I found this to be an enjoyable introduction to stoic philosophy. I came back to stoic thought through buddhism and its connection to cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT has helped me manage my food issues and I couldn't believe that its basis was actually in stoic philosophy. Even though I majored in philosophy in college, we somehow managed to skip stoicism altogether. I think this has something to to with the winnowing effect in philosophy where disciplines that started in philosophy go on to be redefined and specialized. At any rate, over the years I have become enamored by lived philosophies over purely academic ones and stoicism is incredible for this.
Massimo delivers his intro to the subject in a wonderfully candid and personal way. He provides anecdotes from his own life to illustrate stoic concepts. It doesn't feel preachy, however, as he often mentions how he is struggling to hold up to the standards of the ancients. In demonstrating his humility, he appears as merely a knowledgeable companion to world of the stoics. He also manages to hold a sort of dialogue with Epictetus throughout the book which is reminiscent of other ancient philosophical texts.
My favorite part of the book is actually the practical exercises at the end. Stoicism asks us to actively practice its precepts, not merely to read them and have done with it. This is a refreshing call to action that is actually the attitude which turned me away from academic philosophy and into buddhist meditation practices. To find a rich tradition with similar but differently arrived at practices within western philosophy has been a nice treat and it feels like my exploration is just beginning.
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