My guest this week is philosopher and counselor Dr. Samir Chopra, author of the fascinating new book, Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide (affiliate link). 

Topics we discussed included:

• The extent to which we are experiencing unique levels of anxiety in human history
• Philosophical inquiry that springs from anxiety
• The unconscious cognitive work we do to make the world sensible and navigable
• My guest’s loss of both parents fairly early in life and the consequences on his psyche
• Comparing our experienced misfortunes to the visible misfortunes of others
• The fear of not making the best use of our lives
• Being in the moment as an antidote to continual anxiety
• The Buddhist explanation of why anxiety can persist even when all is well
• Freedom from suffering through seeing the persistence of self as an illusion
• Managing and reducing anxiety vs. living with it
• Viewing anxiety as an ever-present entity in one’s life

Samir Chopra, PhD, is a philosophical counselor and professor emeritus of philosophy at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

He’s the author and coauthor of many books, including Shyam Benegal, A Legal Theory for Autonomous Artificial Agents, and Eye on Cricket. 

His essays have appeared in the Nation, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Aeon, Psyche, and other publications.

Find Samir online at his website where you can learn more about his work and contact him about counseling sessions.