Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations

October 15, 2013

In the autobiographical portions of this book, Evans (policy dir., Ctr. for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, Univ. of London) describes the role that ancient philosophy played in helping to make sense of his life. Evans's primary goal is to show how the influence of Greek philosophers (e.g., Socrates, Plato, and Epictetus) is applicable to our daily lives even today. This goal is somewhat hampered by two aspects of the work: the author's reflections on his own experience feel overly personal and often inconsequential, and the work is diluted by his wit, impeding the philosophy being discussed. This volume is divided into five sections, with the first four covering the Stoics, the Epicureans, skepticism, and politics. The final section, labeled "Extracurricular Appendices," focuses on Evans's take on the Socratic tradition. VERDICT The idea that ancient philosophy is applicable to our lives today is a powerful one, but too much of this work is about Evans and his experiences with philosophy, and too little of it is a genuine introduction to street philosophy or philosophy for the common man.--William Simkulet, Andover, KS

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.