Learning to Live - A Young Person’s Guide

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Aran

Learning to Live - A Young Person’s Guide introduces philosophy through an accessible, nonacademic journey tailored to parents and young readers. The foreword explains why philosophical study matters for understanding the world’s underlying models, interpreting values and convictions, and gaining independence. It also argues that philosophy can strengthen daily freedom by addressing fears surrounding misfortune and death, while showing how ancient Greek motivations remain relevant today.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages186

Reading Time4 h 46 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

What is Philosophy?

‘The Greek Miracle’

The Victory of Christianity over Greek Philosophy

Humanism, or the Birth of Modern Philosophy

Postmodernity: The Case of Nietzsche

After Deconstruction: Contemporary Philosophy

In Conclusion

Further Reading

Learning to Live A YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE Luc Ferry Translated from the French by Theo Cuffe For Gabrielle, Louise and Clara Contents Foreword 1 What is Philosophy? 2 ‘The Greek Miracle’ 3 The Victory of Christianity over Greek Philosophy 4 Humanism, or the Birth of Modern Philosophy 5 Postmodernity: The Case of Nietzsche 6 After Deconstruction: Contemporary Philosophy In Conclusion Further Reading FOREWORD While chatting over supper on holiday, some friends asked me to improvise a philosophy course for parents and children. I decided to accept the challenge and came to relish it. The exercise forced me to stick to essentials – no complicated words, no learned quotations and no references to obscure theories. As I worked through my account of the history of ideas, without access to a library, it occurred to me that there is nothing comparable in print. There are many histories of philosophy, of course; some are excellent, but even the best ones are a little dry for someone who has left university behind, and certainly for those yet to enter a university. And the rest of us are not particularly concerned. This book is the direct result of those evenings amongst friends, so I have tried to preserve the original impromptu style. Its objective is both modest and ambitious: modest, because it is addressed to a nonacademic audience; ambitious, because I have not permitted myself any concession to simplification where it would involve distortion of the philosophical ideas at its heart. I feel too much respect for the masterpieces of philosophy to caricature them. Clarity should be the primary responsibility of a work addressed to beginners, but it must be achieved without compromising the truth of its subject; otherwise it is worthless. With that in mind, I have tried to offer a rite of passage, which aims tobe as straightforward as possible, without bypassing the richness and profundity of philosophical ideas. My aim is not merely to give a taste, a superficial gloss, or a survey influenced by popular trends; on the contrary I want to lay bare these ideas in their integrity, in order to satisfy two needs: that of an adult who wants to know what philosophy is about, but does not necessarily intend to proceed any further; and that of a young person who hopes eventually to further their study, but does not as yet have the necessary bearings to be able to read these challenging authors for herself or himself. I have attempted to give an account of everything that I consider to be truly indispensable in the history of thought – all that I would like to pass on to family and those whom I regard as friends. But why undertake this endeavour? First, because even the most sublime spectacle begins to pall if one lacks a companion with whom to share it. Iam increasingly aware that philosophy no longer counts as what is ordinarily thought of as ‘general knowledge’. An educated person is supposed to know his or her national history, a few standard literary and artistic references, even a few odds and ends of biology or physics, yet they most likely have no inkling of Epictetus, Spinoza or Kant. I am convinced that everyone should study just a little philosophy, if only for two simple reasons. First of all, without it we can make no sense of the world in which we live. Philosophy is the best training for living, better even than history and the human sciences. Why? Quite simply because virtually all of our thoughts, convictions and values exist and have meaning – whether or not we are conscious of it – within models of the world that have been developed over the course of intellectual history. We must understand these models in order to grasp their reach, their logic and their consequences. Many individuals spend a considerable part of their lives anticipating misfortune and preparing for catastrophe – loss of work, accident, illness, death of loved ones, and so on. Others, on the contrary, appear to live

FAQs

Who is the guide intended for, according to the foreword?

It is addressed to a nonacademic audience, especially parents and children, with two goals: helping adults understand philosophy and supporting young readers who plan to study further later.

Why does the author say everyone should study a little philosophy?

Because it helps make sense of the world by revealing the models behind thoughts, convictions, and values. It also helps individuals become more independent and live more freely.

How does the foreword connect philosophy with dealing with fear and everyday life?

It claims philosophy can help conquer fears that paralyse daily life, and that motivations found in ancient Greek schools—such as learning to fear death and escaping boredom—remain important.

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Aran