Facilitated by Kate Warlow-Corcoran

In this eight-week online reading group, we will discuss Kieran Setiya's book, Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way (London: Hutchinson Heinemann, 2022). Our reading will be supplemented with key articles from the current issue of The Philosopher: Crossing the Floods. 

In Weeks 1-6, we will read Chapters 1-6 of the book, examining in turn some of life's significant hardships: infirmity, loneliness, grief, failure, injustice, and the absurdity of life. In Week 7, we will discuss the final chapter on hope. 

In the final meeting in Week 8, Kieran Setiya will join the group for a Q&A session.

Dates and Times

Weekly from Wednesday 25 February to Wednesday 15 April 2026. The group will meet at 7 pm UK time for 90 minutes on Zoom*.

*Due to Daylight Savings Time, the start time may vary certain weeks depending on your region:

Weeks 1 and 2 (25 Feb and 04 March):

11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 7 pm UK / 8 pm CET / 12:30 am IST (Thurs)

Weeks 3, 4 and 5 (11 March, 18 March, and 25 March):

12 pm PT / 3 pm ET / 7 pm UK / 8 pm CET / 12:30 am IST (Thurs)

Weeks 6, 7 and 8 (01 April, 08 April, 15 April):

11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 7 pm UK / 8 pm CET / 11:30 pm IST

Cost

£30 for paying Patreon members, regular donors, and print/digital subscribers. £60 for all other participants.

A limited number of free places are available for those who cannot afford to pay. If you wish to be considered, please contact us at: thephilosopher1923@gmail.com. Free places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

About the Book

There is no cure for the human condition: life is hard. But Kieran Setiya believes philosophy can help. He offers us a map for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world.

In this profound and personal book, Setiya shows how the tools of philosophy can help us find our way. Drawing on ancient and modern philosophy as well as fiction, history, memoir, film, comedy, social science, and stories from Setiya’s own experience, Life Is Hard is a book for this moment — a work of solace and compassion.

Warm, accessible, and good-humored, this book is about making the best of a bad lot. It offers guidance for coping with pain and making new friends, for grieving the lost and failing with grace, for confronting injustice and searching for meaning in life. Countering pop psychologists and online influencers who admonish us to “find our bliss” and “live our best lives,” Setiya acknowledges that the best is often out of reach. Instead, he asks how we can weather life’s adversities, finding hope and living well when life is hard.

About the Author

Kieran Setiya was born in Hull and now teaches philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide (2017) and is the host of a podcast, Five Questions, in which he asks contemporary philosophers five questions about themselves. His latest book, Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way (2022) was chosen as a best book of the year by The Economist and The New Yorker. He is working on a new book about humour as a guide to life.

Group Facilitator

Kate Warlow-Corcoran is a Managing Editor at The Philosopher and co-edited the current issue of our publication: Crossing the Floods. 

Important Information

The group size will be limited to 20 people, and priority will be given to our supporters. Once the group is full, we will open a waiting list.

Participants will need to obtain a copy of the text: Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way (London: Hutchinson Heinemann, 2022). Participants will be given a digital copy of the current issue of The Philosopher before the first session begins.

By joining this group, you agree to our Groups and Classes Policy.