Nibsy reviewed The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
More self-help than philosophy
2 stars
Ryan Holiday's book, The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, has a simple theme. Rather than throwing up your hands in defeat whenever you're faced with a difficult problem, approach it with a Stoic mindset and turn it into an opportunity for personal growth. Holiday has become somewhat of a modern-day popularizer of Stoic philosophy with his many books on the subject. In fact, this book is the first in a series of three.
The book is divided into three parts, each representing overlapping elements of his plan for everyday people to incorporate Stoic philosophy into their own lives: perception, action, and will. In the final chapter, Holiday summarizes how these elements can be adopted; "See things for what they are. Do what we can. Endure and bear what we must." His view is that facing life's challenges with this tripartite ethos presents …
Ryan Holiday's book, The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, has a simple theme. Rather than throwing up your hands in defeat whenever you're faced with a difficult problem, approach it with a Stoic mindset and turn it into an opportunity for personal growth. Holiday has become somewhat of a modern-day popularizer of Stoic philosophy with his many books on the subject. In fact, this book is the first in a series of three.
The book is divided into three parts, each representing overlapping elements of his plan for everyday people to incorporate Stoic philosophy into their own lives: perception, action, and will. In the final chapter, Holiday summarizes how these elements can be adopted; "See things for what they are. Do what we can. Endure and bear what we must." His view is that facing life's challenges with this tripartite ethos presents opportunities for personal growth, if you're open to it.
Stoic philosophy has become popular over the last several years because it offers a way for people to get the most out of life without deferring to religion. There are some very good books on the subject, but this isn't one of them. This book is written in the simplistic, condescending tone of a self-help book written by a self-anointed sage on the topic. Holiday's version of Stoic philosophy is less philosophical and more productivity-oriented—despite a postscript chapter declaring those who finished reading this book are now philosophers. According to Holiday, philosophy has been hijacked by academics and squirrelled away from the public in the hallowed halls of the Ivory Tower. Such a sentiment betrays the author's profound misconception of philosophy.
The book is peppered with examples of famous people incorporating elements of Stoic philosophy to overcome some seemingly insurmountable obstacle. These examples are used to illustrate basic Stoic maxims. Some of the advice provided is good. But some is ill conceived at best and flat out wrong at worst—like disregarding rules when they get in the way of achieving some objective. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book nor can I bring myself to endure two more books in this series, let alone the other dozen or so by the same author.
