Midlife
A Philosophical Guide
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Narrated by:
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Stephen R. Thorne
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By:
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Kieran Setiya
About this listen
Philosophical wisdom and practical advice for overcoming the problems of middle age.
How can you reconcile yourself with the lives you will never lead, with possibilities foreclosed, and with nostalgia for lost youth? How can you accept the failings of the past, the sense of futility in the tasks that consume the present, and the prospect of death that blights the future? In this self-help book with a difference, Kieran Setiya confronts the inevitable challenges of adulthood and middle age, showing how philosophy can help you thrive.
You will learn why missing out might be a good thing, how options are overrated, and when you should be glad you made a mistake. You will be introduced to philosophical consolations for mortality. And you will learn what it would mean to live in the present, how it could solve your midlife crisis, and why meditation helps.
Ranging from Aristotle, Schopenhauer, and John Stuart Mill to Virginia Woolf and Simone de Beauvoir, as well as drawing on Setiya's own experience, Midlife combines imaginative ideas, surprising insights, and practical advice. Writing with wisdom and wit, Setiya makes a wry but passionate case for philosophy as a guide to life.
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In this special 25th anniversary edition of Thomas Moore's best-selling book, Care of the Soul, listeners are presented with a revolutionary approach to thinking about daily life - everyday activities, events, problems, and creative opportunities - and a therapeutic lifestyle is proposed that focuses on looking more deeply into emotional problems and learning how to sense sacredness in even ordinary things.
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Love Thomas Moore's Care of The Soul
- By Dorothy Cetta on 09-14-18
By: Thomas Moore
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The Year of Our Lord 1943
- Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis
- By: Alan Jacobs
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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By early 1943, it had become increasingly clear the Allies would win the Second World War. Christian intellectuals on both sides of the Atlantic thought the soon-to-be-victorious nations were not culturally or morally prepared for their success. These Christian intellectuals - Jacques Maritain, T. S. Eliot, C. S. Lewis, W. H. Auden, and Simone Weil, among others - sought both to articulate a sober and reflective critique of their own culture and to outline a plan for the moral and spiritual regeneration of their countries in the post-war world.
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The Audible is a Train Wreck
- By John on 09-04-18
By: Alan Jacobs
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Living Between Worlds
- Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times
- By: James Hollis PhD
- Narrated by: Michael Cover
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What guides us when our world is changing? Discover the path to deeper meaning and purpose through depth psychology and classical thought.
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Interesting book, Woeful narration
- By Roger Morris on 07-01-20
By: James Hollis PhD
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All Things Shining
- Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular World
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- Narrated by: David Drummond
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- Unabridged
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The religious turn to their faith to find meaning. But what about the many people who lead secular lives and are also hungry for meaning? What guides, what approaches are available to them? Distinguished philosophers Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly explain that a secular life charged with meaning is indeed within reach.
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Excellent Book that refreshes the classics
- By Tod on 06-14-11
By: Hubert Dreyfus, and others
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The Moral Animal
- Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
- By: Robert Wright
- Narrated by: Greg Thornton
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics - as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies.
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Ridiculously Insightful
- By Liron on 10-25-10
By: Robert Wright
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50 Spiritual Classics
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- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Discover the books that have already changed the lives of millions. This unabridged guide to the literature of the spirit surveys 50 of the all-time classics, giving you their key ideas, insights, and applications - everything you need to know to start benefiting from these legendary works.
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useful as review or starting point
- By connie on 01-03-09
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Secular Buddhism
- Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World
- By: Stephen Batchelor
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
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As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious without compromising the integrity of the tradition?
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Good, but repetition of old material
- By Ludwig on 02-25-18
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Why Smart People Hurt
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- By: Eric Maisel
- Narrated by: Seth Podowitz
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
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The challenges smart and creative people encounter - from scientific researchers and genius award winners to best-selling novelists, Broadway actors, high-powered attorneys, and academics - often include anxiety, overthinking, mania, sadness, and despair. In Why Smart People Hurt, natural psychology specialist and creativity coach Dr. Eric Maisel draws on his many years of work with the best and the brightest to pinpoint these often devastating challenges and offer solutions based on the groundbreaking principles and practices of natural psychology.
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Stunningly Unintelligent
- By john burke on 05-22-21
By: Eric Maisel
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If I Had Lunch with C. S. Lewis
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- By: Alister McGrath
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Have you ever wondered…whether God exists? whether life has meaning? Whether pain and suffering have a purpose? This audiobook is my invitation to sit down with C. S. Lewis and me to think about some of the persistent questions and dilemmas every person faces in life. We’ll explore Lewis’s thoughts on everything from friendships to heaven, from the reasons for faith to the power of stories.
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A great overview
- By Kevin on 12-31-14
By: Alister McGrath
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What listeners say about Midlife
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- Dan Nazarian
- 10-25-22
Academic, tedious, with a few insights
Initially I liked the book’s bite - sharp commentary, some dappled humor. But it quickly felt tiring to listen to - overly scholastic, with big words and extremely dense content leaving your head with a sense of tension or disorientation. Somehow I finished it, and in the end I appreciated a few of the book’s insights.
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- Walter Van Hecke
- 03-04-24
the last chapters are really great
the middle of the book is unnecessarily exhaustive where the author wants to show off his knowledge.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-01-20
Thoughtful, Precise, and Helpful
Kierans application of rigorous thought to discuss and offer insights on common challenges faced by people during times of uncertainty. I found this deeply helpful and deserving a second reading.
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- Aranesan
- 01-12-24
Enjoy the process, not the destination
Enjoy the process, not the destination; that’s the gist of the book, the rest is commentary. Now go experience. - to paraphrase a story told in the book.
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- russell Gan
- 01-17-24
Practical application for the every man in midlife
practical yet inspiring advice with just the right amount of intellectual enlightenment. the push that you need to ensure to keep the faith… the crisis is the norm and it’s a slow rise up from here on out,
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- Andrea Huggett
- 10-15-22
Good message, a bit dense
This book is very interesting and the message is good and we'll received. My husband and I listened together and found it difficult to follow at times as the philosophical language is quite dense - possibly better read in print
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- Erica Blyther
- 09-09-23
Midlife: A Crisis or Life
most meaningful information was the fact that life is going to happen and the crisis is life happening. it will happen to all of us regardless of the timing. people should understand that we all have decisions in life and avoiding life is a big part of the problem
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- schavez
- 10-17-22
Well worth the Listen
I like that the author broke down the vague dissatisfaction we often feel at midlife into its various underlying causes. Being supplied with that information made addressing the problems more manageable. There were lots of “aha” moments for me. The book posed questions and gave answers that I hadn’t considered previously. While I didn’t necessarily agree with all the questions and solutions proffered, they did stimulate my own questions and solutions which, for me, is what a great philosophy book is all about; a springboard to deeper inquiry and self examination. I recommend this book to everyone, if you’re young it’ll help you understand better what your parents might be going through and what awaits you at midlife. If you’re older it’ll help you put in perspective what you went through and help tie up any loose ends in your processing of your midlife crises. I gave the book 5 stars because the information was useful and the narrator was the right fit for the material. You need both for an audiobook to work and this book had that magic combination. I hope you find this book as interesting and useful as I did.
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- Michael D. Kilman
- 01-09-24
Incomplete
I liked 90% of this book. But the last chapter was a dud. His misinterpretation of Buddhist philosophy means that ultimately, if you follow his advice, you will only get some of the eay. Which, in fairness, is further than most westerners steeped in our European traditions.
Where he goes wrong is his use of the poor translation of Sunyata (often translated incorrectly as no self because there's no direct translation). Instead, the meaning is closer to there is no independent self. Thich Naht Hahn was one of the best writers and speakers on this topic. You are interdependent of all the conditions of culture, history, nature, and every other person on the planet. Those conditions are ever changing. If you attach to the idea of permanence, that is why you suffer. No well practiced Buddhist who has spent a lot of time on the cushion will tell you that the goal is to avoid all attachment. Even Allen Watts, whom he briefly references tells a story where the Buddha correctly taught his monks that getting rid of attachment is just another attachment. So again, this author fundamentally misunderstands the Buddhist project.
I've been a practicing Buddhist for 9 years. I've been reading Buddhist philosophy and mediating across traditions for 20 years. To truly understand the meaning of Sunyata requires thousands of hours of consistent meditation. One can know it's meaning but internalized wisdom takes years. Most Buddhist teachers will tell you 10 years of daily practice for a glimpse for most and 20 for understanding.
This author falls into the same trap as virtually every other philosopher of the west since the Greeks. They look entirely to the individual for answers. This is why, halfway through undergrad, I abandoned as much of western philosophy as I could (though grad school is impossible without it, so I read plenty there) and switched to the philosophy of Asia from India, to China, to Japan.
I'm about to turn 40. While I've had plenty of crisis, I can't say I've ever had a midlife one. Maybe it's because since I turned 31 I've been working with my mind. Maybe it's because my life as an Adjunct professor of Anthropology has been a precarious one, but in either case, this book misses the mark.
With all that said. It's still worth reading, especially if you have no interest in dedication to a contemplative practice.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-09-19
I got lost
Too dry for me. Information overload of dense & lengthy research based conclusions. I just gave up listening.
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