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Personal development

Stoic Thinking

A complete guide to judging clearly, feeling in measure and acting with character

Stoicism does not teach you to feel nothing, but to feel in measure and act with character. A complete, practical guide to understanding where this philosophy comes from, distinguishing what is up to you, examining the judgments that feed fear, anger, or envy, desiring without depending, acting without waiting to feel like it, living with others, and facing the inevitable head-on. With dozens of exercises, what psychology says about them, and an honest warning about their limits.

Habethos 91 chapters
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Contents
  1. Why the Stoics are still alive
  2. 1. A Stoic guide for beginners: living with virtue in the modern world
  3. 2. The history of Stoicism: from a painted porch in Athens to the palace of Rome
  4. 3. Physics, logic, and ethics: the Stoic orchard
  5. 4. Logos and sympatheia: the idea that everything is connected
  6. 5. Eudaimonia: Stoic happiness is not pleasure
  7. 6. The four virtues: wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance
  8. 7. Preferred indifferents: money, health, and fame
  9. 8. Epictetus's three disciplines: desire, action, and assent
  10. 9. The dichotomy of control: the most useful lesson of Stoicism
  11. 10. Dichotomy or trichotomy of control?
  12. 11. Cicero's archer: aiming well and letting go of the outcome
  13. 12. "If nothing prevents it": the reserve clause
  14. 13. The obstacle is the way: turning problems into advantage
  15. 14. Amor fati: the art of loving your fate
  16. 15. It is not things, but what we think about them
  17. 16. Assent: not saying yes to the first impression
  18. 17. Prosoche: attention as the watchman of the mind
  19. 18. First movements: feeling is not consenting
  20. 19. Describing without adjectives: Marcus Aurelius's technique
  21. 20. The ten cognitive distortions a Stoic would learn to spot
  22. 21. The tyranny of "shoulds": from demands to preferences
  23. 22. Apatheia: serenity in the face of the world's noise
  24. 23. Eupatheiai: the three good emotions
  25. 24. Taking the mask off fear: Seneca's method
  26. 25. We suffer more in imagination than in reality
  27. 26. What you achieve depends on the uncertainty you tolerate
  28. 27. On anger: the oldest manual for not exploding
  29. 28. The price of lettuce: Epictetus against envy
  30. 29. The only shame is acting badly
  31. 30. I forgive you, just don't do it again: guilt and remorse
  32. 31. Seneca's consolations: a Stoic facing grief
  33. 32. Hercules at the crossroads: choosing the hard path
  34. 33. Before giving in to temptation, imagine the aftermath
  35. 34. No one is free who does not master themselves: Epictetus on freedom
  36. 35. Looking downward: gratitude against hedonic adaptation
  37. 36. Savoring the everyday: Marcus Aurelius and the cracked bread
  38. 37. Askesis: training and voluntary discomfort
  39. 38. Take possession of your time: Seneca against procrastination
  40. 39. I rise to do the work of a human being
  41. 40. Think big, start small
  42. 41. Don't argue about what a good person is, be one
  43. 42. When X happens, I will do Y: preparing before temptation strikes
  44. 43. Ulysses tied to the mast: designing your environment
  45. 44. Impatient with actions, patient with results
  46. 45. Ego is the enemy: humility as the engine of growth
  47. 46. Oikeiosis: the Stoicism that looks out for others
  48. 47. Kathekon: appropriate duties and the roles you are given
  49. 48. From virtues to personal values
  50. 49. Stoicism in couples and family life
  51. 50. Stoicism for teenagers: how to explain it without preaching
  52. 51. Leading like Marcus Aurelius: power, ego, and service
  53. 52. Stoicism at work: criticism, difficult bosses, and rejection
  54. 53. Training like a Stoic
  55. 54. Seneca, the Stoic millionaire: money without hypocrisy
  56. 55. The inner citadel in the age of smartphones
  57. 56. Leisure and retreat: when to step back from the world
  58. 57. Premeditatio malorum: preparing for the worst to live better
  59. 58. The view from above: putting problems into perspective
  60. 59. Will this matter in ten years?
  61. 60. Memento mori: death as a teacher of life
  62. 61. Sick Stoics: what they taught about pain
  63. 62. Aging like a Stoic
  64. 63. Stoic micro-habits: philosophy in five minutes a day
  65. 64. Marcus Aurelius's morning meditation
  66. 65. Seneca's evening review
  67. 66. How to keep a Stoic journal
  68. 67. Choose your Cato: the imaginary sage
  69. 68. Pocket precepts: questions to keep at hand
  70. 69. From the Porch to the clinic: Stoicism and cognitive behavioral therapy
  71. 70. Stoicism and acceptance and commitment therapy
  72. 71. Does Stoicism work? What the studies show
  73. 72. When philosophy is not enough: Stoicism and mental health
  74. 73. Criticisms of Stoicism: where it falls short and what gets misunderstood
  75. 74. Zeno of Citium: the shipwreck that founded a philosophy
  76. 75. Chrysippus, the forgotten architect
  77. 76. Cato the Younger: the Stoic who became a legend
  78. 77. Seneca and his moral letters
  79. 78. Musonius Rufus, the Roman Socrates
  80. 79. Epictetus: the slave who taught inner freedom
  81. 80. Marcus Aurelius and his Meditations
  82. 81. Women and Stoicism
  83. 82. Stoicism and Epicureanism: rivals who read each other
  84. 83. Stoicism and Buddhism: two paths to inner peace
  85. 84. Neostoicism: Lipsius, Quevedo, and Stoicism in the Hispanic world
  86. 85. James Stockdale: seven years of captivity with Epictetus
  87. Conclusion: the inner citadel
  88. Appendix A. Where to start reading the Stoics
  89. Appendix B. Ten passages from the Enchiridion explained
  90. Appendix C. The ten letters of Seneca to read first
  91. Appendix D. The Stoic cycle of change: a six-week roadmap

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