Socrates Express
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Description
Book Introduction
“In countless moments of life when you feel lost, you will hear the voices of these philosophers.” 2022: The moment philosophy permeates our lives again. * 2021 Comprehensive Bestseller * Kim Young-ha Book Club Selection * Books of the Year Chosen by the Press and Bookstores Books to Open 2022 Selected by Maeil Business Newspaper and Yes24 Chosun Ilbo's Book of the Year Aladdin-Publishers' Choice Humanities Book of the Year * A flood of praise from readers “The first philosophy book I’ve ever read in my life.” “Here's a philosophy that will help you through many stages of life.” “A book that makes you think about how to live wisely.” French thinker Maurice Riesling says: “In the end, life makes philosophers out of us all.” But we often realize that life is not easy. Here are philosophers who have dedicated their lives to asking life's most important questions and finding answers. How about getting some helpful life advice from them? "Socrates Express" is a travelogue that meets the greatest philosophers in history, from Marcus Aurelius to Montaigne, and explores how the wisdom found in their lives and works can help improve our own lives. Eric Weiner, whose captivating writing style has been described as “a blend of Bill Bryson’s humor and Alain de Botton’s insight,” will be your travel companion. “We always need wisdom, but the wisdom we need is different at each stage of life. The "how" question that's important to a fifteen-year-old isn't the same as the question that's important to a thirty-five-year-old or a seventy-five-year-old. Philosophy tells the story that is absolutely necessary at each stage.” |
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
Introduction: Departure
Part 1 Dawn
1 How to Get Out of Bed Like Marcus Aurelius
2 How to be curious like Socrates
3 How to Walk Like Rousseau
4 How to See Like a Soro
5 How to Listen Like Schopenhauer
Part 2 Noon
6 How to Enjoy Like Epicurus
7 How to Pay Attention Like Simone Weil
8 How to Fight Like Gandhi
9 How to Be Kind Like Confucius
How to be grateful for the little things like 10-year-old Shonagon
Part 3 Twilight
11 How to Have No Regrets Like Nietzsche
12 How to Deal with Adversity Like Epictetus
13 How to Grow Old Like Beauvoir
14 How to Die Like Montaigne
Coming out: Arrival
Part 1 Dawn
1 How to Get Out of Bed Like Marcus Aurelius
2 How to be curious like Socrates
3 How to Walk Like Rousseau
4 How to See Like a Soro
5 How to Listen Like Schopenhauer
Part 2 Noon
6 How to Enjoy Like Epicurus
7 How to Pay Attention Like Simone Weil
8 How to Fight Like Gandhi
9 How to Be Kind Like Confucius
How to be grateful for the little things like 10-year-old Shonagon
Part 3 Twilight
11 How to Have No Regrets Like Nietzsche
12 How to Deal with Adversity Like Epictetus
13 How to Grow Old Like Beauvoir
14 How to Die Like Montaigne
Coming out: Arrival
Into the book
We don't want what we think we want.
We think we want information and knowledge.
But that's not the case.
We want wisdom.
There is a difference here.
Information is a jumbled mess of facts, and knowledge is a more systematic organization of those jumbled facts.
Wisdom unravels the tangled web of facts, provides an understanding of them, and, crucially, suggests ways to make the most of them.
British musician Miles Kington said:
“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting tomatoes in fruit salad.”
---p.6
We always need wisdom, but the wisdom we need is different at each stage of life.
The "how" question that's important to a fifteen-year-old isn't the same as the question that's important to a thirty-five-year-old or a seventy-five-year-old.
Philosophy tells the story that is absolutely necessary at each stage.
---p.14
We rarely question the obvious.
Socrates thought this oversight was a mistake.
The more obvious the problem, the more urgent the question should be.
---p.57
Socrates was a failure.
It may sound harsh, but it's still true.
Many of Socrates' conversations end in stalemate rather than a thunderous breakthrough from Zeus.
Philosophy creates more problems than it solves.
That is the nature of philosophy.
---p.76
Schopenhauer foreshadows the noise of social media that leaves people dumbfounded.
Within social media, true voices are drowned out by the noise of newness.
“There is no greater error than the idea that what has been written most recently is always more accurate, that what has been written later is an improvement over what has been written before, and that all change is progress.”
---p.178
Pleasure is questionable.
Pleasure stays in dark places, behind closed doors.
When we speak of 'secret' pleasure or 'hidden' pleasure, we are acknowledging that shame is embedded in this most basic human instinct.
But Epicurus didn't think so.
He considered pleasure to be the highest good.
Everything else (fame, money, even virtue) is important only to the extent that it increases pleasure.
Epicurus, as always, wrote in a provocative tone:
“I spit on those who have honor and on those who praise them in vain.” Pleasure is the only thing we desire for its own sake.
Everything else, even philosophy, is a means to one end: pleasure.
---p.197
I think this is the ultimate challenge of old age.
Not narrowing our waterways, but widening them.
Not to be angry at the fading light, but to trust that the light will continue to burn in the lives of others.
The wisdom of Kairos.
There is a time for everything.
Even to step down.
We think we want information and knowledge.
But that's not the case.
We want wisdom.
There is a difference here.
Information is a jumbled mess of facts, and knowledge is a more systematic organization of those jumbled facts.
Wisdom unravels the tangled web of facts, provides an understanding of them, and, crucially, suggests ways to make the most of them.
British musician Miles Kington said:
“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting tomatoes in fruit salad.”
---p.6
We always need wisdom, but the wisdom we need is different at each stage of life.
The "how" question that's important to a fifteen-year-old isn't the same as the question that's important to a thirty-five-year-old or a seventy-five-year-old.
Philosophy tells the story that is absolutely necessary at each stage.
---p.14
We rarely question the obvious.
Socrates thought this oversight was a mistake.
The more obvious the problem, the more urgent the question should be.
---p.57
Socrates was a failure.
It may sound harsh, but it's still true.
Many of Socrates' conversations end in stalemate rather than a thunderous breakthrough from Zeus.
Philosophy creates more problems than it solves.
That is the nature of philosophy.
---p.76
Schopenhauer foreshadows the noise of social media that leaves people dumbfounded.
Within social media, true voices are drowned out by the noise of newness.
“There is no greater error than the idea that what has been written most recently is always more accurate, that what has been written later is an improvement over what has been written before, and that all change is progress.”
---p.178
Pleasure is questionable.
Pleasure stays in dark places, behind closed doors.
When we speak of 'secret' pleasure or 'hidden' pleasure, we are acknowledging that shame is embedded in this most basic human instinct.
But Epicurus didn't think so.
He considered pleasure to be the highest good.
Everything else (fame, money, even virtue) is important only to the extent that it increases pleasure.
Epicurus, as always, wrote in a provocative tone:
“I spit on those who have honor and on those who praise them in vain.” Pleasure is the only thing we desire for its own sake.
Everything else, even philosophy, is a means to one end: pleasure.
---p.197
I think this is the ultimate challenge of old age.
Not narrowing our waterways, but widening them.
Not to be angry at the fading light, but to trust that the light will continue to burn in the lives of others.
The wisdom of Kairos.
There is a time for everything.
Even to step down.
---p.474
Publisher's Review
“Philosophical questions appear everywhere we go.”
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and philosopher
How did he get out of bed in the morning?
Philosophical questions are everywhere we go, says Eric Weiner.
Even getting out of bed in the morning is said to be a philosophical problem, and the man who can help answer that question is Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher.
Even for the great Aurelius, morning was a great enemy.
He was just an ordinary person like us, shouting '5 more minutes!' from his bed.
But he usually manages to get out of bed.
It's not because you know the knowledge or information about 'how to get out of bed', but because you've found a satisfactory answer to the question 'why you have to do that', or in other words, your own thoughts and standards.
“Marcus has a mission to get out of bed.
It is a 'mission', not a 'duty'.
The two are different.
Mission comes from within, duty comes from without.
Actions born of a sense of mission are voluntary actions that elevate oneself and others.
“Actions born of a sense of duty are actions that seek to protect oneself, and only oneself, from negative consequences.”
Eric Weiner presents a fascinating account of the various arguments and views Marcus pondered and how he arrived at his own answers, citing his book Meditations and various anecdotes.
Fourteen philosophers who loved wisdom and whose love was contagious.
Their words and thoughts come to us slowly, at the speed of a train.
In this way, the insights of the philosophers selected by Eric Weiner in "Socrates Express" offer new perspectives and vitality on the problems we face in life.
As we follow the vivid wisdom conveyed beyond the prejudices and obscurities imposed on philosophers, we come to understand why ancient Athenian philosophy was said to be no different from 'self-development.'
The views expressed by Epicurus and Epictetus on the frequent emotions of pleasure and pain are particularly striking.
Epicurus, often called the philosopher of pleasure, tells us that we “fear what is harmless and desire what is not necessary,” and asks us to examine what we truly desire and whether it is in accordance with our true desires.
“Good enough doesn’t mean complacency.
It's not even an excuse.
Good enough means being deeply grateful for everything that has appeared before you.
Perfection is the enemy of good, but goodness is also the enemy of good enough.
If you follow the belief that something is good enough long enough, amazing things happen.
“Just as a snake sheds its skin, ‘enough’ falls away, leaving only the good.”
Epictetus, known as the Stoic philosopher, does not force us to unconditionally fight against all the difficulties that come in life, but rather comforts and encourages us to identify the important things to fight against and overcome them, saying, “Many things in life are beyond our control, but we can master the most important things.”
“We cede our sovereignty to others and let them control our minds.
We must drive them out.
Right now.
It's not that difficult.
“It is much easier to change yourself than to change the world.”
Beyond that, the words and thoughts of fourteen philosophers who loved wisdom and whose love was infectious—from Gandhi, who taught us how to fight by saying that violence is a “failure of imagination,” to Rousseau, who suggested that walking is “the precise balance between stimulation and rest, between effort and laziness”—come to us at the rattling speed of a train.
“How much do we know about ‘myself’?”
As we search for answers to our questions
We gradually become the philosophers of our own lives.
As we follow their stories, the famous saying of the philosopher Socrates, “Know thyself,” which is the title of the book “Socrates Express,” comes to mind again.
Even those who think they know enough and pride themselves on having a wealth of knowledge will eventually find themselves confronted with joy or sorrow, wondering if they have forgotten themselves and acted inappropriately.
“Wherever Socrates went, he encountered people who “did not know that they did not know.”
Perhaps the oracle was right, Socrates concluded.
Perhaps Socrates really did possess a kind of wisdom, the wisdom of knowing that he did not know.”
In that sense, the ten stories Beauvoir left about 'aging', which comes to us all as if it were our fate, are the highlight of this book.
Beauvoir would never have made a list like this, but author Eric Weiner, who has distilled her wisdom for us, has cleverly compiled and presented it to us.
Beauvoir's answer to the question of how to live in old age, when one may be the most distant from oneself, both mentally and physically, resonates deeply as it connects with the message of "Know thyself" that runs through this book.
Beauvoir's "Ten Ways to Age Well"
1.
Accept the past
2.
Make friends
3.
Don't worry about what other people think
4.
Don't lose your curiosity
5.
Pursue the project
6.
Become a poet of habit
7.
Don't do anything
8.
Accept the absurd
9.
I will step back constructively
10.
Passing the buck to the next generation
Just as the lingering emotions spread on the train returning from a trip, the philosopher's advice in the book gradually settles into our lives as wisdom.
Let's dive into the book "Socrates Express," recommended to those who want to find their own life wisdom through the experiences of ancient philosophers, rather than simple and clear life solutions.
From Socrates and ancient Athens to Simone de Beauvoir and 20th-century Paris, Eric Weiner's selection of philosophers and places will serve as important signposts as we navigate today's chaotic world.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and philosopher
How did he get out of bed in the morning?
Philosophical questions are everywhere we go, says Eric Weiner.
Even getting out of bed in the morning is said to be a philosophical problem, and the man who can help answer that question is Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher.
Even for the great Aurelius, morning was a great enemy.
He was just an ordinary person like us, shouting '5 more minutes!' from his bed.
But he usually manages to get out of bed.
It's not because you know the knowledge or information about 'how to get out of bed', but because you've found a satisfactory answer to the question 'why you have to do that', or in other words, your own thoughts and standards.
“Marcus has a mission to get out of bed.
It is a 'mission', not a 'duty'.
The two are different.
Mission comes from within, duty comes from without.
Actions born of a sense of mission are voluntary actions that elevate oneself and others.
“Actions born of a sense of duty are actions that seek to protect oneself, and only oneself, from negative consequences.”
Eric Weiner presents a fascinating account of the various arguments and views Marcus pondered and how he arrived at his own answers, citing his book Meditations and various anecdotes.
Fourteen philosophers who loved wisdom and whose love was contagious.
Their words and thoughts come to us slowly, at the speed of a train.
In this way, the insights of the philosophers selected by Eric Weiner in "Socrates Express" offer new perspectives and vitality on the problems we face in life.
As we follow the vivid wisdom conveyed beyond the prejudices and obscurities imposed on philosophers, we come to understand why ancient Athenian philosophy was said to be no different from 'self-development.'
The views expressed by Epicurus and Epictetus on the frequent emotions of pleasure and pain are particularly striking.
Epicurus, often called the philosopher of pleasure, tells us that we “fear what is harmless and desire what is not necessary,” and asks us to examine what we truly desire and whether it is in accordance with our true desires.
“Good enough doesn’t mean complacency.
It's not even an excuse.
Good enough means being deeply grateful for everything that has appeared before you.
Perfection is the enemy of good, but goodness is also the enemy of good enough.
If you follow the belief that something is good enough long enough, amazing things happen.
“Just as a snake sheds its skin, ‘enough’ falls away, leaving only the good.”
Epictetus, known as the Stoic philosopher, does not force us to unconditionally fight against all the difficulties that come in life, but rather comforts and encourages us to identify the important things to fight against and overcome them, saying, “Many things in life are beyond our control, but we can master the most important things.”
“We cede our sovereignty to others and let them control our minds.
We must drive them out.
Right now.
It's not that difficult.
“It is much easier to change yourself than to change the world.”
Beyond that, the words and thoughts of fourteen philosophers who loved wisdom and whose love was infectious—from Gandhi, who taught us how to fight by saying that violence is a “failure of imagination,” to Rousseau, who suggested that walking is “the precise balance between stimulation and rest, between effort and laziness”—come to us at the rattling speed of a train.
“How much do we know about ‘myself’?”
As we search for answers to our questions
We gradually become the philosophers of our own lives.
As we follow their stories, the famous saying of the philosopher Socrates, “Know thyself,” which is the title of the book “Socrates Express,” comes to mind again.
Even those who think they know enough and pride themselves on having a wealth of knowledge will eventually find themselves confronted with joy or sorrow, wondering if they have forgotten themselves and acted inappropriately.
“Wherever Socrates went, he encountered people who “did not know that they did not know.”
Perhaps the oracle was right, Socrates concluded.
Perhaps Socrates really did possess a kind of wisdom, the wisdom of knowing that he did not know.”
In that sense, the ten stories Beauvoir left about 'aging', which comes to us all as if it were our fate, are the highlight of this book.
Beauvoir would never have made a list like this, but author Eric Weiner, who has distilled her wisdom for us, has cleverly compiled and presented it to us.
Beauvoir's answer to the question of how to live in old age, when one may be the most distant from oneself, both mentally and physically, resonates deeply as it connects with the message of "Know thyself" that runs through this book.
Beauvoir's "Ten Ways to Age Well"
1.
Accept the past
2.
Make friends
3.
Don't worry about what other people think
4.
Don't lose your curiosity
5.
Pursue the project
6.
Become a poet of habit
7.
Don't do anything
8.
Accept the absurd
9.
I will step back constructively
10.
Passing the buck to the next generation
Just as the lingering emotions spread on the train returning from a trip, the philosopher's advice in the book gradually settles into our lives as wisdom.
Let's dive into the book "Socrates Express," recommended to those who want to find their own life wisdom through the experiences of ancient philosophers, rather than simple and clear life solutions.
From Socrates and ancient Athens to Simone de Beauvoir and 20th-century Paris, Eric Weiner's selection of philosophers and places will serve as important signposts as we navigate today's chaotic world.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Publication date: April 28, 2021
- Page count, weight, size: 524 pages | 686g | 140*220*35mm
- ISBN13: 9791190030922
- ISBN10: 1190030926
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