Book Review: Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, by Donald J. Robertson
A primer on Stoicism from a CBT perspective.
Teach Yourself, 2018, 256 pages
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 Behavioral 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 revolutionize 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 in 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.
I am not a Stoic... yet. I have become more and more interested in Stoicism in recent years, but declaring "I am a Stoic" sounds like such a teenage boy thing to say. It might be as close to a religion as I would ever consider nowadays (the line between philosophy and religion can be fuzzy), but it doesn't require any supernatural beliefs. Stoicism is a branch of "virtue ethics," which emphasize personal moral character as the source of "goodness," as opposed to deontology (goodness is determined by following a set of rules, often though not necessarily presumed to be divinely mandated), utilitarianism (goodness is determined by the outcome of your actions), and various other ethical theories, which I am not very well read about because I am not a philosopher. I have always thought of myself as more or less a utilitarian, leaning towards consequentialism, but on an intuitive level, virtue ethics appeal to me more. I realize they are not much in vogue with modern philosophers and ethicists; people don't like talking about "personal morality" nowadays. But the appeal to me of Stoicism is that you can't always judge whether your actions will have a good outcome, and utilitarianism very easily leads to things like the Repugnant Conclusion, but you can control your personal actions (and reactions!) and govern yourself in a principled manner that lets you live conscientiously and honorably.
(Yes, there are legitimate criticisms of virtue ethics from other schools; at some point I may dive more deeply into those.)
So anyway, Stoicism. Ancient philosophical school, founded by a Greek guy named Zeno 2000 years ago. Most of us know about it from the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, whose Meditations (basically, his personal journal which he never intended to be read by anyone else) are now considered one of the foundational Stoic texts. Most early Stoic writings have been lost; we know about volumes of Stoic teachings that other Stoics referred to but which no longer exist.
The core tenet of Stoicism is that you cannot control anything but your own reactions to things; therefore, you should concentrate on what is under your control (yourself) and learn not to be upset by things outside your control (basically, everything else).
It's a tough ask. It's a lot harder than it sounds. "Don't be upset by war, famine, injustice, corrupt politicians, ill health, losing everything, or your loved ones dying?" Obviously it's more complicated than that; a lot of people have the false idea that Stoics taught you're supposed to be some kind of Vulcan, never showing emotion or letting yourself feel things. Of course, as the Stoic teachers would say, you are going to feel things when you suffer adversity, pain, and loss. You are going to feel things about the injustice of the world around you. This is where the challenge arises: a Stoic practice is to examine these feelings, allow yourself to act according to your principles, try to make the world a better place to the limit of your abilities, and accept that the outcomes are beyond your control.
This is me summarizing what I understand of Stoicism so far, not trying to sell it as a philosophy. But I feel the truth that you can't really control much in life, and that getting upset about things you can't control is unproductive.
Stoicism and the Art of Happiness is not the first book about Stoicism I have read. It's meant as kind of an introduction to Stoicism, but specifically it is a series of lessons on how to apply Stoicism in your life, while giving only a rather superficial summary of the history and philosophy of Stoicism. It covers the basics and in more detail than some other introductory Stoic books I've read, but it's not a deep dive, it just gives you a taste of Zeno, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Plato (not actually a Stoic, but the Stoics considered him a foundational figure) and other early Stoics, as well as the modern figures who revived it in the 20th century, notably Pierre Hadot.
Donald J. Robertson is a cognitive behavioral therapist and he specifically ties Stoicism to CBT. He argues that Stoicism basically was, among other things, an ancient form of CBT, and that early CBT practitioners explicitly acknowledged Stoicism as an influence. I'm now speaking well outside my area of knowledge, but if I were to seek therapy myself, CBT is the form that seems most rational and helpful to me.
So, all that being said, how helpful and useful is this book? As a book for learning about Stoicism, it's okay, but as I said above, if you really want to immerse yourself in Stoic teachings and what the philosophy is all about, this is a fairly minimal introduction.
As a practical guide, assuming you are sold on its potential usefulness, it seems like it could be helpful. Robertson uses the same format in each of its eleven chapters: he provides a quote from a Stoic philosopher, then asks you a series of questions which he asks you rate from 1 to 5 as to how much you agree with them, both before and after reading the chapter. Then he describes a Stoic principle, provides some case studies, describes a historical example of a Stoic illustrating the principle, and suggests some exercises to put it into practice. It's a somewhat workbook-like approach presented as an introductory text. The early chapters are about what Stoics considered "good," and three areas of Stoic teaching ("Physics," "Ethics," and "Logic," some of which gets a little esoteric), and Stoic disciplines. Later chapters tackle more difficult topics like "premeditation of adversity", the "Stoic fork," and melete thanatou: "contemplation of death."
I admit I read this book mostly for informational purposes, rather than trying to follow along and do the exercises and train myself to be a Stoic. I haven't made that commitment yet, and if I do, I might come back to this book again. Stoics advocate a number of disciplines they believe you should practice regularly. They are big on journaling, and also various meditative exercises. I'm terrible at meditation, and I haven't journaled in years. I should probably give it a try.
However, having read a few introductory books by moderns writing about Stoicism, I probably need to actually read the original Stoic texts. At some point, I think digesting the originals, perhaps accompanied with a good study guide, is necessary, whereas reading books like this to learn Stoicism is kind of like reading books about how to draw rather than actually drawing.
My complete list of book reviews.
Teach Yourself, 2018, 256 pages
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 Behavioral 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 revolutionize 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 in 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.
I am not a Stoic... yet. I have become more and more interested in Stoicism in recent years, but declaring "I am a Stoic" sounds like such a teenage boy thing to say. It might be as close to a religion as I would ever consider nowadays (the line between philosophy and religion can be fuzzy), but it doesn't require any supernatural beliefs. Stoicism is a branch of "virtue ethics," which emphasize personal moral character as the source of "goodness," as opposed to deontology (goodness is determined by following a set of rules, often though not necessarily presumed to be divinely mandated), utilitarianism (goodness is determined by the outcome of your actions), and various other ethical theories, which I am not very well read about because I am not a philosopher. I have always thought of myself as more or less a utilitarian, leaning towards consequentialism, but on an intuitive level, virtue ethics appeal to me more. I realize they are not much in vogue with modern philosophers and ethicists; people don't like talking about "personal morality" nowadays. But the appeal to me of Stoicism is that you can't always judge whether your actions will have a good outcome, and utilitarianism very easily leads to things like the Repugnant Conclusion, but you can control your personal actions (and reactions!) and govern yourself in a principled manner that lets you live conscientiously and honorably.
(Yes, there are legitimate criticisms of virtue ethics from other schools; at some point I may dive more deeply into those.)
So anyway, Stoicism. Ancient philosophical school, founded by a Greek guy named Zeno 2000 years ago. Most of us know about it from the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, whose Meditations (basically, his personal journal which he never intended to be read by anyone else) are now considered one of the foundational Stoic texts. Most early Stoic writings have been lost; we know about volumes of Stoic teachings that other Stoics referred to but which no longer exist.
The core tenet of Stoicism is that you cannot control anything but your own reactions to things; therefore, you should concentrate on what is under your control (yourself) and learn not to be upset by things outside your control (basically, everything else).
It's a tough ask. It's a lot harder than it sounds. "Don't be upset by war, famine, injustice, corrupt politicians, ill health, losing everything, or your loved ones dying?" Obviously it's more complicated than that; a lot of people have the false idea that Stoics taught you're supposed to be some kind of Vulcan, never showing emotion or letting yourself feel things. Of course, as the Stoic teachers would say, you are going to feel things when you suffer adversity, pain, and loss. You are going to feel things about the injustice of the world around you. This is where the challenge arises: a Stoic practice is to examine these feelings, allow yourself to act according to your principles, try to make the world a better place to the limit of your abilities, and accept that the outcomes are beyond your control.
This is me summarizing what I understand of Stoicism so far, not trying to sell it as a philosophy. But I feel the truth that you can't really control much in life, and that getting upset about things you can't control is unproductive.
Stoicism and the Art of Happiness is not the first book about Stoicism I have read. It's meant as kind of an introduction to Stoicism, but specifically it is a series of lessons on how to apply Stoicism in your life, while giving only a rather superficial summary of the history and philosophy of Stoicism. It covers the basics and in more detail than some other introductory Stoic books I've read, but it's not a deep dive, it just gives you a taste of Zeno, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Plato (not actually a Stoic, but the Stoics considered him a foundational figure) and other early Stoics, as well as the modern figures who revived it in the 20th century, notably Pierre Hadot.
Donald J. Robertson is a cognitive behavioral therapist and he specifically ties Stoicism to CBT. He argues that Stoicism basically was, among other things, an ancient form of CBT, and that early CBT practitioners explicitly acknowledged Stoicism as an influence. I'm now speaking well outside my area of knowledge, but if I were to seek therapy myself, CBT is the form that seems most rational and helpful to me.
So, all that being said, how helpful and useful is this book? As a book for learning about Stoicism, it's okay, but as I said above, if you really want to immerse yourself in Stoic teachings and what the philosophy is all about, this is a fairly minimal introduction.
As a practical guide, assuming you are sold on its potential usefulness, it seems like it could be helpful. Robertson uses the same format in each of its eleven chapters: he provides a quote from a Stoic philosopher, then asks you a series of questions which he asks you rate from 1 to 5 as to how much you agree with them, both before and after reading the chapter. Then he describes a Stoic principle, provides some case studies, describes a historical example of a Stoic illustrating the principle, and suggests some exercises to put it into practice. It's a somewhat workbook-like approach presented as an introductory text. The early chapters are about what Stoics considered "good," and three areas of Stoic teaching ("Physics," "Ethics," and "Logic," some of which gets a little esoteric), and Stoic disciplines. Later chapters tackle more difficult topics like "premeditation of adversity", the "Stoic fork," and melete thanatou: "contemplation of death."
I admit I read this book mostly for informational purposes, rather than trying to follow along and do the exercises and train myself to be a Stoic. I haven't made that commitment yet, and if I do, I might come back to this book again. Stoics advocate a number of disciplines they believe you should practice regularly. They are big on journaling, and also various meditative exercises. I'm terrible at meditation, and I haven't journaled in years. I should probably give it a try.
However, having read a few introductory books by moderns writing about Stoicism, I probably need to actually read the original Stoic texts. At some point, I think digesting the originals, perhaps accompanied with a good study guide, is necessary, whereas reading books like this to learn Stoicism is kind of like reading books about how to draw rather than actually drawing.
My complete list of book reviews.