Do this, though, and you dramatically increase the harm done to you by the setback. “You can allow yourself to become frustrated, upset, or worst of all angry.

“The Stoics’ realised that even though you have limited control over what setbacks you experience, you can develop considerable control over how you respond to them. Some are minor, like stubbing your toe or running out of toothpaste some are midsized, like breaking a leg playing football and some are major, like going blind. How does experiencing a setback differ from suffering one? William B Irvine: 'Life is full of setbacks. W Norton & Co), is today's Unthinkable guest. Irvine, author of The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer and More Resilient (W. Because I have read his works, Seneca haunts my intellect, occasionally offering me a compliment but much more often raising his ghostly eyebrows at me in a look of dismay.” And in a deeper sense, the ghost of Seneca does exist. “Indeed, on occasion, I take myself to be tested not by Stoic gods by the ghost of Seneca. “We should therefore be flattered if we encounter setbacks,” explains Irvine, taking up where Seneca left off. Since the gods were assumed to control all human affairs, if you fell ill or lost your fortune it was evidence that you'd caught the attention of deities it was Jupiter's way of testing your character. In a textbook case of reframing – what therapists call approaching a situation from a new perspective – Seneca encouraged his followers to view impediments positively. Seneca, the first century Stoic figurehead, made a clear distinction between experiencing a setback and suffering from it. Part of a growing band of philosophers popularising Stoicism, Irvine highlights how this ancient school of thought pre-empted many aspects of modern psychology. But what if there was a god, or a collection of gods, who could make you a calmer, better person, as well as helping you to think straighter and approach problems more objectively. Hardcore atheists like to say there’s as much evidence for God as there is for Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny.

William b irvine the stoic challenge