guides us through life as we ever were. This compelling, highly actionable guide shows you how to deal more effectively with whatever life throws at you and live up to your best self.
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This is an engaging introduction to one of history’s greatest figures: Marcus Aurelius. The author Donald Robertson effectively combines Stoic philosophy with elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – modern research sewed into ancient philosophy. Fantastic! In this inspiring book you learn how to live by your values and how to deal with negative emotions such as anger, fear, or desire.
This informative book looks at the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Stoicism. It provides a philosophical framework for those practicing mindfulness and interested in dealing more effectively with life’s challenges. Antonia Macaro has packed this book with wisdom and actionable steps to put it into practice right now. This lesser known book has definitely not yet received the attention it deserves.
This fascinating book is written by psychotherapist Viktor Frankl, who was a long-time prisoner in bestial concentration camps during the Second World War. The book details some of his personal experiences and how they led to his discovery of logotherapy. Frankl writes about the ‘last of human freedoms’ – the ability to choose one’s attitude in any given situation. This ultimate human freedom was already recognized by the ancient Stoics, and Frankl applied it in exemplary manner in several death camps…
Do you want to live a good life? Well, this book tries to help you get there. William Irvine thoroughly explains the ancient philosophy of Stoicism in simple terms. What is this philosophy all about? What are its core elements? How can you put it into practice? It’s all there, with a pinch of humor.
5,888 authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about self-actualization, stoicism, and creative thinking.
We think you will like The New Jim Crow, The Myth of Sisyphus, and Walden if you like this list.
From James' list on mass incarceration.
This is the most popular introduction to mass incarceration. Alexander views mass incarceration through the lens of racial justice, focusing on how locking up millions of people, a disproportionate number of whom are Black, amounts to a new system of racial segregation. The New Jim Crow has been a catalyst for understanding and activism for thousands of people across the country and has spent several years on the New York Times bestseller list.
From Peter's list on starting out in philosophy.
This was the first book from the very first philosophy class I took in college (at Bucknell University in 1981), and it had me from its very first sentence: “There is only one truly important philosophical question, and that is suicide.” You know, the big stuff: Is life worth living? What gives it meaning? How ought we to engage the world and others, especially in the face of the apparently meaningless universe in which we’ve been thrown. Existentialist Camus served in the French resistance against the Nazis in World War II and would win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1957. In these pages, the remarkable man and the remarkable life he lived shows.
From Emrys' list on simple living and the good life.
In 1845 Thoreau built a small cabin on land owned by his friend, the philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, and conducted a two-year experiment in simple living. Walden is his account of this experiment. It's a hard book to summarize since, although quite short, it combines memoir, philosophical reflection, natural history, and social commentary. But it is beautifully written, and it has been an inspiration to countless readers who, like Thoreau, believe that we can deepen our experience of life by drawing closer to what is natural and elemental, reducing our dependency on things and, at least for a time, on other people. The book is required reading for anyone who delights in nature, is sympathetic to a philosophy of simple living, and who, like Thoreau, wishes "to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life."