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How to Live a Good Life (According to 7 of the World’s Wisest Philosophies)

Unlock instant access to 56 concise, self-paced lessons on Stoicism, Existentialism, Buddhism and beyond. Join 500+ members inside:

Get Instant Access for $39Purchase as a Gift

★★★★★ (100+ reviews for our courses)

How to Live a Good Life

Course materials are hosted on our online learning platform, Philosophy Break Academy, and are accessible forever from any device.

How to Live a Good Life

Course materials are hosted on our online learning platform,
Philosophy Break Academy, and are accessible forever from any device.

Latest Course Reviews:

★★★★★  Enriching

The course was very interesting and enriching. I loved the easy understanding of complex theories. My favorite chapters were on Aristotle and the Existentialists. Because they come closest to my personal moral beliefs. And the other chapters gave me new knowledge. Thank you. Keep going. Can't wait for the next course.

VERIFIED BUYER

  Tony D. on 21 August 2024

★★★★★  Concise and beautiful

I’m really enjoying my How to lead a Good Life course - frankly, been trying to read philosophy for a decade and gave up - but what I read here is concisely and beautifully described for a lay person like me to appreciate. Thank you!

VERIFIED BUYER

  Rajeev S. on 22 July 2024

★★★★★  Very good

Very good and stimulating, I will have to do again as so much to think through. Easy to follow, arguments and ideas explained well, this bear of little brain was able to work through things without having too much of a panic. I thought the chapter on Confucius interesting, especially as it was new to me. Thank you.

VERIFIED BUYER

  Ian H. on 31 January 2024

See All Reviews

Does this sound like you?

You’re a thoughtful person striving for a meaningful and fulfilling life, but are put off by shallow self-help tactics

You’re keen to understand what the best philosophical wisdom says about how to live a good life, but don’t have time to wade through all the books and secondary literature

You want the nuance, but don’t want to invest thousands in academia

We understand completely

That’s why we’ve designed this course to offer clarity and nuance, without demanding huge time, effort, or cost commitments:

Quick, effortless insight

Your time is precious. Unlock rich understanding of philosophy’s greatest wisdom in hours rather than years.

Cut through the noise

No filler; no fluff. See exactly what the wisest and most influential philosophies say about how to live a good life.

Enrich your life

Appreciate precisely why philosophy routinely changes people’s perspectives, and will perhaps change your own.

100+ reviews for our courses:

★★★★★  Powerful - learned a great deal

VERIFIED BUYER

  Mart W. on 25 April 2024

★★★★★  Excellent materials

VERIFIED BUYER

  Rene G. on 12 April 2024

★★★★★  Just what I was looking for

VERIFIED BUYER

  Julie S. on 14 April 2024

★★★★★  Perfect introduction

VERIFIED BUYER

  Sophie D. on 18 February 2024

★★★★★  Really well put together

VERIFIED BUYER

  Jared L. on 24 May 2023

★★★★★  Perfect difficulty level

VERIFIED BUYER

  Jonathon B. on 27 August 2023

Discover how the great philosophers think you can live a happy, meaningful life, with instant access to:

56 concise lessons

56 self-paced lessons organized into 7 succinct chapters (each chapter is a 60-min read).

7 philosophies

Crystal clear insight into 7 crucial global philosophies, distilling millennia of wisdom.

7 reading lists

7 curated reading lists for effective further exploration of each philosophy covered.

8 guided discussions

Community-driven reflections on each philosophy, plus a final summary discussion.

Go from Being Curious about Philosophy to Harnessing Its Most Powerful Ideas

Start now, and by this time next week, you’ll understand philosophy’s top practical wisdom, enjoy a philosophically-enriched view on the world, and know the best next steps for continuing your journey.

Get Instant Access for $39Purchase as a Gift

★★★★★ (100+ reviews for our courses)

Course Reviews

★★★★★  Enriching

The course was very interesting and enriching. I loved the easy understanding of complex theories. My favorite chapters were on Aristotle and the Existentialists. Because they come closest to my personal moral beliefs. And the other chapters gave me new knowledge. Thank you. Keep going. Can't wait for the next course.

VERIFIED BUYER

  Tony D. on 21 August 2024

★★★★★  Concise and beautiful

I’m really enjoying my How to lead a Good Life course - frankly, been trying to read philosophy for a decade and gave up - but what I read here is concisely and beautifully described for a lay person like me to appreciate. Thank you!

VERIFIED BUYER

  Rajeev S. on 22 July 2024

★★★★★  Very good

Very good and stimulating, I will have to do again as so much to think through. Easy to follow, arguments and ideas explained well, this bear of little brain was able to work through things without having too much of a panic. I thought the chapter on Confucius interesting, especially as it was new to me. Thank you.

VERIFIED BUYER

  Ian H. on 31 January 2024

★★★★★  Excellent

This course experience was awesome! I gained game changing insights which were profound and very helpful. I understand myself and the world I live in much better now! Easy to navigate. Displayed well. Sharing comments was easy. I had two favorite chapters...Stoicism and Existentialism. I think these chapters address the vagaries of life and the human condition in the most practical and meaningful way. These philosophical constructs were real eye openers for me. Excellent work!

VERIFIED BUYER

  Christopher R. on 21 December 2023

★★★★★  Really enjoyed

Really enjoyed the course and have followed up with some of the recommended books. I found the overlap between different philosophies really interesting despite coming from different cultures and times eg Buddhism, Stoicism and existentialism.

VERIFIED BUYER

  Barry K. on 11 December 2023

★★★★★  Best introduction

Excellent course experience. I enjoyed all the chapters, but existentialism was my favorite - the best introduction to the topic I have read. The course covers things in good depth, and was easy to navigate on my laptop. The writing is excellent too - not always the case online (or in philosophy, for that matter).

VERIFIED BUYER

  Linda S. on 22 August 2023

★★★★★  Excellent value

First class course experience, from content to delivery, and excellent value for money. Chapters all clear, accessible and very useful. I'm teaching an introductory philosophy group on this subject, and this course has given me a brilliant resource to dip into.

VERIFIED BUYER

  Jim M. on 28 July 2023

★★★★★  Highly recommend

Very good. I really appreciate how this course allowed me to have a glimpse into certain topics which are otherwise quite intimidating for me to get into. My overall experience of the course is very positive, and I highly encourage anyone with interest in philosophy to take it up.

VERIFIED BUYER

  Lee J. on 18 July 2023

Understand Exactly How the Great Philosophers Think You Can Live a Good Life

Start now, and by this time next week, you’ll understand philosophy’s top practical wisdom, enjoy a philosophically-enriched view on the world, and know the best next steps for continuing your journey.

Get Instant Access for $39Purchase as a Gift

★★★★★ (100+ reviews for our courses)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this course for?

This course is for anyone striving to live a happy, meaningful life and curious about what the best philosophical wisdom has to say about the subject. You may have read some philosophy, or you may have never engaged with the subject before: either way, we’ve distilled seven of the world’s wisest and most important philosophical approaches so you can reflect on and enrich your own personal philosophy in accessible, organized fashion, and efficiently learn and discuss some of the best wisdom from history.

How long does it take to do the course?

The course is broken into seven distinct chapters, each of which takes about 60 minutes to read through. We recommend reading a maximum of one or two chapters per day to let each philosophy sink in. At the end of each chapter, we also present questions to reflect on and a space for community discussion. So, with daily reading, the course may take a week or so to complete. You have access to course materials forever, so don’t worry if you miss a day — you can take the course at your own pace.

How is the course delivered?

Course materials are hosted on our online learning and community platform, Philosophy Break Academy. They are optimized for easy reading on any device — be it desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile — and are even printable, so you can consume them however you like.

Can I take the course on mobile?

Yes, course materials are optimized for easy reading on any device, and you can also download an app-version of our online learning platform, Philosophy Break Academy, so that you can keep on learning even when you’re on the move.

Who created the course?

This course is brought to you by Philosophy Break, a self-funded social enterprise dedicated to getting more people engaged with philosophy. Course content is put together by the founder of Philosophy Break, Jack Maden, who received an MA in Philosophy from the University of Southampton in 2014, and has been producing educational resources and writing about philosophy ever since. Having obtained great value researching philosophy at postgraduate level, Jack wanted to share the subject’s riches with a wider audience, and created Philosophy Break in 2018. This course is the result of years of research and refinement to make philosophy’s profound and important wisdom as relevant, interesting, and engaging to today’s digital world as possible.

Where do profits from the course go?

Philosophy Break is a self-funded social enterprise, so we put all proceeds straight back into funding our mission of engaging more people with philosophy. By purchasing a course, you help support us on that mission.

Have a question not answered here? Simply drop us an email, and we’ll be happy to answer!

It’s Time to Begin Your Philosophical Journey

Start now, and by this time next week, you’ll understand philosophy’s top practical wisdom, enjoy a philosophically-enriched view on the world, and know the best next steps for continuing your journey.

Get Instant Access for $39Purchase as a Gift

★★★★★ (100+ reviews for our courses)