William B. Irvine
Literary Website
The Stoic Challenge
The Stoic Challenge is a sequel to my Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. In that book, I described Stoicism in general terms; in this book, I focus my attention on how Stoicism can be used to deal with the setbacks we experience in daily living. Some are small, others are catastrophic. Unless we are prepared to deal with them, though, our lives are likely to be filled with unnecessary stress and anxiety. This book weaves together ancient Stoic philosophy and modern psychology to provide an actionable strategy for dealing with life's setbacks.
Now Available Online
Interview on Hidden Brain podcast
Stoic Path series of 22 short talks on Sam Harris's Waking Up app (behind paywall, but free on request)
Interview on Shane Parrish's Knowledge Project podcast
Interview on Crazy Money podcast
Interview on the Dad Mindset podcast
Keynote address at Stoicon 2020
Interviews on Laurie Santos's Happiness Lab podcast:
> About Epictetus
> About the proper stoic response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Interview on Sam Harris's Waking Up podcast (behind paywall)
Panel discussion for the Classical Wisdom symposium
Interview on the Stoic Insights podcast
Interview on The Minimalists podcast
Interview on Massimo Pigliucci's Stoa Nova Conversations:
> (Audio) https://www.patreon.com/posts/37792422
> (Video) https://youtu.be/eb7gmgUj9_M
For your reading pleasure
A Stoic poem by Olivia Hajioff
My 21st Century Stoic Essays
An essay: Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in proper Stoic fashion
Recent events
Interview for the Contemplative Leadership Speaker Series, Stanford Graduate School of Business, May 5
Lecture at the 2021 California Cognitive Science Conference at University of California at Berkeley on April 24 (presented virtually)
Lecture at Youngstown State University (presented virtually on March 4)
In-house interview for Neuberger Berman Group in February
The 2020 Sibley Lecture at Alfred University (presented virtually on October 20, 2020)
Lecture (via Zoom) at Oliver Wolcott Library in Litchfield, CT. July 14, 2020 at 7pm.
Online shelter-in-place lecture for W. W. Norton, April 16, 2020