Overview

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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9780691173931

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Reviews

Setiya is a clear-thinking, plain-speaking companion who doesn't take himself too seriously. --Jeremy Clarke, Literary Review Setiya serves as an engaging companion for those in the throes of the dreaded midlife crisis, as he brings the wisdom of the ages to bear on the contemporary malaise. A self-help book with a strong--but not heavy-handed--philosophical foundation. --Kirkus

There's an uplifting message here for everyone. If you're in midlife, rest assured you wouldn't really enjoy being young again. If you're young, stop worrying about future regret, since even the best choices necessitate loss. And if you're old? Be glad all those panic-inducing choices are behind you. --Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian Midlife has a self-soothing quality. . . . [It] teaches a lesson about midlife: it's sometimes best to go with the flow. --Joshua Rothman, New Yorker An accessible exploration of what history's great thinkers have had to say on the subject [of midlife]. --Sarah Murdoch, Toronto Star Setiya's elegant little volume is a 'philosophical guide' to what he calls the 'existential questions of midlife'. --Jonathan Derbyshire, Financial Times A delightful amalgam of self-help and intellectual inquiry. --The Economist A model for how to write philosophy clearly and non-technically without lapsing into banality or truism. . . . Warm, lucid and sane. --Joe Moran, Times Higher Education A concise, entertaining and humane guide through life's most difficult territory. --Simon Ings, The Spectator Setiya is happy to call Midlife a self-help book, even if he concedes that he has written it partly to help himself. It is a model for how to write philosophy clearly and non-technically without lapsing into banality or truism. Setiya writes enlighteningly about his own midlife crisis without it ever sounding like a whine. His voice throughout is warm, lucid and sane. --Joe Moran, Times Higher Education Mr. Setiya hopes to lift sufferers out of this dip [of midlife] and help them flourish by conveying the insights of modern philosophy. . . . For a philosophy professor, [he] can be refreshingly unstuffy. He doesn't see a flashy sports car as a midlife crisis-mobile, that trite substitute for lost youth and virility. No, he sees it as an opportunity to change from goal-oriented, utilitarian thinking to a life-affirming experience of being in the moment. --Eric Felten, Wall Street Journal Setiya is a clear-thinking, plain-speaking companion who doesn't take himself too seriously. --Jeremy Clarke, Literary Review Setiya serves as an engaging companion for those in the throes of the dreaded midlife crisis, as he brings the wisdom of the ages to bear on the contemporary malaise. A self-help book with a strong--but not heavy-handed--philosophical foundation. --Kirkus

Setiya serves as an engaging companion for those in the throes of the dreaded midlife crisis, as he brings the wisdom of the ages to bear on the contemporary malaise. A self-help book with a strong--but not heavy-handed--philosophical foundation. --Kirkus

Author Information

Kieran Setiya is professor of philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Reasons without Rationalism (Princeton) and Knowing Right from Wrong. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and son.

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