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
Author
Massimo Pigliucci
Massimo Pigliucci is an author, blogger, and podcaster, as well as the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His academic work is in evolutionary biology, philosophy of science, the nature of pseudoscience, and practical philosophy. His books include the bestselling How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (Basic Books, 2017) and Beyond Stoicism—A Guide to the Good Life with Stoics, Skeptics, Epicureans, and Other Ancient Philosophers (with Gregory Lopez and Meredith Kunz, The Experiment, 2025). He has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Big Think, among others. He lives in New York City.
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Daniel Kaufman
DANIEL KAUFMAN, PhD, received his BA in philosophy at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his PhD in philosophy at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is a former professor of philosophy at Missouri State University.
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