The book itself is great. Farnsworth has a wicked sense of humor that pops out occasionally and grabs the reader's attention. This is not a great book for the audio format, however. The Narrator is wonderful to listen to and delivers the material well, but for me, it seemed more like a reading of a list of quotes.

It's probably fine for other listeners, but for me, I definitely would get more from the book in its actual paper book format, along with note-taking materials.

This is an unusually nice summary of this easy-to-understand but hard-to-do philosophy recommended to me by the great stoic, Vince D. Much of the text is collected quotations from the Stoics whose work has survived, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. Some modern practitioners are also included, especially Montaigne and Schopenhauer (another entertaining, but lightweight philosopher). I liked it enough that I plan to read Farnsworth’s book on Rhetoric.

Much of Stoicism would be classified as psychology today; it is the self-help advice philosophy. The final chapter of this book addresses some of the critics of Stoicism, but in debate, you shouldn’t let the other team summarize your own criticisms for you.

I have various problems with Stoicism; the main one being that I have never met anyone without some CNS disease who changed their personality. Stoicism offers some good advice, but you need to be especially receptive to benefit from it, and, in most instances, I don’t think you will alter your life to fit Seneca’s recommendations, rather you will appreciate the recommendations if you already act that way. I suppose I am a Cynic. ( )

This book is a synthesis of the writing of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. Each chapter covers a topic, such as "Judgement" or "Learning", in which Farnsworth guides the reader through subtopics with the three's works quoted with comment and context.

It could be a handy pocket reference in time of need, or introduction to the original text of the ancient stoic. Sadly, what the book didn't achieve is breathing new life into Stoic teaching by situating them in the many new experiences brought by modern life and technology. Although book title contains the words "User's manual", which gives the impression of practicality and techniques, reading through it still feels detached from practicality from time to time. This is mainly due to Farnsworth quoting the ancient authors consistently, without offering much of a modern perspective. It would also be interesting to speculate what Seneca would have to say to technology and social media? How does one achieve eudaimonia in the age of algorithm? But of course, Stoic believes certain human experiences are timeless. It is also unfair to blame this book for not doing enough - after all, its goal is not to fit the old teaching with new observation, but simply present the original Stoicism text.

Personally, I would think of [b:A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy|5617966|A Guide to the Good Life The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy|William B. Irvine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1547348819s/5617966.jpg|5789357] by William B. Irvine to be a better introduction to Stoicism in the modern age.

Originally Posted Here: https://www.buemlned.me/2019/review-farnsworth-stoic-manual ( )

This is an excellent introduction to stoicism (a really easy read). It mainly consists of quotes from notable stoic philosophers bracketed by short commentary. As a result it is easy to see where I next want to look to dive deeper.

The selected quotes are very well chosen (straightforward but when you consider the underlying message there's a lot there). This is definitely a book worth keeping to reread and meditate on. ( )

I am slowly beginning to appreciate what authors don't write. This book is very is respectful of the reader and is very straightforward.

Self help books bring to mind the worst literature has to offer but this book shows that self help doesn't have to be like that. ( )