The Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton

Unpopular? Not enough money? Frustrated? Feeling inadequate? Broken-hearted? Experiencing difficulties? Before you leap into retail therapy, medicating with merlot or making your therapist richer why not try The Consolations of Philosophy as a refreshing alternative to the self-help genre. Rather than locating the problem, whether it’s money, career, or love, at the level of the individual, Alain de Botton offers the perspective that philosophers have been wrestling with these issues since the dawn of time. So it’s not your fault that you can’t get your life together as the problems you’re ... more

It might be unknown by you but every one has a philosophy. A philosophy is what you believe. So if some says "philosophy? What that about then?" You can tell them it is all about thinking like I did to a man in Hyde Park once. There is also a philosophy industry a type of retail therapy where middle class white men tell the rest of us what to think. Some like prefer a good Merlot or Shiraz and then we can be our own therapist. The Consolations of Philosophy is a refreshing alternative to a normal being told what to think philosophy book as it tries to engage the reader. There is no problem ... more

Having enjoyed the Channel Four TV series I bought this book and have to recommend it. Alain De Botton takes the ideas of some of the great philosophers and sets them out in a clear and easily understandable format which crucially puts them into a modern context to which readers can relate. In a world swamped with self help books and theories, it`s great to see that philosophy dealt with the same human problems years before can still benefit us today. As an introduction to what is an often daunting subject this is an excellent volume which is both readable and thought-provoking, and more ... more

This is a self-help manual. Go into any bookshop today and the shelves are crowded with self-help manuals promising easy fixes for everything from obesity to speaking infront of a crowd. De Botton's book is a welcome change. Instead of the usual management jargon, Alain De Botton draws his inspiration from within the rich vein of western philosophy. He explores problems such as not having enough money, unpopularity, a broken heart and so on, with the help of philosophers as diverse as Epicurus and Seneca, and Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. Alain de Botton's genuine talent, exemplified here is to ... more