Stoic Advice for Handling Setbacks, Insults, and Death | William Irvine

How to boost your psychological immune system, the stoic way.

 

William "Bill" Irvine is the emeritus professor of philosophy at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.  He is the author of eight books that have been translated into more than twenty languages, including Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy and Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient.

 

Bill is one of many great teachers featured on Waking Up, a top-notch meditation app with amazing teachers and a ton of courses for all levels. If you subscribe via this link: wakingup.com/tenpercent, you'll get a 30-day free trial—and you'll be supporting the 10% Happier team, too. Full and partial scholarships are available.

 

In this episode we talk about:

• How Bill was first introduced to Stoicism (the story involves a midlife crisis and a banjo.) 
• The comparison between Stoicism and Buddhism
•  Psychological strategies for attaining equanimity 
• The practice of negative visualization
• Stoic approaches to handling anger and insults
• How to reframe setbacks as tests
• Stoicism VS emotional suppression
• Tools for navigating the challenges of our digital age
• What Stoics say about pursuing fame and status
• And why death is the "ultimate exam"

 

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Additional Resources: 

• Links to Bill's Waking Up content
• Links to Bill's books