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How to Live a Good Life
- A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy
- Narrated by: Massimo Pigliucci, Skye Cleary, Susan Denaker, Daniel Kaufman
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
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Publisher's summary
A collection of essays by 15 philosophers presenting a thoughtful, introductory guide to choosing a philosophy for living an examined and meaningful life. A Vintage original
Socrates famously said "the unexamined life is not worth living," but what does it mean to truly live philosophically?
This thought-provoking, wide-ranging collection brings together essays by 15 leading philosophers reflecting on what it means to live according to a philosophy of life. From Eastern philosophies (Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism) and classical Western philosophies (such as Aristotelianism and Stoicism), to the four major religions, as well as contemporary philosophies (such as existentialism and effective altruism), each contributor offers a lively, personal account of how they find meaning in the practice of their chosen philosophical tradition.
Together, the pieces in How to Live a Good Life provide not only a beginner's guide to choosing a life philosophy but also a timely portrait of what it means to live an examined life in the 21st century.
Critic reviews
"An anthology of philosophical and religious approaches to the question ‘How ought I to live?’ may sound like heavy going, but the editors have chosen contributors who are able to present the views they favor in a style that is not only clear and informative, but in many cases, entertaining as well. This is an excellent introduction to the field of ‘philosophies of life.'" (Peter Singer, author of The Most Good You Can Do)
"Philosophy professors Pigliucci, Cleary, and Kaufman deliver on their goal of providing a ‘glimpse of how the world looks through [the] respective lenses’ of 15 major philosophies in this anthology featuring an impressive array of contributors.... Readers interested in thinking more about their life-choices and options for change will be grateful for this practical guide to, as the authors write in their conclusion, the ‘possibilities to learn from, ponder, and perhaps adopt.’" (Publishers Weekly)
"How to Live a Good Life is a fantastic book. I dare anyone not to do something differently in their daily life at least once after reading it.... It’s a wonderful summary of the collected wisdom of humanity in a highly readable book of less than 300 pages. You can dip in and out of it when the mood takes you. Also, it’s written by scholars, so while these are obviously summaries, none offer glib advice on how [insert philosophy] can change your life, though I expect some of them maybe can.” (Sophie Roelle, "Best Nonfiction Books of 2020", FiveBooks.com)
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Everywhere around you are distractions: That text you respond to quickly, just to get it out of the way. The newest money-making side hustle to cross your mind. The evening spent organizing your overflowing kitchen cupboards. Disruptions are the enemies of a life well lived—both the new distractions of our generation and timeless ones that have existed for centuries. They all add up to make you feel restless, tired, and unfulfilled. They’re keeping you from living with joy, from accomplishing the good that only you can do.
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A ton of preaching about being “selfless”
- By Amazo rrrrrrrrrrr on 08-25-22
By: Joshua Becker
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Simple and Free
- 7 Experiments Against Excess
- By: Jen Hatmaker
- Narrated by: Jen Hatmaker
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Why do we pursue more when we’d be happier with less? In this updated edition of 7, New York Times best-selling author Jen Hatmaker tells the story of how she and her family tried to combat overindulgence - and what they learned along the way about living a truly meaningful life.
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Food for thought
- By nedmac mama on 04-01-21
By: Jen Hatmaker
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The Feel Good Effect
- Reclaim Your Wellness by Finding Small Shifts that Create Big Change
- By: Robyn Conley Downs
- Narrated by: Robyn Conley Downs
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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What if wellness isn’t about achieving another set of impossible standards, but about finding what works - for you? Radically simple and ridiculously doable, The Feel Good Effect helps you redefine wellness, on your own terms. Drawing from cutting-edge science on mindfulness, habit, and behavior change, podcast host Robyn Conley Downs offers a collection of small mindset shifts that allow for more calm, clarity, and joy in everyday life, embracing the idea that “gentle is the new perfect” when it comes to sustainable wellness.
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Excellent!!
- By Laura Kaat on 09-08-20
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I Know What to Do, So Why Don't I Do It?
- The New Science of Self-Discipline
- By: Nick Hall
- Narrated by: Nick Hall
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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You might think laziness, lack of willpower, and/or low motivation are to blame for the fact that you aren't achieving your goals. But fascinating research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology has revealed another, far more likely possibility. One with the potential to transform your life in a dramatic way.
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Big Disappointment!
- By TP on 01-29-15
By: Nick Hall
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Mastering the Process
- From Idea to Novel
- By: Elizabeth George
- Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed, Elizabeth George
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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As the author of 24 novels, Elizabeth George is one of the most successful - and prolific - novelists today. In Mastering the Process, George offers listeners a master class in the art and science of crafting a novel. This is a subject she knows well, having taught creative writing both nationally and internationally for over 30 years. Drawing from her personal photos, early notes, character analyses, and rough drafts, George shows us every stage of how she wrote her novel Careless in Red.
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Loved it so much ordered the hardback
- By Tauny on 11-10-20
By: Elizabeth George
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The Attributes
- 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance
- By: Rich Diviney
- Narrated by: Rich Diviney
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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During his 20 years as a Navy officer and SEAL, Rich Diviney was intimately involved in a specialized SEAL selection process, which whittled a group of hundreds of extraordinary candidates down to a handful of the most elite performers. Diviney was often surprised by which candidates washed out and which succeeded. Some could have all the right skills and still fail, while others he might have initially dismissed would prove to be top performers.
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Grit meets Science
- By Iris Rainbird on 01-28-21
By: Rich Diviney
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The Gift of Influence
- Creating Life-Changing and Lasting Impact in Your Everyday Interactions
- By: Tommy Spaulding
- Narrated by: Robert Creighton, Tommy Spaulding
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Researchers estimate that the average person will influence up to eighty thousand people over the course of their lifetime—or 2.8 people daily. That’s a stadium full of people whom each of us affects in ways positive or negative, sometimes without us realizing. What if we paid attention to this fact? Would we live differently? Would we lead differently? Would we put down our phones and be more present with the people in front of us?
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Practical take-aways
- By Bryan J. O'Neil on 04-02-24
By: Tommy Spaulding
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One Decision
- The First Step to a Better Life
- By: Mike Bayer
- Narrated by: Mike Bayer, Dr. Phil Mcgraw
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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It is estimated that we make approximately 35,000 decisions every day. Right now, there is at least one decision we can make that will have a powerful ripple effect across all aspects of our life. But One Decision isn't about taking one overwhelming big step; it's about starting with a single, important step that we have the choice to make every day: the decision to be authentic. To be you, and to do so without doubt, without second-guessing, without worry or anxiety.
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I wanted to love this book
- By Amazon Customer on 03-31-21
By: Mike Bayer
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Reinventing Your Life
- The Breakthough Program to End Negative Behavior...and Feel Great Again
- By: Jeffrey E. Young, Janet S. Klosko, Aaron T. Beck - foreword
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 15 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Unsatisfactory relationships, irrational lack of self-esteem, feelings of being unfulfilled - these are all problems that can be solved by changing the types of messages that people internalize. These self-defeating behavior patterns are called “lifetraps”, and Reinventing Your Life shows you how to stop the cycle that keeps you from attaining happiness.
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Revolutionary
- By Kindle Customer on 10-07-20
By: Jeffrey E. Young, and others
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You're a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass)
- Embracing the Emotions, Habits, and Mystery That Make You You
- By: Mike McHargue
- Narrated by: Mike McHargue
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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For thousands of years, scientists, philosophers, and self-help gurus have wrestled with one of the basic conundrums of human life: Why do we do the things we do? Or, rather, why do we so often not do the things we want to do? In You're a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass), McHargue addresses these issues. We like to think we’re in control of our thoughts and decisions, he writes, but science has shown that a host of competing impulses, emotions, and environmental factors are at play in every action we undertake.
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As always, Mike delivers.
- By Jeff Mason on 04-28-20
By: Mike McHargue
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You Are the Universe
- Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why It Matters
- By: Menas C. Kafatos PhD, Deepak Chopra
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author Deepak Chopra joins forces with leading physicist Menas Kafatos to explore some of the most important and baffling questions about our place in the world.
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Add this one to your list of must listens.
- By Richard McClelland on 03-09-17
By: Menas C. Kafatos PhD, and others
What listeners say about How to Live a Good Life
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Kindle Customer
- 08-17-21
A Feast
Lots of food for thought here -- a feast. The chapter on Pragmatism seemed to me to have missed a great opportunity to comment on Dewey's "Democracy and Education" or how Democracy and Education fit into "How to live a good Life".
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- PAM U
- 06-29-23
Exactly what it claims to be
Perfect for those seeking a window into other’s lives and their subsequent approaches. Well worth the read if for nothing else to think as others do.
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- AH
- 02-07-20
hit and miss
at face value, this book would have strongly appealed to me years ago, before i decided i was most like an epicurean, but i decided to check it out now as a refresher.
i felt the content was hit and miss. early chapters were all right. i appreciated the overall casual tone of the book given how arcane some of the subjects (like taoism) can be. to be completely honest, i spaced on most of the religion section, which was not of interest to me. the secular section was a bit of a let down. i appreciated skye cleary's personal take on her subject of existentialism, but this made the dry and biographical chapter on pragmatism stick out to me as uninteresting. if you've never heard of effective altruism, the relevant chapter might be of interest to you, but if you even know a little, you can basically guess everything important. if you're not prepared for the granularity of identity and infighting among "secularists", the secular humanism chapter might cross your eyes.
on the bright side, the narration by the main speaker was expert. great voice, great intonation, and she bothered to try to pronounce everything well. (hers is the preview clip.) the book editors narrated the general introduction (pigliucci), section introductions (cleary), and the conclusion (kaufman). i wish they didn't do that. pigliucci has a rather thick accent, skye cleary has an annoying voice much like an australian ash ketchum, and while kaufman's voice is unremarkable, so is his conclusion. if you don't really want to listen to these, i recommend you skip. they're not very informative anyway.
audible says two stars is "it's okay", so two stars it is.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Bob Swain
- 08-28-21
Mushy
this book wasn't bad in parts. But some of it ruined the rest. the Chapter on Progressive Islam was self congratulatory and just plain dumb. the little chapter on Judaism was good as we're the chapters on Stoicism and Confucianism. progressive Islam was evil and stupid. I am sorry I read this book because of that chapter. it was one vacuous generality after another.
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1 person found this helpful