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Massimo Pigliucci summaries

2 summaries on Durar

Massimo Pigliucci is a philosopher, trained first as a scientist, who is best known for bringing ancient Stoic thought into everyday modern life, and his books are worth reading because they turn big ideas about character and calm into habits you can actually practise. Start with A Handbook for New Stoics, written with Gregory Lopez, because its weekly exercises move gently from simple reflections to more demanding practices and show you how to focus on what is within your control. Students under exam pressure, professionals juggling family and work, and anyone in the region looking for steadiness in uncertain times will find in his books a practical guide to self-discipline and a life of greater meaning.

A Handbook for New Stoics

Build resilience, clarity, and self-control through daily Stoic practices that help you focus on what you can control and face adversity calmly.

18 min

Listen to the intro

1:11

What is A Handbook for New Stoics about?

A Handbook for New Stoics (2019) offers fifty-two weekly lessons for putting Stoic philosophy into practice. Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez organise the exercises around the three Stoic disciplines of desire, action, and assent, moving from simple reflections to more demanding practices. The book helps readers manage emotions, focus on what they can control, and live with greater calm, virtue, and purpose.

Who should read A Handbook for New Stoics?

Beginners curious about applying Stoic philosophy to everyday life
Anyone struggling to stay calm during stressful, uncertain times
Professionals seeking a weekly routine for self-discipline and focus

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How to Live a Good Life

Explore timeless wisdom from Stoicism, existentialism, Buddhism, and beyond to build a more thoughtful, meaningful, and fulfilling life.

20 min

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1:45

What is How to Live a Good Life about?

How to Live a Good Life (2020) invites readers to compare different philosophies of life and choose one that fits them. Edited by Massimo Pigliucci, Skye Cleary, and Daniel Kaufman, the book brings together fifteen thinkers who each explain the tradition they practise, from Stoicism, Buddhism, and Confucianism to existentialism, effective altruism, and humanism. Together, the essays offer a practical guide to building a meaningful and thoughtful life.

Who should read How to Live a Good Life?

Anyone searching for a clearer sense of life's purpose
Readers curious about Stoicism, Buddhism and other philosophies
Students of philosophy wanting a practical, accessible overview

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About Massimo Pigliucci

Massimo Pigliucci, Skye Cleary and Daniel Kaufman are philosophers who share an interest in philosophy as a practical guide to living. Pigliucci is a professor of philosophy at the City College of New York and a well-known writer on Stoicism. Cleary is a philosopher and author who writes about existentialism and teaches at Columbia University. Kaufman is a professor of philosophy at Missouri State University.

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