Coping: A Philosophical Guide (PDF)

Coping and Philosophy is a collection of philosophical essays on how we deal with life’s challenges. We hope for better times, but what is hope and is it a good thing to hope? How do we look back and make sense of our lives in the face of death? What is the nature of love and how do we deal with its hardships? What makes for a genuine apology and is there too much or too little apologizing in this world? Can we effect changes in ourselves to adapt to our circumstances? And how can we sense of all the counsel that people have: be grateful, don’t cry over spilled milk, eat well, … This volume is a perfect companion text for courses such as Philosophy of Life, The Meaning of Life, or for a moral psychology component in an Ethics course. The material is written for readers who are new to philosophy and progresses in short blog-style sections. It draws on literature, music, podcasts, and news items. Each chapter has a set of questions for discussion or essay writing and suggestions for material to explore the topic further.