Inhalt

Inhaltsverzeichnis
Introduction by Massimo Pigliucci, Skye C. Cleary, and Daniel Kaufman          

Group I: Ancient Philosophies from the East
1. Buddhism: Owen Flanagan (Duke University)    
2. Confucianism: Bryan W. Van Norden (Vassar College)          
3. Daoism: Robin R. Wang (Loyola Marymount University)     

Group II: Ancient Philosophies from the West      
4. Aristotelianism: Daniel A. Kaufman (Missouri State University)      
5. Stoicism: Massimo Pigliucci (City College of New York)      
6. Epicureanism: Hiram Crespo (Society of Friends of Epicurus)          

Group III: Religious Traditions  
7. Hinduism: Deepak Sarma (Case Western Reserve University)    
8. Judaism: Rabbi Barbara Block (Temple Israel, Springfield MO)      
9. Christianity: Alister McGrath (Oxford University)        
10. Progressive Islam: Adis Duderija (Griffith University, Australia)    
11. Ethical Culture: Anne Klaeysen (New York Society for Ethical Culture)          

Group IV: Modern Philosophies 
12. Existentialism: Skye C. Cleary (Columbia University and Barnard College)       
13. Pragmatism: John Kaag (University of Massachusetts Lowell) and Douglas
      Anderson (University of North Texas)
14. Effective Altruism: Kelsey Piper (Vox)   
15. Secular Humanism: John R. Shook (University of Buffalo) 

Conclusion 

Besprechung
"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," Five Books.com

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 fascinating and practical guide. I would happily lend you my copy, but it s too filled with underlinings and scribbles in the margins to be legible. A. J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically

Philosophies and religions are sometimes more than just dogmas or points to be argued. They can also be daily practices which help you in the most difficult moments of your life. This book explores some of the greatest ethical paths humans have walked, including both ancient, modern, and non-western routes to wisdom. Highly recommended.   Jules Evans, author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations 

Everyone will have something to learn from this book, whether you are seeking guidance on living a good life, or have already dedicated yourself to a school or tradition. Secular humanists can learn about Daoism, Progressive Muslims can learn about Existentialism, Confucians can learn about Ancient Greek wisdom. Those looking to seek an examined life and those looking to learn about how other coherent systems of values work will find this book illuminating. With accessible storytelling as well as scholarly rigor, the editors have put together a truly inclusive edition that covers the central tenets of living well bestowed on us by the most prominent traditions in moral philosophy and religion.   Barry Lam, creator of Hi-Phi Nation and associate professor of philosophy at Vassar College

Textauszug
Group I

Ancient Philosophies from the East

Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism

Eastern philosophies particularly three of the most well known: Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism tend to have a reputation in the West for being all about yoga and meditation. Although these are parts of what they are about, the essays by Owen Flanagan, Bryan Van Norden, and Robin R. Wang show that this conception is overly simplified, incomplete, and misleading. The risk of cherry-picking bits and pieces such as meditation or yoga without a fuller understanding of the underlying philosophy is that we end up with commercialized cults of the self, sacrificing credit cards and calories to the Yoga Fashion Gods Inc., which is a far cry from what the Buddha, Confucius, and Laozi teach. Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism are philosophies of life that present primarily practical guides for ethical behavior.

Buddhism is, by some estimates, currently the fourth largest religion in the world, after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, accounting for around 500 million people, or nearly 7 percent of the world s population.1 It is hard to say how many people follow Confucianism and Daoism, because when polls are done in Korea and China, for example, only a small percentage say they officially belong to the religion of Confucianism, but most conform to and enact a Confucian way of life. Confucianism is more a cultural and philosophical affiliation than a religious one, and the ideas and texts of Confucians continue to exert deep cultural influences on billions of people.

The popular practices of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism could have been included as religions in Group III, but we think they merit their own section, not only because they originated in Asia, but also because they do not worship deities in the same ways as more orthodox religious traditions (such as Hinduism). They often do make reference to deities or spiritual entities, and there are religious rites and temples associated with them, but intellectuals in each tradition typically regard them as skillful means, that is, expedients for justifying or explaining the philosophical teachings to people. Moreover, their focus is on the individual, or the individual within society, rather than a god, and, as Flanagan argues, Buddhism in particular lends itself well to secularization for those looking for a spiritual and ethical, but not necessarily religious, philosophy.

Siddhartha Gautama, more commonly known as the Buddha, was an Indian prince who lived around 500 400 BCE. At the age of twenty-nine, he traveled away from his palace to meet his subjects and was shocked by the sickness and suffering he witnessed. He became an ascetic and at thirty-five meditated under a bodhi tree for forty-nine days and, according to the legend, became enlightened. He set about spreading his wisdom on how to achieve enlightenment. Like Daoism and Stoicism (which we will come to soon), Buddhism aims to relieve pain and suffering. Key sources of our existential pain are emotions such as anger, resentment, and blame, which inflict suffering on ourselves as well as others. Buddhists check, or as Flanagan puts it, deflate their ego by exercising virtues including compassion, loving-kindness, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. The ethical imperative, Flanagan says, is always to love, to substitute compassion and love whenever and wherever there is suffering, violence, cruelty, and hate. This is part of the path to releasing ourselves from our attachments and freeing ourselves from the endless cycle of rebirth, so that we may find a state of serenity and, ultimately, nirvana. It is not always as simple as it sounds, though and Flanagan talks us through the problem of whether a Buddhist would kill Hitler, a thought experiment that might for some

Langtext
A collection of essays by fifteen philosophers presenting a thoughtful, introductory guide to choosing a philosophy for living an examined and meaningful life.

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 fifteen 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 twenty-first century.

A VINTAGE ORIGINAL