A Handbook for New Stoics

Outline

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.

• The book turns Stoic philosophy into fifty-two weekly lessons, so you practise one idea at a time rather than just reading about it.
• Exercises are organised around three Stoic disciplines: desire, action, and assent, each shaping a different part of how you respond to life.
• The practices progress from simple reflections to more demanding exercises, so beginners can build skill gradually.
• A central habit is to focus on what you can control and let go of the rest.
• Regular practice helps you manage emotions and live with more calm, virtue, and purpose.

Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez are leading figures in the modern revival of Stoic practice. Pigliucci is a professor of philosophy at the City College of New York and the author of How to Be a Stoic. Lopez is a founder of the New York City Stoics community and a longtime teacher of Stoic practices, with a background in health and clinical research.