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  • Philosophy for Life

  • And Other Dangerous Situations
  • By: Jules Evans
  • Narrated by: John Voce
  • Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (20 ratings)
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Philosophy for Life

By: Jules Evans
Narrated by: John Voce
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Summary

In his engaging audiobook, Jules Evans explains how ancient philosophy saved his life and how we can all use it to become happier, wiser and more resilient.

Jules imagines a dream school, which includes 12 of the greatest and most colourful thinkers the world has ever known.

Each of these ancient philosophers teaches a technique we can use to transform ourselves and live better lives. These practical techniques are illustrated by the extraordinary stories of real people who are using them today - from marines to magicians, from astronauts to anarchists and from CBT psychologists to soldiers. Jules also explores how ancient philosophy is inspiring modern communities - Socratic cafes, Stoic armies, Platonic sects, Sceptic summer camps - and even whole nations in their quest for the good life.

©2012 Jules Evans (P)2020 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"Instructive and thought-provoking...shows philosophy is not just for stuffy classrooms." (Financial Times)

"This wonderful book shows how modern psychology is consistent with the best that was thought and known in the Ancient World...also beautifully written." (Lord Richard Layard, author) 

"An important book, because it reminds us philosophy is not just about analysis. It's also about the good life." (Matthew Syed, Times books of the year)

What listeners say about Philosophy for Life

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Interesting book

Really interesting and fascinating book gives you a lot of food for thoughts in some inspiring things to look at and understand well narrated and engaging

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Makes you think.

I found out about this book while listening to Adrian Edmondson’s autobiography.

And I’m glad I listened, as someone who struggles with their own thoughts sometimes. Control, self loathing, anxiety to name a few. I found this book very interesting and helpful. I’m now beginning to look into certain philosophers I resonate with myself to help with my own quirks.

And as a father to a child with autism & PDA, I’m hoping as they get older and begin to understand their emotions more I can help them via the teachings of certain philosophers.

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Whistle stop tour of philosophy

This is an absolutely brilliant premise and a great whistle-stop tour of philosophy, philosophers and doctrines and fitting those into modern life and the issues we face today.

It's a massive undertaking to tackle such a broad subject and it's set out well.

That said, I had mixed feelings about this book at points. The author did not take a consistently unbiased stance and, at points, use of language such as "claptrap" hinted at his predilections. Although at other points he would appear open to and neutrally describe ideas that I found quite extreme.

As such, I swung from violently agreeing with the author, to disagreeing depending on his lack of neutrality and my own.

For instance, I felt the author was dismissive about 'new age' ideas, and yet surely there is a Venn diagram where the new age and the philosophical naturally overlap? ('There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy')

I think I will read this again and again as there is a lot to digest. It's well written, amusing and clever and, for me, a good starting point to work out which philosophy might be worth a deeper look. I wish this had existed when I studied philosophy at uni!

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    3 out of 5 stars

A fantastic summary and comparison of ancient philosophy

Thoroughly enjoyable and packed with insightful history. Well performed but found it difficult to really lose myself in it. It’s a book I will come back to but a little too academic I feel as an audio book.

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Short and straightforward examples

Good early chapters, then the 2nd half was less interesting as became a little too deep for me.

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First half really interesting

First half of the book was really interesting but I struggled to keep with the second half

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