Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations

Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations PDF Author: Jules Evans
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1608682307
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Get Book

Book Description
When philosophy rescued him from an emotional crisis, Jules Evans became fascinated by how ideas invented over two thousand years ago can help us today. He interviewed soldiers, psychologists, gangsters, astronauts, and anarchists and discovered the ways that people are using philosophy now to build better lives. Ancient philosophy has inspired modern communities — Socratic cafés, Stoic armies, Epicurean communes — and even whole nations in the quest for the good life. This book is an invitation to a dream school with a rowdy faculty that includes twelve of the greatest philosophers from the ancient world, sharing their lessons on happiness, resilience, and much more. Lively and inspiring, this is philosophy for the street, for the workplace, for the battlefield, for love, for life.

The Art of Losing Control

The Art of Losing Control PDF Author: Jules Evans
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 1782118772
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 346

Get Book

Book Description
Humans have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. He sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Jules' exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey balancing personal experience, interviews and readings from ancient and modern philosophers that will change the way you think about how you feel. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and life-enhancing journey through under-explored terrain.

Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations

Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations PDF Author: Jules Evans
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1608682293
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Get Book

Book Description
When philosophy rescued him from an emotional crisis, Jules Evans became fascinated by how ideas invented over two thousand years ago can help us today. He interviewed soldiers, psychologists, gangsters, astronauts, and anarchists and discovered the ways that people are using philosophy now to build better lives. Ancient philosophy has inspired modern communities — Socratic cafés, Stoic armies, Epicurean communes — and even whole nations in the quest for the good life. This book is an invitation to a dream school with a rowdy faculty that includes twelve of the greatest philosophers from the ancient world, sharing their lessons on happiness, resilience, and much more. Lively and inspiring, this is philosophy for the street, for the workplace, for the battlefield, for love, for life.

Breaking Open

Breaking Open PDF Author: Jules Evans
Publisher: Aeon Books
ISBN: 191280770X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 301

Get Book

Book Description
Personal accounts exploring the shift from mental illness to spiritual awakening. The first book in which people discuss their own spiritual emergencies and share what helped them through. Our authors are the experts of their own experience, and they share their wild journeys with courage, insight and poetry. There are fascinating parallels in their experiences, suggesting minds in extremis go to similar places. These are beautiful postcards from the edge of human consciousness, testaments to the soul's natural resilience. Our authors have returned from their descent with valuable insights for our culture, as we go through a collective spiritual emergency, with old myths and structures breaking down, and new possibilities breaking open. What is there beyond our present egocentric model of reality? What tools can help us navigate the emergence? "This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the connection between spiritual awakening and what we normally term 'mental illness.' It is full of inspirational and moving stories that show that psychological disturbances often lead to significant personal growth, if supported properly. As a culture, we urgently need a new paradigm of mental illness and treatment, and this and this book makes an important contribution to that shift.' Steve Taylor PhD, author of The Leap and Spiritual Science

The Philosophy Foundation

The Philosophy Foundation PDF Author: Peter Worley
Publisher: Crown House Publishing
ISBN: 1781350612
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 374

Get Book

Book Description
Imagine a one-stop shop stacked to the rafters with everything you could ever want to tap into young people's natural curiosity and get them thinking deeply. Well, this is it! Edited by professional philosopher Peter Worley from The Philosophy Shop and with a foreword by Ian Gilbert, this book is jam-packed with ideas, stimuli, thought experiments, activities, short stories, pictures and questions to get young people thinking philosophically. Primarily aimed at teachers to use as a stimuli for philosophical enquiries in the classroom or even as starter activities to get them thinking from the off, it can also be used by parents for some great family thinking or indeed anyone fed up of being told what to think (or urged not to think) and who wants a real neurological workout. The proceeds of the book are going towards The Philosophy Foundation charity.

How to Live a Good Life

How to Live a Good Life PDF Author: Massimo Pigliucci
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0525566155
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Get Book

Book Description
A collection of essays by fifteen philosophers presenting a thoughtful, introductory guide to choosing a philosophy for living an examined and meaningful life. Socrates famously said "the unexamined life is not worth living," but what does it mean to truly live philosophically? This thought-provoking, wide-ranging collection brings together essays by fifteen leading philosophers reflecting on what it means to live according to a philosophy of life. From Eastern philosophies (Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism) and classical Western philosophies (such as Aristotelianism and Stoicism), to the four major religions, as well as contemporary philosophies (such as existentialism and effective altruism), each contributor offers a lively, personal account of how they find meaning in the practice of their chosen philosophical tradition. Together, the pieces in How to Live a Good Life provide not only a beginner's guide to choosing a life philosophy but also a timely portrait of what it means to live an examined life in the twenty-first century. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL

Stoicism and the Art of Happiness

Stoicism and the Art of Happiness PDF Author: Donald Robertson
Publisher: Teach Yourself
ISBN: 1473674794
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
The stoics lived a long time ago, but they had some startling insights into the human condition - insights which endure to this day. The philosophical tradition, founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in 301 BC, endured as an active movement for almost 500 years, and contributions from dazzling minds such as Cicero, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius helped create a body of thought with an extraordinary goal - to provide a rational, healthy way of living in harmony with the nature of the universe and in respect of our relationships with each other. In many ways a precursor to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Stoicism provides an armamentarium of strategies and techniques for developing psychological resilience, while celebrating all in life which is beautiful and important. By learning what stoicism is, you can revolutionise your life and learn how to seize the day, live happily and be a better person. This simple, empowering book shows how to use this ancient wisdom to make practical, positive changes to your life. Using thought-provoking case studies, highlighting key ideas and things to remember and providing tools for self-assessment, it demonstrates that Stoicism is a proven, profound pathway to happiness.

How Plato and Pythagoras Can Save Your Life

How Plato and Pythagoras Can Save Your Life PDF Author: Nicholas Kardaras
Publisher: Conari Press
ISBN: 1573244759
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Get Book

Book Description
University professor, psychotherapist and recovering former nightclub owner Dr. Nicholas Kardaras presents a mind blowing, reality rocking, and life changing approach to Greek philosophy. Having once owned celebrity-studded NY nightclubs where he had mingled with the likes of JFK, Jr., Uma Thurman and Tom Cruise, Kardaras would emerge from that glamorous-yet-self-destructive world to discover the powerful and transformative teachings of his ancient ancestors. To his amazement, he learned that ancient Greek philosophy, contrary to popular misconceptions, was not a dry and academic pursuit, but a vibrant and holistic transformative practice. In How Plato and Pythagoras Can Save You're your Life, Dr. Kardaras breathes new life into those ancient teachings as he incorporates some of the most cutting edge advances in the fields of quantum mechanics and consciousness research to validate the insights and wisdom of the ancient Greek sages. As he guides readers through an array of contemplative practices designed to help them live a more meaningful life, Kardaras warns the reader to be prepared because they just might also "catch a glimpse of that trippy realm called Ultimate Reality".

Holiday From The Self

Holiday From The Self PDF Author: Jules Evans
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781074938772
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 78

Get Book

Book Description
In October 2017, philosopher Jules Evans traveled to the Amazon jungle to take part in a nine-day ayahuasca retreat. This is the story of his adventure, and the turbulent two weeks after the retreat. It explores the contemporary phenomenon of ayahuasca tourism, and the clash of very different cultures. It looks at the extraordinary opportunities and risks of psychedelic therapy. And it gives you a first-hand account of a 'spiritual emergency' - a messy spiritual awakening - and the tools you need to get through them. It's a testament to the mind's ability to go to some wild places, and come back intact. Jules is a historian of ecstatic experiences and an expert in spiritual emergencies. He is a research fellow at the Centre for the History of the Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London; a BBC New Generation Thinker, and the organizer of the London Philosophy Club. Praise for Jules' previous books, Philosophy for Life & Other Dangerous Situations (2012) and The Art of Losing Control: 'A revelation'. The Observer'This book changed my life.' Adrian Edmondson'He reminds us philosophy is not just about analysis. It's also about the good life.' Matthew Syed, Times Book of the Year'His sensitivity as a thinker, like his skill as a storyteller, is never in doubt.' The Guardian'Evans is a natural storyteller and his honesty about his own experience is refreshing and disarming. Evans takes his subject matter seriously but delivers his investigations in an endlessly amusing and eye-opening manner.' The Big Issue'Hugely enjoyed Philosophy for Life. Am an avid fan of classical philosophy & this book applies it thoroughly & beautifully.' Derren BrownFind out more at www.philosophyforlife.org

Philosophy as a Way of Life

Philosophy as a Way of Life PDF Author: Pierre Hadot
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631180333
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book

Book Description
This book presents a history of spiritual exercises from Socrates to early Christianity, an account of their decline in modern philosophy, and a discussion of the different conceptions of philosophy that have accompanied the trajectory and fate of the theory and practice of spiritual exercises. Hadot's book demonstrates the extent to which philosophy has been, and still is, above all else a way of seeing and of being in the world.