The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

This chapter includes six subchapters: “The Choice,” “The Responsibility/Fault Fallacy,” “Responding to Tragedy,” “Genetics and the Hand We’re Dealt,” “Victimhood Chic,” and “There is No ‘How.’” Manson opens with a thought experiment in which he asks us to consider running a marathon under two different scenarios: one with a gun pointed at our head and one without the threat of a pointed gun. He asks us to imagine how the first scenario might yield a different perception of pain than the second scenario. He claims that in the first scenario, the runner would likely feel that the experience was more painful and terrible. He uses this thought experiment to suggest that one reason we suffer is that we focus on things outside of our control. If a gun is pointed at a marathon runner, the runner isn’t freely choosing to do the marathon, which means that the pain isn’t accepted and doesn’t lead to any kind of glory.

Next, Manson discusses William James, a notable American psychologist and one of the early pioneers in the field. James struggled in his youth to figure out in which direction he wanted his life to go. He experienced some significant failures before finally achieving success.