Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way
- Downloads：7154
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-31 08:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kieran Setiya
- ISBN：152915121X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A NEW YORKER AND THE ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF 2022
"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
'An eloquent， moving， witty and above all useful demonstration of philosophy's power to help us weather the storms of being human' Oliver Burkeman， author of FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS
______________________________________
Pain， Loneliness， Grief， Injustice 。。。 Hope？
Life is hard - as the past few years have made painfully clear。 From personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world， sometimes simply going on can feel too much。
But 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 help us find warmth， humanity， and humour in the lives we actually have？ 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。 He asks what we can learn from loneliness and loss about the value of human life。 And he explores how we can fail with grace， confront injustice， and search for meaning in the face of despair。 Drawing on ancient and modern philosophy， as well as fiction， comedy， social science and personal essay， Life is Hard is a book for this moment - a work of solace and compassion。 It draws us towards justice， for ourselves and others， by acknowledging what it means to be alive。
"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
'An eloquent， moving， witty and above all useful demonstration of philosophy's power to help us weather the storms of being human' Oliver Burkeman， author of FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS
______________________________________
Pain， Loneliness， Grief， Injustice 。。。 Hope？
Life is hard - as the past few years have made painfully clear。 From personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world， sometimes simply going on can feel too much。
But 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 help us find warmth， humanity， and humour in the lives we actually have？ 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。 He asks what we can learn from loneliness and loss about the value of human life。 And he explores how we can fail with grace， confront injustice， and search for meaning in the face of despair。 Drawing on ancient and modern philosophy， as well as fiction， comedy， social science and personal essay， Life is Hard is a book for this moment - a work of solace and compassion。 It draws us towards justice， for ourselves and others， by acknowledging what it means to be alive。
Reviews
Seyhan
，
It is short and fast read about moral and behavioural philosophy。 With this read， I was expecting to dig deep into moral matters related to present century。 Contrary， you will find a collection of Setiya’s tangential opinions over seven contents （ infirmity， failure， hope， loneliness， grief， injustice，absurdity ） augmented by ancient and modern philosophers’ notions and quotations…
Larkin Tackett
，
This is the first book of philosophy I've read in a LONG time。 MIT Professor Kieran Setiya has a lot of thoughts about life's big questions， often summarizing a range of other philosophers。 On projects and activities he writes what could be a version of 'it's about the journey and not the destination。': "My conception of living in the present turns on distinguishing two kinds of activity。 On the one hand， there are projects to complete， activities that point toward a final state of failure or su This is the first book of philosophy I've read in a LONG time。 MIT Professor Kieran Setiya has a lot of thoughts about life's big questions， often summarizing a range of other philosophers。 On projects and activities he writes what could be a version of 'it's about the journey and not the destination。': "My conception of living in the present turns on distinguishing two kinds of activity。 On the one hand， there are projects to complete， activities that point toward a final state of failure or success。 But there are also activities we don’t complete， ones not defined by a terminal state—activities in which we don’t succeed or fail。 By focusing on the latter， we can make our lives less vulnerable to fate。"He further distinguishes between the two by using the terms "telic" and "atelic" activities。"。。。 we can say that building a house and learning the alphabet are “telic” activities: they aim at terminal states， in which they are finished and thus exhausted。" "Other activities are 'atelic': they do not aim at termination， a final state in which they have been achieved。。。 parenting， spending time with friends， and listening to music。" He goes on to say the telic activities are important， i。e。， like teaching your to kid learn to tie their own laces or for a doctor， saving a life。 But "we are prone to care too much about telic activities。。。。 Atelic activities are realized in the present as much as they can ever be realized。 If you value thinking and you are doing just that， you have what you value right now。 Nothing you have done， or will do， can imperil this。"This frame is valuable for helping me find my way。 。。。more
Greg
，
DNF on page 33。 Here is one quote as example of the stupidity in this book driven by the bias of the author。"Pain teaches that we can't escape our bodies or properly appreciate being pain-free。" Uh， beg to differ。 Any child knows not to touch that stove a second time。 I guess a child can appreciate being pain-free。And that's just one sentence， one example。If you're a scholar， please don't bother。 Yes， it rhymes。 Thank you。 😁😎P。 S。， The argument he was making is that he has chronic， intermittent DNF on page 33。 Here is one quote as example of the stupidity in this book driven by the bias of the author。"Pain teaches that we can't escape our bodies or properly appreciate being pain-free。" Uh， beg to differ。 Any child knows not to touch that stove a second time。 I guess a child can appreciate being pain-free。And that's just one sentence， one example。If you're a scholar， please don't bother。 Yes， it rhymes。 Thank you。 😁😎P。 S。， The argument he was making is that he has chronic， intermittent pain， and when he is in pain， it is terrible and when he is not in pain， it is terrible。 He just sounds like a big pussy to me。Personally， I suffer migraines。 And when they go away， I fucking rejoice。 Did I say pussy？ 。。。more
Bertram Leonard
，
“If we did not grieve， we would not love。”
Mariko
，
It didn't resonate with me。 I thought it was meandering and didn't really offer any advice， but you might like it if you're into moral philosophy。 It didn't resonate with me。 I thought it was meandering and didn't really offer any advice， but you might like it if you're into moral philosophy。 。。。more
Ʀaðǫ ʦwetkǫf
，
It contains priceless gems。 Some other topics don't bring anything new to the reader。I give only 3 stars because the style is draft-level。 Some sentences are unchewable。 This needs to be rewritten to be readable and make sense。 I've attended Kieran's talks which have a much better structure。 Even Midlife has a better style。 Second， most of the examples in the book are taken from some US-specific sports or US political trivia from the past decade。 The participants in these examples are unintellig It contains priceless gems。 Some other topics don't bring anything new to the reader。I give only 3 stars because the style is draft-level。 Some sentences are unchewable。 This needs to be rewritten to be readable and make sense。 I've attended Kieran's talks which have a much better structure。 Even Midlife has a better style。 Second， most of the examples in the book are taken from some US-specific sports or US political trivia from the past decade。 The participants in these examples are unintelligible to the world now and will be forgotten in the US in the coming years。 I don't even see why to bother reading。Puzzling is why Kieran tracks "the grief" and some corner concepts of Nietsche's philosophy quoting V。 Wolf。 There are similar baffles with excerpts from not well-known pieces or series。If Kieran has to say something to the world and not to his generation of east-coast US citizens， he'll need to rewrite this book for good。 。。。more
Bill
，
A meaningful life is not the same as a happy one。 That is the message， so Setiya offers plenty of ideas on meaning， despite challenges， without all the happy talk。 This is worth a slow， careful reading， especially as the rich footnotes offer so many paths one could take to pursue a point further。This brief book is genuine， accessible， and readable。 It earns the positive reviews it has received。
Geoff
，
AN incredibly readable and useful book 。 The author takes us through seven markers if you will - a kind of Pandora's box:Infirmity; Loneliness; Grief; Failure; In justice; Absurdity; Hope。 This isn't a self-help book， but a book the provides you with the means to ask questions about your life - not about what is the ideal life， or the meaning of life， but what is the life you are living。 Highly recommended it。 AN incredibly readable and useful book 。 The author takes us through seven markers if you will - a kind of Pandora's box:Infirmity; Loneliness; Grief; Failure; In justice; Absurdity; Hope。 This isn't a self-help book， but a book the provides you with the means to ask questions about your life - not about what is the ideal life， or the meaning of life， but what is the life you are living。 Highly recommended it。 。。。more
Danee
，
It was well written but I couldn't quite get myself to connect with it It was well written but I couldn't quite get myself to connect with it 。。。more
Richard Thompson
，
It was good to read a moral philosophy book that starts with the principle that being happy is not the same as living well。 I have read a lot of moral philosophy books， and I find that too many of them overrate happiness and suggest that maximizing happiness should be our goal， that a person's level of happiness should be the measure of a good life。 Happiness is great， but there is so much more。 Learning， striving， accomplishment， feeling flow and adding to the diversity of my life experiences a It was good to read a moral philosophy book that starts with the principle that being happy is not the same as living well。 I have read a lot of moral philosophy books， and I find that too many of them overrate happiness and suggest that maximizing happiness should be our goal， that a person's level of happiness should be the measure of a good life。 Happiness is great， but there is so much more。 Learning， striving， accomplishment， feeling flow and adding to the diversity of my life experiences are all meaningful to me， but are at best indirectly related to happiness。 Part of a good life is being good at doing something。 Sometimes pursuing those goals can be frustrating， boring， or unsatisfying or can even make me angry， but I wouldn't give up the goals or the experience of pursuing them in exchange for more happiness。 And then there is outright unhappiness， which comes from sad and tragic events， disease， failure and other setbacks in pursuing goals or from misbehavior （or perceived misbehavior） of others。 Those are things that I'd never wish for， except that life would be incomplete without them。 And since we experience the good by feeling its contrast with the bad， we could not appreciate our good times without having bad times for comparison。Mr。 Setiya doesn't discuss the parts of life that are difficult but rewarding or the value of the bad in helping us to appreciate the good。 But he makes some other good points， discussing the importance of relationships and our human connections with other people， which are not always easy， but are essential to a full life。 He understands that people are more important than abstractions。 He also spends a lot of time discussing the importance of being of service to other people。 It's not always enjoyable， but it has rewards for the doer and the recipient and for the larger community。 There is also an extensive discussion of grief and how to respond to it。 I'm generally in agreement with him on this。 You shouldn't minimize it， ignore it or cherish it， but you have to accept it and let it run its course。Somehow I wanted more from this book。 Maybe some deeper philosophical analysis。 Maybe a book less targeted at a broad audience。 Maybe some more surprises in his analysis。 I don't know。 I may look at some of Mr。 Setiya's academic writing since I do believe that he is thinking in the right direction and his writing for a scholarly audience might give me what I felt that I was missing here， though I usually find modern academic writing in philosophy to be needlessly dense and focused on things that I don't care about。 。。。more
Susan
，
Life IS Hard， too hard， it seems， to finish this。 I want to like it。 So many glowing reviews on GR and elsewhere。 Just not for me。
Laura
，
The book exactly fits its description so I can’t blame it for that。 It just seemed to be missing something—maybe novelty or humor？ Still， it had some good points and got better after the first couple of chapters。
Shana Yates
，
3。5 stars
Frank Mastromauro
，
Didn’t really provide any useful insight and too much left wing bias - the author whines a lot and seems terrified about life。 Was expecting a more optimistic outlook for dealing with the difficulties of life。
Rachel Cohen
，
Started off strong， the best chapter was easily his one on disability， but most of the book was heavily undertheorized， overly pretentious， and felt like a hodgepodge of contradictory Etsy quotes。 I love Etsy but I suspect the author would consider his thinking above that level。 I might recommend it just for the disability chapter， but can’t really beyond that
Bookmuppet
，
Philosophy lite （very light， disappointingly）。 I'm not sure whether we ever get to what the subtitle intimates （more attentive readers: do we？）， but then I got a little lost in the author's strangely didactic section on Adorno。 Setiya seems disappointed with Adorno's skepticism of academics channeling their energies into activism rather than scholarship。 I was intrigued -- and was hoping for a more charitable （and in-depth） treatment of Adorno's position， not a scolding。 Unfortunately， I will ha Philosophy lite （very light， disappointingly）。 I'm not sure whether we ever get to what the subtitle intimates （more attentive readers: do we？）， but then I got a little lost in the author's strangely didactic section on Adorno。 Setiya seems disappointed with Adorno's skepticism of academics channeling their energies into activism rather than scholarship。 I was intrigued -- and was hoping for a more charitable （and in-depth） treatment of Adorno's position， not a scolding。 Unfortunately， I will have to look for that somewhere else。 。。。more
Urangoo Enkhtuvshin
，
I did not find my way through life by finishing this book。 However， I am inspired to be a better human being through the acts of attention and justice。
Jane
，
This rather slim book is organized around seven topics: infirmity， loneliness， grief， failure， injustice， absurdity， and hope。 In each chapter Stiya， a professor of philosophy at MIT， discusses how insights from philosophy， as well as fiction， stories， and history and can help in dealing with life's tough issues。 Setiya's willingness to share his own struggles with chronic pain and other vulnerabilities makes him actually approachable as a philosopher。 I found the chapters on failure and injusti This rather slim book is organized around seven topics: infirmity， loneliness， grief， failure， injustice， absurdity， and hope。 In each chapter Stiya， a professor of philosophy at MIT， discusses how insights from philosophy， as well as fiction， stories， and history and can help in dealing with life's tough issues。 Setiya's willingness to share his own struggles with chronic pain and other vulnerabilities makes him actually approachable as a philosopher。 I found the chapters on failure and injustice particularly insightful。 When we feel hopeless to do anything about injustice in the world， Setiya responds: "You may not do enough， but the difference you make when you save a life is the same whether you save one of two or one of two million。 A protest may not change the world， but it adds its fraction to the odds of change。 It's wrong to disregard the increments。 We make the same mistake when we deny ourselves compassion， knowing that others suffer more。 "It may be the most important lesson I ever learned，" the poet Richard Hugo wrote， "maybe the most important lesson one can teach。 You are someone and you have a right to your life。" You have a right to your suffering， too。" 。。。more
Naomi Crohn
，
I loved this book- it was full of great insights and approaches to life’s hardships。 I found it really helpful in learning to accept misfortune and painful emotions。 Would recommend this one to everyone！
Steve
，
Self-indulgent clap-trap。 Ugh。
Nancy Hamel
，
Great book--really makes you think about life。 Not a self-help book but provides a new way to think about life for the better。
Richard
，
Adjectives like “excellent” don’t require modifiers — except in cases like Life Is Hard， in which Kieran Setiya does such a great job translating classic philosophy for our present moment and， for the most part， avoiding facile responses to life’s most challenging moments and mysteries。 Covid！ War！ Climate！ Politics！ The Economy！ Who isn’t stressed and/or depressed？ Come， take some consolation in philosophy。 It’s there; it helps。
Kellie
，
I find solace in the words of ancient wisdom- and appreciated Kieran Setiya introducing me to， and reminding me of so many philosophers and poets。 This was a satisfying book in that it does not tell you to buck up and get through- but acknowledges the pain and hurt and hardships that come with some of life’s challenges。
Mario Pigrim
，
Excelente libro de divulgación filosófica que cumple con el cometido de hablarnos sobre temas como la muerte， el duelo， la esperanza y el absurdo。 Para personas como yo que batalla para entender los conceptos difíciles de la filosofía。
Lehner
，
Accessible， reflective thinking。 Worth the read。
Jen Pham for Literary Leftovers Bookstore
，
To quote the title， life is hard， and Kieran Setiya tackles the subject of living philosophically with ferocious interrogations into the meaning of existence。 He recommends a guide to human satisfaction: enjoy living well， as opposed to chasing ideal happiness or attaining perfection。 Exploring universal questions through famous works of literature and personal imprints of being， Setiya examines how we can endure adversity by setting new expectations for our inner ambitions。In analyzing the phil To quote the title， life is hard， and Kieran Setiya tackles the subject of living philosophically with ferocious interrogations into the meaning of existence。 He recommends a guide to human satisfaction: enjoy living well， as opposed to chasing ideal happiness or attaining perfection。 Exploring universal questions through famous works of literature and personal imprints of being， Setiya examines how we can endure adversity by setting new expectations for our inner ambitions。In analyzing the philosophical topics expounded upon in this book， I was dissatisfied with the results。 Setiya seems to be advocating for settling， going quietly about our lives without dreaming， without wanting something better than a life considered to be good enough。 He asks that we be satisfied with decency， as opposed to striving for happiness or perfection。 While attempting to work through these conundrums， he cites the work of philosophers and writers such as Aristotle， Virginia Woolf， and Fyodor Dostoevsky。 He argues with all of them， and does not budge on his own opinions of their work， stating them as fact。 He consistently uses generalization， and offers a bleak vision of the world that is crowded with adversity and absurdity。 The most difficult part of the book is the language， which often contradicts itself， and is not accessibly written for the average reader。 Setiya is at his most eloquent when meditating upon grief， but fails to truly capture the heart of human consciousness as a whole。 Instead of accepting our lot as he suggests， we must allow ourselves to dream of a better future。 。。。more
Adam Carter
，
This book does what it says in the title。 It is unashamedly self-help but it is also deep， respectful and doesn't fall victim to cliches。 Written for a popular audience - I liked most it incorporation of ideas from analytic philosophy which doesn't always make connections to the everyday in the way it should。 A great example of this was its discussion of Frankfurt on love。 I enjoyed most the chapters on infirmity， failure and loneliness。 I'm also a big fan of Kieran's podcast 'five questions' wh This book does what it says in the title。 It is unashamedly self-help but it is also deep， respectful and doesn't fall victim to cliches。 Written for a popular audience - I liked most it incorporation of ideas from analytic philosophy which doesn't always make connections to the everyday in the way it should。 A great example of this was its discussion of Frankfurt on love。 I enjoyed most the chapters on infirmity， failure and loneliness。 I'm also a big fan of Kieran's podcast 'five questions' which inquires into how the lives of philosophers interact with their academic views。 The podcast aimed more towards people with an interest in philosophy in the academy but is also highly accessible。 。。。more
Nathaniel Cho
，
Life is Hard is a meta analysis of popular schools of philosophy。 Setiya takes largely from stoicism existentialism and nihilism to form a grounded vehicle through which he navigates his life。 Things like loss and death aren't seen as disassociable events like in stoicism， but Setiya acknowledges hardship and there is heart to his approach。 For this I really enjoyed how human the boom reads。 Often time philosophy can read as if theory crafting and much less a how to guide on life， this book lean Life is Hard is a meta analysis of popular schools of philosophy。 Setiya takes largely from stoicism existentialism and nihilism to form a grounded vehicle through which he navigates his life。 Things like loss and death aren't seen as disassociable events like in stoicism， but Setiya acknowledges hardship and there is heart to his approach。 For this I really enjoyed how human the boom reads。 Often time philosophy can read as if theory crafting and much less a how to guide on life， this book leans towards the latter。 That said， this book wont be incredibly revelatory， especially if you have a cursory knowledge of the aforementioned schools of thought。 Approachable， heart filled， an easy read。 。。。more
Manish
，
I discovered Setiya through his conversation with Russ Roberts on EconTalk。 I've been a sucker for philosophical takes on life's daily struggles and this book didn't disappoint me。 Setiya is a chronic disease sufferer （prostatitis） and also underwent a midlife crisis when he was in his mid-30s。 So for someone with so much skin in the game， his book felt really heartfelt and personal。 For me， his explanation of the folly of using our a narrative arc to define our life's success was really deep an I discovered Setiya through his conversation with Russ Roberts on EconTalk。 I've been a sucker for philosophical takes on life's daily struggles and this book didn't disappoint me。 Setiya is a chronic disease sufferer （prostatitis） and also underwent a midlife crisis when he was in his mid-30s。 So for someone with so much skin in the game， his book felt really heartfelt and personal。 For me， his explanation of the folly of using our a narrative arc to define our life's success was really deep and profound。 。。。more
Marks54
，