Does a 2,300-year-old wisdom system have anything to say to our current situation? Emphatically "yes " argues Don't Worry, Be Stoic: Ancient Wisdom for Troubled Times. This book introduces the reader to Stoicism- a philosophy whose origin lies in ancient Greece but whose relevance, as the reader will discover, has only grown with time. Rather than provide a merely historical treatment of the system, the author demonstrates how the writings of Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca provide principles for a sane and satisfying existence today. Through a series of short, inspiring essays, Dr....

When Peter J. Vernezze took a leave of absence from his position as a philosophy professor to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in China, he supplemented his main task--teaching English--with leading a weekly philosophical discussion group with Chinese undergraduate and graduate students at Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu. In each session the students debated topics as diverse as the status of truth, the meaning of life, the reality of fate, the definition of sanity, the necessity of religion, and the value of romantic love. Each of the twenty-five chapters focuses on the topic of one...