Ward FarnsworthCritiques

A helpful breakdown, analysis, and application of the Socratic method.

It aims at teaching good diction and eloquence through the use of examples but fails miserably to connect the brilliant excerpts and any actually useful advice to emulate them. Worthless.

The book itself is great. Farnsworth has a wicked sense of humor that pops out occasionally and grabs the reader's attention. This is not a great book for the audio format, however. The Narrator is wonderful to listen to and delivers the material well, but for me, it seemed more like a reading of a list of quotes.

It's probably fine for other listeners, but for me, I definitely would get more from the book in its actual paper book format, along with note-taking materials.

This is an unusually nice summary of this easy-to-understand but hard-to-do philosophy recommended to me by the great stoic, Vince D. Much of the text is collected quotations from the Stoics whose work has survived, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. Some modern practitioners are also included, especially Montaigne and Schopenhauer (another entertaining, but lightweight philosopher). I liked it enough that I plan to read Farnsworth’s book on Rhetoric.

Much of Stoicism would be classified as psychology today; it is the self-help advice philosophy. The final chapter of this book addresses some of the critics of Stoicism, but in debate, you shouldn’t let the other team summarize your own criticisms for you.

I have various problems with Stoicism; the main one being that I have never met anyone without some CNS disease who changed their personality. Stoicism offers some good advice, but you need to be especially receptive to benefit from it, and, in most instances, I don’t think you will alter your life to fit Seneca’s recommendations, rather you will appreciate the recommendations if you already act that way. I suppose I am a Cynic.

As he did in The Practicing Stoic, the author has written a summary that consists mostly of an organized collection of quotations, here to show examples of figures of speech used in spoken and written rhetoric. Each chapter is about a different figure of speech and these are divided into three categories: repetition of words and phrases, structural matters, and dramatic devices. The figures of speech are defined in English and by their Greek name as in “Simple Repetition of Words and Phrases: Epizeuxis…”
I think this work might be dull for someone without a particular interest in the topic. Even so, I found it frequently entertaining because of the many great example quotations. Farnsworth uses quotes from Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Webster, Thomas Paine, Herman Melville, The King James Bible, William Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, GK Chesterton, and many others. I enjoyed many of these, both as an example of the use of a particular figure of speech and in general.

Here are two examples:
1. For Litotes:
She was not quite what you call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot. Mark Twain

2. For Prolepsis:
"Although the fate of Poland stares them in the face, there are thoughtless dilettanti or purblind worldlings who sometimes ask us: "What is it that Britain and France are fighting for?" To this I answer: "If we left off fighting you would soon find out." Winston Churchill

This book is a synthesis of the writing of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. Each chapter covers a topic, such as "Judgement" or "Learning", in which Farnsworth guides the reader through subtopics with the three's works quoted with comment and context.

It could be a handy pocket reference in time of need, or introduction to the original text of the ancient stoic. Sadly, what the book didn't achieve is breathing new life into Stoic teaching by situating them in the many new experiences brought by modern life and technology. Although book title contains the words "User's manual", which gives the impression of practicality and techniques, reading through it still feels detached from practicality from time to time. This is mainly due to Farnsworth quoting the ancient authors consistently, without offering much of a modern perspective. It would also be interesting to speculate what Seneca would have to say to technology and social media? How does one achieve eudaimonia in the age of algorithm? But of course, Stoic believes certain human experiences are timeless. It is also unfair to blame this book for not doing enough - after all, its goal is not to fit the old teaching with new observation, but simply present the original Stoicism text.

Personally, I would think of [b:A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy|5617966|A Guide to the Good Life The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy|William B. Irvine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1547348819s/5617966.jpg|5789357] by William B. Irvine to be a better introduction to Stoicism in the modern age.

Originally Posted Here: https://www.buemlned.me/2019/review-farnsworth-stoic-manual

This is an excellent introduction to stoicism (a really easy read). It mainly consists of quotes from notable stoic philosophers bracketed by short commentary. As a result it is easy to see where I next want to look to dive deeper.

The selected quotes are very well chosen (straightforward but when you consider the underlying message there's a lot there). This is definitely a book worth keeping to reread and meditate on.½

Hard going!

I am slowly beginning to appreciate what authors don't write. This book is very is respectful of the reader and is very straightforward.

Self help books bring to mind the worst literature has to offer but this book shows that self help doesn't have to be like that.

Throw out your Bible, your Koran, and any other religious or pseudo-religious text (e.g., The Secret) and just focus on this collection of about the most sensible things the best minds have said about living your life and coping with anger and other unhelpful emotions. Farnsworth is a great guide and his selections from Seneca and others is very well chosen.

An excellent review of tactics - in this case the double attack and the discovered attack. I have seen my game improve, by recognizing these patterns and organizing my vision and moves. This book is written well, with engaging conversation, and little notation. For me, the "plain English" descriptions are very useful and welcome.

The book has so many messages in it, arranged in an order that makes it easy for newcomers to understand.
It will require re-reading it though, to fully grasp the concept.

To be an effective guide to rhetoric, this book should have been shorter, with not so many examples. As it is, I found myself reading it mainly as a quotation book--and spending lots of time looking things up in Wikipedia to see what the hell they were actually talking about. As an educated person, I find myself using these rhetorical devices from time to time, but I could have never told you their names. They are just ways that educated, thinking people write, and why we choose one way over another is hard to say. Perhaps there are some who sit down and ask themselves, "What type of rhetorical device will be most effective from the speech I'm about to give." But I'm not too sure of that. Certainly after reading this book, however, even more of these devices are likely to creep into my speech and writing. Many of the example quotes are interesting, and a few of them are funny. They come from literature, the law, and politics mostly. Lots of Lincoln, Dickens, G.K. Chesterton, Edmund Burke, Churchill, and many, many others. Especially lots of Irish politicians. The author is very well read. This isn't something you'll be able to read straight through. A few pages at a time works best. Your mileage may vary.

This is the ultimate bibliotherapy book, "written" by people thousands of years ago. Secrets to happiness: be in the moment; don't judge; look at life from a distance; we're insignificant. It makes you see how modern manuals are all just faint copies of the Stoics.

Very informative about the philosophy of stoicism, and the most notable of its proponents.
Simply put, Farnsworth write the way I like to read, with clarity and ample cross-referencing, and in a linear fashion from premise to evidence to conclusions.

It is interesting to me that so much of Stoic wisdom parallels Biblical advice, especially from an LDS perspective, although that is not the author's intent or viewpoint.
I would characterize it as describing the stoic Christian, rather than the Christian Stoic.
Politically, I deduce that there can be stoic conservatives and stoic progressives (and stoic liberals, no longer the same thing), but it is impossible to have stoic socialists / Leftists - the ideologies are incompatible.
p. 22: Cicero said, essentially, that allowing ourselves to be consumed with the evils done to us & others, we can never be happy or even in our right mind.½

Great book to read through and keep as reference for good and bad times in life. The title is a good description of the goal of the book, which is to provide practical advice on living. As a result, the focus is on Stoic ethics. The author does a great job of presenting the best version of Stoicism, discussing Stoic ideas with their own words, the author's learned commentary and putting Stoics in conversation and debate. The ideas are helpfully organized into topics, and while most of the Stoics quoted are Romans, the book also cites more modern students of the Stoics from Montaigne to Samuel Johnson. The author does a good job defending Stoics against criticism. Stoics are not heartless but experienced, hoping to teach through reasoning instead of experience how to best handle the vicissitudes of life. Stoics that were wealthy (Seneca in particular) are not hypocrites but recognize wealth as an indifferent, it was fine to prefer an indifferent as long as one does not attach too much weight to it. The Stoics were also the first to admit that they were not prefect and much of their advice is aspirational.

The gist of Stoicism is the liberating idea that while there are many things that we do not control, we control the most important things, how we react to those things that we do not control. By not inducing too much self-anguish over the things external to us, but by controlling our judgements to those externals, we free ourselves. It's ultimately an empowering philosophy and a gentle one. We often think that bad things happen, and then we are injured by bad things. But the Stoic insight was to decompose this process to three steps instead of two. A thing happens, we judge it be bad, and then we are hurt by that judgement. The other sight is that often our judgements are skewed by social convention or irrationalities. We do not value the things we have until we lose them. We crave fame from the crowd while despising the masses. We flash to anger when we are insulted. We project our insecurities onto others. Much of Stoicism is about realizing how skewed and irrational these judgements are. The book is broken into helpful sections on essentially Stoics teachings on correcting these judgements. Stoics use a variety of tactics to get us to see it from a different view, from citing the customs of unfamiliar cultures, or the view of children. But Stoicism is not nihilistic or relativist. To the Stoics, what matters is living life with virtue. Clearing our eyes simply allows us to do that better. This book is an excellent start and a good source to return to.

I am a happier, better person for having read this outstanding book, filled with wise, compelling quotes from classic philosophers and clear, compelling guidance by Farnsworth. Altogether it's the perfect medicine for the the vexing, tumultuous, corroding times we live in.

Farnsworth's Classical English Metaphor is an extensive look at the use and construction of metaphor in the English language. This is not a dictionary of metaphors so don't expect to simply look up quotes by writers. This has a lot of quotes but they are incorporated into the text as illustrations and examples of types and variations.

I have been going through this book for some time now, reading it once through then periodically revisiting chapters when the mood struck. This book serves as both a wonderful learning tool for writers as well as a splendid reference for them. Unless the only thing you want to do is use the words of someone else then this is the book for you. Through discussion and many examples you will confidently understand metaphors that others use as well as create your own to better express your own thoughts.

Highly recommended to readers and writers alike. If you're a bit of a nerd like me you'll probably visit this book many times for both help and entertainment.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.½

I have been looking for something like this for many years. A text which clearly explains how rhetorical figures are used in English and provides compelling examples for each. Here's a list of just Part III:

DRAMATIC DEVICES:
13. Saying things by not saying them: Praeteritio, p. 166
14. Breaking off in midstream: Aposiopesis, p. 182
15. Correcting oneself: Metanoia, p. 194
16. Rhethorical uses of the negative: Litotes, p. 204
17. Rhetorical questions: Erotema, p. 212
18. Asking questions and answering them: Hypophora
Anticipating objections and meeting them: Prolepsis, p. 226

There are marvelous examples from Lincoln, Twain, Dickens, Pitt, de Quincy, Melville, Hawthorne, Churchill, Shakespeare, Burke, Chesterton, Fielding, Richardson, Adams, Scott, Johnson, Gladstone, Shelley, Shaw, Byron, Stevenson, Trollope, and the Scriptures. Moreover, the books does not have to be read in a linear fashion, one can flip through it as one pleases. I'm grateful to Mr. Farnsworth for his efforts. I only wish the book were longer.

Read about it here: http://www.themillions.com/2011/04/a-review-a-review-farnsworths-classical-engli...