How Philosophy Can Change Your Life: 10 Ideas That Matter Most

Description

This inspiring new book from the bestselling author of Little Big Minds reveals how the heartbeats of philosophy - clear thinking, quiet reflection and good conversation - are essential ingredients in a well-lived life. Full of great discussion ideas and activities you can do with a group, HOW PHILOSOPHY CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE is framed around ten "big ideas" - themes that, according to McCarty, are necessary to grasp if one wants to live a truly fulfilling life. They are: 1. Simplicity (philosophers include Epicurus and Charlotte Joko Beck) 2. Communication (philosophers include bell hooks and Karl Jaspers) 3. Perspective (philosophers include Bertrand Russell and Mary Wollstonecraft) 4. Flexibility (philosophers include Augustine and the Bhagavad Gita) 5. Empathy (philosophers include the Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King, Jr.) 6. Individuality (philosophers include Jean-Paul Sartre and Elizabeth Spelman) 7. Belonging (philosophers include Albert Camus and Rita Manning) 8. Serenity (philosophers include Epictetus and Lao Tzu) 9. Possibility (philosophers include John Stuart Mill and Simone de Beauvoir) 10. Joy (philosophers include Shunryu Suzuki and Jane Addams)

Marietta McCarty is an assistant professor of philosophy at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Virginia. The author of Little Big Minds: Sharing Philosophy with Kids, she has brought philosophy to children in rural, suburban and urban schools across the United States.