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How to Be a Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci Review: A Practical, Philosophically Grounded Modern Guide
How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life by Massimo Pigliucci (Basic Books) is a rigorous yet accessible self-help philosophy book that channels the ancient Stoic tradition — particularly the teachings of Epictetus — into a framework for contemporary living, written by a professional philosopher who brings both academic depth and personal conviction to the subject.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
General readers who want a philosophically rigorous yet personally grounded entry point into Stoicism as a lived practice, backed by real scholarly credentials rather than self-help approximations.
Worth it if
You want an accessible, structured guide to Stoic ethics and practical techniques — one written by an actual philosopher who has personally road-tested the tradition against contemporary science and secular thought.
Skip if
You're looking for a comprehensive scholarly treatment of Stoic metaphysics or coverage of the tradition's views on sexuality and passion — this book deliberately trades technical depth for accessibility and personal applicability.
What readers & critics say
The Philosophers' Magazine archive calls it "an excellent advertisement to general audiences not only for Stoicism, but also for philosophy in general," praising its application to everyday living. The Washington Independent Review of Books describes it as "highly readable, written in clear and accessible prose, and illuminated with anecdotes of both a personal and an historical nature," noting that many of its points resonate with contemporary concerns.
Sources: The Philosophers' Magazine (archive), Washington Independent Review of Books4.5from 1,588 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
Look inside the book
Preview the actual pages, via Google BooksIn This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Actually Is and Does
- The Author's Credentials and Context
- The Central Argument: A More Nuanced Stoicism
- Reception and Strengths
- Who This Book Is For — and Where It Has Limits
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Written by a credentialed academic philosopher — the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at CUNY — bringing genuine scholarly authority to a popular format
- The imaginary-dialogue structure with Epictetus is praised by peers as carrying readers through the material while staying anchored in ancient Stoic sources
- Directly confronts and corrects the popular misconception of Stoicism as emotionally repressive, presenting a socially engaged and humanistic version of the tradition
- Includes twelve practical techniques drawn from Stoic practice, giving the book a concrete, structured dimension beyond philosophical argument
- Pigliucci grounds the discussion in his own intellectual biography, making the case for Stoicism feel personally tested rather than merely theoretical
What Doesn't
- The conversational, practical focus means certain technical dimensions of Stoic philosophy receive less coverage — readers seeking deep scholarly treatment of Stoic metaphysics may find it deliberately selective
- Topics such as Stoic views on sexuality and passion are not addressed, leaving some aspects of the tradition's scope unexplored
A serious philosopher's case for Stoicism as a living practice — not a museum piece — this book makes one of antiquity's most misunderstood traditions genuinely usable for modern readers.
What the Book Actually Is and Does
How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life by Massimo Pigliucci front cover
How to Be a Stoic is a work of popular philosophy structured around an extended imaginary dialogue between the author and the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Rather than offering a dry academic survey, Pigliucci uses this conversational device — what the Barnes & Noble product page describes as "imaginary conversations with Epictetus" — to walk readers through the core principles of Stoic thought, including the foundational distinction between what is and what is not under our control, the concept of virtue (arete) as excellence and living in accord with reason, and the Stoic commitment to social engagement and love for humankind. The book also includes twelve practical techniques drawn from the Stoic tradition, making it a structured guide as well as a philosophical argument.
“was very much a philosophy of social engagement and encouraged love for all humankind and Nature as well.”
The Author's Credentials and Context
Massimo Pigliucci is the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, and the author or editor of sixteen books. He has written on philosophy's relevance to everyday life for years, including through his blog "Footnotes to Plato," hosted by The Philosophers' Magazine, and in earlier volumes such as Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to a More Meaningful Life. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Salon. That pedigree matters here: this is not a self-help writer borrowing philosophical window dressing, but a credentialed philosopher making an earnest case for a tradition he has personally adopted. Pigliucci explains in the book that, having found the New Atheists "downright irritated" him and Buddhism "too mystical," he was drawn to Stoicism as a framework consistent with both contemporary science and secular philosophy.
The Central Argument: A More Nuanced Stoicism
One of the book's most deliberate moves is confronting — and dismantling — the popular image of Stoicism as cold, joyless, and emotionally repressive. As The Philosophers' Magazine observed in its coverage, Stoicism has a reputation for being "cold and callous," given maxims that appear to reduce everything from illness to passion to mere indifferents. Pigliucci pushes back against that caricature, presenting what the same source describes as "a more nuanced interpretation," one that affirms friendship, love of relatives, and, in his own words, a philosophy that "was very much a philosophy of social engagement and encouraged love for all humankind and Nature as well." The book is explicit that Stoics are asked to take responsibility for their own thoughts and actions — not to cultivate emotional numbness, but to distinguish clearly between what they can and cannot govern.
Reception and Strengths
Critical and peer reception has been strong. Donald J. Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, called it "a fine primer for the aspiring Marcus Aurelius" and praised the imaginary Epictetus conversations for carrying "the reader effortlessly along while grounding the discussion firmly in the ancient Stoic tradition." Robertson's full endorsement, published on the Barnes & Noble platform, describes the book as "lucid, engaging, and persuasive" and commends its picture of Stoic life as "both eminently ethical and down-to-earth practical." The framing of the work — grounded in the ancient texts yet connected explicitly to Pigliucci's own life experience — is consistently cited as one of its distinguishing qualities among readers familiar with the genre.
Who This Book Is For — and Where It Has Limits
How to Be a Stoic is aimed at general readers curious about philosophy as a practical tool rather than an academic discipline, and at those who want their self-improvement reading backed by genuine scholarly grounding. Readers seeking a comprehensive scholarly treatment of Stoic metaphysics or a full survey of the ancient sources may find the book's conversational structure and practical focus deliberately selective — depth in certain technical areas is traded for accessibility and personal applicability. Equally, readers who come to the book looking for engagement with Stoic views on sexuality or passion will find, as The Philosophers' Magazine noted, that those topics are not taken up. What the book offers instead is a coherent, well-argued entry point into Stoic ethics and practice — one designed, as the publisher frames it, to demonstrate that "whoever we are, Stoicism has something for us."
Frequently Asked Questions
is How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life by Massimo Pigliucci worth reading
If you want a philosophy book that's both academically credible and genuinely practical, it's a strong pick. Donald J. Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, called it "lucid, engaging, and persuasive" and praised its picture of Stoic life as "both eminently ethical and down-to-earth practical" — high praise from someone steeped in the same tradition. The key caveat is that it trades depth in technical Stoic metaphysics for accessibility, so hardcore scholars may find it deliberately selective.
What is this book actually about
The book is structured as an extended imaginary dialogue between Pigliucci and the ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus, using that conversational device to walk readers through core Stoic principles — like the foundational distinction between what is and isn't under our control, and the concept of virtue (arete) as living in accord with reason. It also includes twelve practical techniques drawn from the Stoic tradition, making it part philosophical argument, part structured self-improvement guide. Pigliucci frames the whole thing through his own personal adoption of Stoicism after finding both the New Atheists and Buddhism unsatisfying.
Is this book good for people with no philosophy background
Yes — the book is explicitly aimed at general readers curious about philosophy as a practical tool rather than an academic discipline. Robertson noted that the imaginary Epictetus conversations carry "the reader effortlessly along while grounding the discussion firmly in the ancient Stoic tradition," suggesting it works well even without prior knowledge. Pigliucci is a credentialed philosopher (the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York), but the review emphasizes he prioritizes accessibility and personal applicability over technical depth.
Does this book deal with the stereotype that stoicism means suppressing your emotions
Yes, and it tackles the cliché head-on. One of the book's most deliberate moves is dismantling the popular image of Stoicism as "cold and callous," as The Philosophers' Magazine put it — Pigliucci argues that Stoics are asked to distinguish between what they can and cannot govern, not to cultivate emotional numbness. He presents a more nuanced interpretation that affirms friendship, love of relatives, and, in his own words, a philosophy of "social engagement" that "encouraged love for all humankind and Nature as well."
Is this book similar to How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
They cover overlapping ground — both use ancient Stoic sources to offer practical guidance for modern living — but the structures differ. Pigliucci's book is built around imaginary conversations with Epictetus specifically, while Donald J. Robertson's How to Think Like a Roman Emperor centers on Marcus Aurelius. Notably, Robertson himself endorsed Pigliucci's book, calling it "a fine primer for the aspiring Marcus Aurelius," so fans of one are likely to appreciate the other.
What topics does this book leave out
Readers looking for a comprehensive scholarly treatment of Stoic metaphysics or a full survey of ancient sources will find the book's practical focus deliberately selective. The Philosophers' Magazine also noted that Stoic views on sexuality and passion are not taken up — so if those are your primary interest, you'll need to look elsewhere. What it does offer is a coherent, well-argued entry into Stoic ethics and the twelve practical techniques Pigliucci draws from the tradition.
Does this book actually give you practical advice or is it just theory
It genuinely does both — the book includes twelve practical techniques drawn from the Stoic tradition, making it a structured guide and not just a philosophical argument. Robertson praised it as "eminently ethical and down-to-earth practical," and the review highlights that Pigliucci grounds everything in his own lived experience of adopting Stoicism, not just academic commentary. That combination of scholarly grounding and personal application is consistently cited as one of its distinguishing qualities.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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donaldrobertson.name
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- Further reading
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