Creating the Good Life :Applying Aristotle's Wisdom to Find Meaning and Happiness

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: Aristotle's Life And Way Of Thinking
Aristotle says that mature men and women, if they search diligently, may find the opportunity of a lifetime awaiting them. Sometime around their fifties, thoughtful people may discover the perspective needed to make sense of their accumulated experience

Chapter 1: The Sage's C.V.
Although Aristotle lived two and a half millennia ago, I was able to discover a good deal about his career: In addition to his own writings, observations about him by contemporaries survive, and, miraculously, a copy of his will has come down through

Chapter 1: Aristotle's Primary Character Reference
Aristotle is remembered today as a polymath and organizer of knowledge. A primary influence on medieval philosophy, he introduced a structure of logical thought that laid the groundwork for empirical science in the centuries to come.

Professionals and business people in midlife are increasingly asking themselves "what's next?" in their careers and personal lives. This book draws on the wisdom of the ages to help contemporary men and women plan for satisfying, useful, moral, and meaningful second halves of their lives.

For centuries, the brightest people in Western societies have looked to Aristotle for guidance on how to lead a good life and how to create a good society. Now James O'Toole - the Mortimer J. Adler Senior Fellow of the Aspen Institute - translates that classical philosophical framework into practical, comprehensible terms to help professionals and business people apply it to their own lives and work. His book helps thoughtful readers address some of the profound questions they are currently struggling with in planning their futures:

   • How do I find meaning and satisfaction?
   • How much money do I need in order to be happy?
   • What is the right balance between work, family, and leisure?
   • What are my responsibilities to my community?
   • How can I create a good society in my own company?

Bridging philosophy and self-help, O'Toole's book shows how happiness ultimately is attainable no matter one's level of income, if one uses Aristotle's practical exercises to ask the right questions and to discipline oneself to pursue things that are "good for us." The book is the basis for O'Toole's new "Good Life" seminar, where thoughtful men and women gather to create robust and satisfying life plans.

James O'Toole, is research professor in the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California and Mortimer J. Adler Senior Fellow of the Aspen Institute. He has written 14 books, the most recent being Leadership A-Z..

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