Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations: Summary
After cognitive behavioural therapy, and the Stoic philosophy it grew from, helped him through an emotional crisis, Jules Evans set out to show that ancient philosophy is a set of practical techniques, not a museum. The book is laid out as a day at an imaginary school of Athens, with a teacher for each lesson, from Socrates and Epictetus to Epicurus, Diogenes and Aristotle, and Evans tests their methods against the lives of soldiers, psychologists, gangsters, astronauts and anarchists today.
- Jules Evans
- 2012
- 8 min read
- 8 key takeaways
- 8 ways to apply it
Key takeaways from Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations
The ideas readers on HourLife upvote the most, in order.
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1
We are disturbed less by events than by the beliefs we hold about them.
This Stoic idea, taken from Epictetus, is the root of cognitive therapy: Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck both credited the Stoics. If a belief is driving the distress, you can examine it and change it, which is a lot more within reach than changing the world.
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2
Separate what is up to you from what is not, and spend yourself only on the first.
Epictetus, a former slave, taught that our judgements, choices and efforts are ours, while reputation, health and other people's actions are not. Sorting a worry into those two columns is the fastest way to find the part you can act on.
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3
Philosophy is fieldwork: an idea only counts once you have practised it under pressure.
Musonius Rufus treated virtue like a skill to be trained, with deliberate exercises in hardship and restraint. Pick one principle and rehearse it in a real situation this week, rather than agreeing with it in theory.
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4
Expect the setback in advance and it loses much of its power.
Seneca rehearsed losses and reversals ahead of time so that they would not ambush him. Imagining what could go wrong today is not pessimism; it is preparation that leaves you calmer when it happens.
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5
Most of what makes life pleasant is simple, and it is already here.
Epicurus ran his school in a garden and prized friendship, freedom from fear, and plain pleasures noticed fully. Savouring what is in front of you is a skill, and like the others it improves with practice.
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6
Seen from far enough away, today's crisis shrinks to its true size.
The cosmic perspective that runs from Heraclitus to the Stoics places a single bad day inside the flow of everything. When you feel crushed, zoom out to the city, the century and the stars, then come back.
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7
Repeat your best maxims until they arrive by themselves when you need them.
Pythagoras and his followers memorised sayings and repeated them like incantations. A short line learnt by heart is there in a crisis when a long argument is not.
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8
Question your beliefs out loud, with other people.
Socrates did philosophy in the street, by asking what people meant and whether their reasons held. A friend who will cross-examine you kindly is one of the best tools for living you can find.
How to apply Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations
Turn the ideas into something you can do this week.
Draw your circle of control
Take your current biggest worry and split it into two columns: what is up to you and what is not. Circle one thing in the first column to act on today.
Write your own handbook
Epictetus' Enchiridion means handbook. Collect five to ten maxims that steady you on a single card or note and keep it with you.
Plan one piece of fieldwork
Choose a virtue you want, such as courage or patience, and the real situation this week where you will practise it deliberately.
Find a Socratic partner
Ask one friend to meet monthly to question each other's beliefs and decisions, kindly and thoroughly.
Choose two heroes
Plutarch wrote lives to imitate. Pick two people whose conduct you admire and write how each would handle a problem you face now.
Rehearse the day each morning
Before you start, name two or three things that could go wrong today and how you want to respond if they do.
Review the day each evening
Before sleep, ask what you did well, what you did badly and what you left undone. Keep it short and honest.
Take the view from above
Once a week, picture your worries from far above: your street, your country, the planet. Write what still matters from up there.
You are already enrolled. The school is the life you are living, and the next lesson begins with the next hard moment.
