Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide

How philosophy can teach us to be less anxious about being anxious by understanding that it’s an essential part of being humanToday, anxiety is usually thought of as a pathology, the most diagnosed and medicated of all psychological disorders.But anxiety isn’t always or only a medical condition.Indeed, many philosophers argue that anxiety is a normal, even essential, part of being human, and that coming to terms with this fact is potentially transformative, allowing us to live more meaningful lives by giving us a richer understanding of ourselves.In Anxiety, Samir Chopra explores valuable insights about anxiety offered by ancient and modern philosophies-Buddhism, existentialism, psychoanalysis, and critical theory.Blending memoir and philosophy, he also tells how serious anxiety has affected his own life-and how philosophy has helped him cope with it. Chopra shows that many philosophers-including the Buddha, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, and Heidegger-have viewed anxiety as an inevita