Just Finished Reading: Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations by Jules Evans (FP: 2012)

Can philosophy save your life? Apparently yes, it can! At least it can according to Jules Evens in this interesting little book. Starting in autobiographical mode he relates how, after a fairly hedonistic existence both before and during university, he had a nervous breakdown in his early 20’s and was diagnosed with acute anxiety. Luckily a course of CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) was recommended to him which seemed to help a great deal. Now being a journalist he decided to check further into the background of CBT and was surprised that its creators used Greek and Roman philosophy heavily in its foundations. Not surprisingly he thought that going back to the pure source of the technique that arguably saved his life would be a positive step for him. So began a growing interest in all things Stoic and Epicurean.

The book was in part autobiographical explaining exactly why he had his breakdown and his attempts, faltering at first, to understand what had gone wrong and discovering ways of coping, controlling and ultimately mastering his fears. He was delighted and intrigued to learn that the early philosophers had already been there and actually offered up practical techniques for coping with life’s disasters both large and small. Ancient philosophy, he was surprised to learn, wasn’t the ivory tower blue sky thinking he expected but lived in the mud with the rest of us.

Set out like an agenda for a one day course (and something similar to Saturday School’s I’ve been on over the years) it offered insights to maintaining control from Epictetus, managing expectations from Seneca, the art of savouring the moment from Epicurus, the art of cosmic contemplation from Heraclitus, the art of justice from Plato, the art of heroism from Plutarch and the art of flourishing from Aristotle. Full of excerpts from the great men mentioned, interviews with the founders of CBT and other modern techniques for coping with the modern world and sprinkled with the authors own experiences this made for an interesting insight into how philosophy can provide real practical assistance to help resolve real world problems that each of us potentially could find ourselves struggling with. This is no academic tome discussing Plato’s idealised Forms but a guidebook to techniques with a 2,000 year pedigree of helping people deal with life’s outrageous fortune when nothing seems to make sense. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this is a life changing publication but I think that it’s a very accessible introduction to Greco-Roman philosophy that you can explore in more depth and from the original philosophers at a later date an overtime build up a number of well-worn resources for when life inevitably starts handing you more than your fair share of lemons. If you were ever afraid of, or thought you’d be bored by, philosophy then this is definitely the book for you to start off with. It may not change your life but it should change your view of the philosophical endeavour. Recommended.