Life Is Hard

A NEW YORKER AND THE ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF 2022 'I adore this book . . . Setiya is a deeply astute and generous guide . . . a clear and consoling modern voice, for which I'm enormously grateful' Derren Brown 'At last a philosopher tackles the meaning of life and comes up with useful answers' James McConnachie, Sunday Times Pain, Loneliness, Grief, Injustice ... Hope? For too long we've been told that positive thinking is the key to living a happy life. But from personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world, sometimes simply going on can feel too much. Could there be solace - and even hope - in acknowledging the hardships of the human condition? Might doing so free us from the tyranny of striving for our "best lives" and could it inspire in us the desire for a better world? In this profound and personal book, Kieran Setiya shows how philosophy can help us find our way. He shares his own experience with chronic pain and the consolation that comes from making sense of it, and asks what we can learn from loneliness and loss about the value of human life. Drawing on ancient and modern philosophy, as well as fiction, comedy, social science and personal essay, Life is Hard…

The cheapest new copy of Life Is Hard is €11.16 at medimops DE. Prices checked 14 Nov 2026

More by Kieran Setiya

More by Kieran Setiya