Product Description

From the internationally heralded author of How Proust Can Change Your Life comes this remarkable new book that presents the wisdom of some of the greatest thinkers of the ages as advice for our day to day struggles.

Solace for the broken heart can be found in the words of Schopenhauer. The ancient Greek Epicurus has the wisest, and most affordable, solution to cash flow problems. A remedy for impotence lies in Montaigne. Seneca offers advice upon losing a job. And Nietzsche has shrewd counsel for everything from loneliness to illness. The Consolations of Philosophy is a book as accessibly erudite as it is useful and entertaining.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25476 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-03
• Released on: 2001-04-03
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.com
"It is common," Alain de Botton writes in The Consolations of Philosophy, "to assume that we are dealing with a highly intelligent book when we cease to understand it. Profound ideas cannot, after all, be explained in the language of children." While his easygoing exploration of philosophers from Socrates to Nietzsche isn't exactly written for the Blue's Clues set, few readers will cease to understand it. Furthermore, it's a joy to read. De Botton's 1997 How Proust Can Change Your Life forged a new kind of lit crit: an exploration of Remembrance of Things Past, delivered in the sweet-gummed envelope of an advice book. He returns to the self-help format here, this time plundering the great thinkers to puzzle out the way we ought to live.

What was stunning about the Proust book was de Botton's brazen annexing of a hallowed novelist to address lite emotional problems. That format is less arresting when applied to the philosophers, since which earnest philosophy major has not, from time to time, tried to apply the alpine heights of thought to his own humble worries? Usually, sophomoric attempts to turn to, say, Kant for advice on love tend to be unmitigated disasters. In de Botton's case, however, he is able to find consolation for a broken heart in Schopenhauer, consolation for inadequacy in Montaigne. Epicurus, usually associated with a love of luxury, is a solace for those of us without much money--and de Botton learns from him that "objects mimic in a material dimension what we require in a psychological one. We need to rearrange our minds but are lured towards new shelves. We buy a cashmere cardigan as a substitute for the counsel of friends."

Lest the reader become burdened by all this philosophizing, the book is peppered with illustrations--the section on Nietzsche of course includes a DC Comics drawing of Superman. And it's further leavened by the author's personal anecdotes and winning confessional tone. Early on, for instance, he admits his own gnawing need for popularity: "A desire to please led me to laugh at modest jokes like a parent on the opening night of a school play." Before he became a medicine man for the soul, de Botton was a first-rate novelist, and it shows in his writing. --Claire Dederer

From Publishers Weekly
Three years ago, de Botton offered a delightful encounter with a writer many find unapproachable, in his bestselling How Proust Can Change Your Life. Now he attempts a similar undertaking--not wholly successful--with the great philosophers. In clear, witty prose, de Botton (who directs the graduate philosophy program at London University) sets some of their ideas to the mundane task of helping readers with their personal problems. Consolation for those feeling unpopular is found in the trial and death of Socrates; for those lacking money, in Epicurus' vision of what is essential for happiness. Senecan stoicism assists us in enduring frustration; Schopenhauer, of all people, mends broken hearts (by showing that "happiness was never part of the plan"); and Nietzsche encourages us to embrace difficulties. Black-and-white illustrations cleverly (sometimes too cleverly) accent the text: a "Bacardi and friends" ad, for example, illustrates the Epicurean doctrine of confused needs. Self-deprecating confessions pepper the book, a succinct account of an episode of impotence being the most daring. The quietly ironic style and eclectic approach will gratify many postmodern readers. But since the philosophers' opinions often cancel each other out (Montaigne undermines Seneca's trust in rational self-mastery, and Nietzsche repudiates "virtually all" that Schopenhauer taught), readers will need to pick and choose whose cogitations to take to heart. At his best (e.g., on Socrates), de Botton offers lucid popularization--an enjoyable read with "a few consoling and practical things" to say. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The New York Times Book Review, Jonathan Lear
There is a need for someone to bring that joyful activity of mind we call philosophy to the wider reading public. And de Botton ... writes with verve.

Customer Reviews

For plain folk like me
This book did two things for me: First, it brought back my respect for philosophy as an effort to get oneself right with the world. Second, it caused to bring philosophy back into the mix of therapeutic psychology books I've sought out at various stages of life. The book is a great little down-to-earth explanation of how philosophy is, at its best, still an avenue toward finding meaning in life, not simply an esoteric or over-intellectualized mental sport. It explains how each philosopher connected personally not abstractly to the ideas he pondered. It's especially useful for an aging secular soul like me, but it also appealed to my son who is in his late 20s. I wish a book like this had been part of the mix in the intro philosophy course I took and fled when I was in college. As for my own favorite philosopher at this stage in my life, of course it's Dr. Peanut! Nutty to Meet You! Dr. Peanut Book #1

Better Living Thought Philosophy
Better living thought, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Montaigne, Socrates, Epicurus, and Seneca. Alain de Botton accounts of six great philosophers, and what they bring to an individual in modern times. Good read.

Doesn't pack a punch, but a good starting point for further reading
According to Schopenhauer, the universal feeling of "Love" is a topic that gets short shrift by philosophers because it "violates man's rational self image". In what he calls "the will-to-life - defined as an inherent drive within human beings to stay alive and reproduce," Schopenhauer explains why opposites attract, and how the conscience mind is subservient to the unconscious mind "and unable to learn of all its plans." The unconscious mind is governed by "the will-to-life".

"Consolations of Philosophy" may give the reader a new perspective on feeling unpopular, having low economic status, feeling frustrated or inadequate, experiencing a broken heart or lovelessness. Alain de Botton includes ideas from the philosophers he deemed as best qualified to console those suffering from these social maladies.

The appeal of "Consolations of Philosophy" lies in its simplicity. Most philosophy books are written for philosophers. This book was written in easy to understand text for novice readers. For those who have not studied in depth the lives and ideas of great thinkers in Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche, this is a decent start. This book is also a respectable start for others who wish to ease their suffering or gain a new perspective on various personal conflicts. It doesn't pack the punch to change lives, but it whets the appetite nicely for further reading. Alain de Botton's talent lies in bringing philosophy concepts to the masses.