Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday

Right Thing, Right Now is the third book in Ryan Holiday's series about the Stoic virtues, more commonly referred to as the cardinal virtues: Justice, Fortitude, Prudence, and Temperance. This book is about the virtue of Justice.

I've read several of Ryan Holiday's books before, and I have great respect for Holiday's writings (especially his posts from some years ago). However, I didn't like this book.

Right Thing, Right Now doesn't build on the legacy of great philosophers. The author doesn't spend much time explaining concepts or guiding the reader to discover new insights either. Instead, he focuses on how notable characters lived the virtue of Justice in their lives, illustrating concepts through stories and biographical storytelling. While I favor using stories, in this case, the stories fill entire chapters. The book could be subtitled "a collection of stories about Justice."

Also, there is no systematic treatment of Justice as a virtue. This it probably a deliberate decision made by the author aiming at a broad audience wanting to learn about Stoicism, because I'm sure Holiday's knowledge of Stoic virtues goes way deeper.