The Art of Failure: The Anti Self-Help Guide (Ataraxia Book 6)

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What is success, and is it worth the sacrifice? A psychiatrist and philosopher searches for a better, freer way of living.

Some people would rather die than think. In fact, they do.
—Bertrand Russell

We spend most of our time and energy chasing success, such that we have little left over for thinking and feeling, being and relating. As a result, we fail in the deepest possible way. We fail as human beings.

This mind-bending, award-winning book, written by an Oxford psychiatrist and philosopher, explores what it means to be successful, and how, if at all, true success can be achieved.

An extraordinarily wide ranging mix of psychology and philosophy covering most of human behaviour from madness to happiness and the meaning of life, and encountering ghosts and death on the way … Brilliant. Neel Burton has already won several prizes … and this volume deserves another. —The British Medical Association Book Awards

A unique perspective… [Neel Burton] delivers on the provocative and intriguing promise inherent in this work’s title… He provides a fascinating exploration of topics ranging from courage and death to madness and ataraxia, offering the reader a meaty analysis of these subjects and more. —The BookLife Prize (Quarter-finalist)

In this eye-opening read, psychiatrist Neel Burton explains… that by redefining what it means to achieve, we can avoid failure and gain control over our lives. —BookBub (Featured New Release)

An enlightening guide on the beauty and importance of failure … It’s full of common sense, warm realism, and the kind of wisdom you wish you could have taken in when you were younger … Burton writes from a place of authority and experience, and you feel as if you have finally found the compassionate, tailor-made advice that you’ve been looking for. If you want to re-examine your life and goals and perhaps find deep happiness, [this book] can help you get there. —Tammy Ruggles for Readers’ Favorite

A demanding, provocative and ultimately transformative read. Give it a try and see how you get on. —The International Review of Books

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown everything up into the air, straining our coping mechanisms and forcing us to re-examine our assumptions, priorities, and whole way of living. But in crisis there is also great opportunity, and this very timely book lights us the way. —Dr Chris Chopdar, clinical psychiatrist

★★★★★ This book saved my life. —Amazon.com reviewer

About the author

Dr Neel Burton FRSA is a psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine-lover who lives and teaches in Oxford, England. He is a Fellow of Green-Templeton College in the University of Oxford, and the recipient of the Society of Authors’ Richard Asher Prize, the British Medical Association’s Young Authors’ Award, the Medical Journalists’ Association Open Book Award, and a Best in the World Gourmand Award. His work has featured in the likes of Aeon, the Spectator, and the Times, and been translated into several languages.

Contents

1. Mania
2. Freedom
3. Fear
4. Courage
5. Death
6. Values
7. Kings
8. Ghosts
9. Madness
10. Meaning
11. Happiness
12. Ataraxia
13. Friendship
14. Love

◆ Grab your copy now and prepare to be challenged.

From the Publisher

The Art of Failure: The Anti Self-Help Guide (Ataraxia Book 6)

Since the end of the Second World War, real term incomes in countries such as the US and UK have increased dramatically, but happiness has not kept apace. In fact, people today are considerably less happy than back then: we have less time, we are more alone, and so many of us are on antidepressants that trace quantities of fluoxetine have been detected in the water supply.

Although economists focus on the absolute size of salaries, several sociological studies have found that the effect of money on happiness results less from the things that money can buy (absolute income effect) than from comparing one’s income to that of others, and in particular to that of one’s peers (relative income effect).

This is a large part of the explanation as to why people today are no happier than were their grandparents: despite being considerably richer and healthier, they have only just managed to ‘keep up with the Joneses’—who now, along with the rich and famous, constantly flaunt their lifestyles on Instagram.

But there is more. If I am to believe what I see in the media, happiness is to be six foot tall or more and to have bleached teeth and a firm abdomen, all the latest clothes, accessories, and electronics, a picture-perfect partner who is both a great lover and a terrific friend, an assortment of healthy and happy children, a large house in a good neighbourhood, a second property in an idyllic holiday location, a top-of-the-range car to shuttle back and forth from the one to the other, a clique of ‘friends’ with whom to have fabulous dinner parties, three or four foreign holidays a year, and, of course, a prestigious job that does not detract from any of the above.

There are at least three major problems that I can see with this idea of happiness. First, it represents a state of affairs that is almost impossible to attain to and that is, therefore, in itself an important source of unhappiness. Second, it is situated in an idealized and hypothetical future rather than an imperfect but actual present in which true happiness is much more likely to be found, albeit with an altered frame of mind. And third, it has largely been defined by economic and even social and political interests that have little to do with true happiness, which has far more to do with the practice of reason and the peace of mind that this eventually brings.

In short, it is not only that the bar for happiness is set too high, but also that it is set in the wrong place, and that it is, in fact, the wrong bar.

Jump and you’ll only break your back.

The Art of Failure struck a chord with me because artists, through their art, explore the same fears and problems that Burton does… But anyone from any background would learn a lot from this book. —Rod Judkins, artist, lecturer, and author of The Art of Creative Thinking

There is much more to mental health than the mere absence of mental disorder. Today, I write about all the things that I was never taught.

The Ataraxia Series

Neel is an incredibly insightful and elegant writer, with a deep knowledge of all he surveys. —James Davies, medical anthropologist and psychotherapist, author of Cracked

Burton’s writing blends deep knowledge of his subject with lively anecdote and a genuine concern for how we might draw on the insights of psychology and philosophy to live a better life. —Gareth Southwell, philosopher and writer

The Meaning of Madness Hide and Seek Heaven and Hell For Better For Worse Hypersanity The Art of Failure

Neel Burton

Multi award-winning non-fiction author

Dr Neel Burton FRSA is a psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine-lover who lives and teaches in Oxford, England. He is a Fellow of Green-Templeton College in the University of Oxford, and the winner of the Society of Authors’ Richard Asher Prize, the British Medical Association’s Young Authors’ Award, and the Medical Journalists’ Association Open Book Award. His work regularly features in the likes of Aeon and Psychology Today and has been translated into several languages.

His books include:

The Meaning of Madness: A Critical Guide to Mental Health and Illness Hide and Seek: The Psychology of Self-Deception Heaven and Hell: The Psychology of the Emotions For Better For Worse: Essays on Love, Marriage, and More Hypersanity: Thinking Beyond Thinking The Art of Failure: The Anti Self-Help Guide The Secret to Everything: How to Live More and Suffer Less Growing from Depression: A Practical and Philosophical Self-Help Guide

The Ataraxia series

Six books to peace and power of mind.

In my work as a psychiatrist, I help to treat mental disorder—and, I’m delighted to say, most of the people I see do get better. But why stop here? I believe that there is much more to mental health than the mere absence of mental disorder. Mental health is not just about surviving, but about thriving, about developing and expressing our highest, fullest potential as human beings.

Before Christianity, there were, of course, the pagan gods, Zeus and Jupiter and their ilk. But, especially for the high-minded, there were also a number of philosophical schools, the major ones being Cynicism, Stoicism, Skepticism, and Epicureanism. Although each with its own outlook and method, all four schools aimed at the attainment of mental mastery and tranquillity, or ataraxia—making them, in my view, much more similar than different.

Ataraxia [Greek, ‘lack of disturbance’] is also the guiding principle of this series, with each book, like each philosophy, adopting a distinct but complementary approach to peace of mind: exploring the deep origins of our distress in The Meaning of Madness; guarding against the demons of self-deception in Hide and Seek; refining our emotions in Heaven and Hell; regulating our relations with others in For Better For Worse; developing our thinking skills in Hypersanity; and, finally, redefining our concept of success in The Art of Failure.

Although the series is numbered, each book can happily stand on its own—meaning that you can read just one or all six, and in whichever order you like.

Ataraxia is closely linked with eudaimonia, which is often translated as ‘happiness’ but which is, in fact, a much deeper, fuller, and richer concept, sometimes articulated in terms of flourishing, or living a life that is worthwhile and fulfilling.

The stakes could not be higher.

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Number of pages
206 218 206 228 210 162

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ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08JSK3MR6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Acheron Press; 2 edition (2 January 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7705 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 173 pages