Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way

(Paperback)

Available Formats

---

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

'An eloquent, moving, witty and above all useful demonstration of philosophy's power to help us weather the storms of being human' Oliver Burkeman A NEW YORKER AND THE ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF 2022 'I adore this book . . . Setiya is a deeply astute and generous guide . . . a clear and consoling modern voice, for which I'm enormously grateful' Derren Brown 'At last a philosopher tackles the meaning of life and comes up with useful answers' James McConnachie, Sunday Times Pain, Loneliness, Grief, Injustice ... Hope For too long we've been told that positive thinking is the key to living a happy life. But from personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world, sometimes simply going on can feel too much. Could there be solace - and even hope - in acknowledging the hardships of the human condition Might doing so free us from the tyranny of striving for our "best lives" and could it inspire in us the desire for a better world In this profound and personal book, Kieran Setiya shows how philosophy can help us find our way. He shares his own experience with chronic pain and the consolation that comes from making sense of it, and asks what we can learn from loneliness and loss about the value of human life. Drawing on ancient and modern philosophy, as well as fiction, comedy, social science and personal essay, Life is Hard shows how philosophy can ultimately help us to make the best of a bad lot- the human condition. 'Exceptionally rich and subtle' Jonathan Derbyshire, Financial Times 'Life may be hard, but Kieran Setiya shows us better ways to think about it' Katherine May, author of WINTERING

Reviews

Life Is Hard is a humane consolation for challenging times. Reading it is like speaking with a thoughtful friend who never tells you to cheer up, but, by offering gentle companionship and a change of perspective, makes you feel better anyway. * The New York Times Book Review *
At last a philosopher tackles the meaning of life and comes up with useful answers -- James McConnachie * The Sunday Times *
Through carefully crafted examples, [Kieran Setiya] makes the case that philosophy can help us navigate the adversities of human life ... No life worth living is free of suffering and pain. Better to face it with the clarity to which philosophy, at its best, aspires * Guardian *

Attentive readers of this humane, intelligent book will come away with a firmer grasp and better descriptions of
whatever it is that ails them or those they cherish

* Economist *
Kieran Setiya argues that certain bracing challenges-loneliness, failure, ill health, grief, and so on-are essentially unavoidable ... But it's good, the book shows, to acknowledge hard experiences and ask how they've helped us grow tougher, kinder, and wiser -- Joshua Rothman * New Yorker *

Author Bio

Kieran Setiya was born in Hull and now teaches philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Midlife- A Philosophical Guide, and is the host of a podcast, Five Questions, in which he asks contemporary philosophers five questions about themselves. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, the London Review of Books, and The New York Times.