Just after viewing and staying mightily amazed with Alain De Botton within the Guardian Hay Competition (see my evaluate) and his power to have interaction which has a group about philosophy in a very digestible way, I chose to read through his ebook 'The Consolations of Philosophy'.

Formerly Alain had produced the novels Kiss and Convey to, Essays in Appreciate plus the Intimate Movement, before dropping the storytelling design with How Proust can modify your life. ADB has saved his faith in telling it how he sees it With all the Consolations of Philosophy.

As someone who likes a complicated read through once in a while I was a little bit sceptical concerning this book immediately after reading through that it absolutely was fairly dumbed down philosophy. But then again I've normally felt that the upper echelons of philosophical discussion is afflicted with a bent to show said debate into an training in etymological prowess. The beauty of this ebook is De Botton cuts to the chase with outstanding clarity of indicating mixing old imagined Along with the Seneca philosophy anxieties of modern culture.

I liked his unapologisingly detrimental opinion of Friedrich Nietzsche and his influence above Hitler's anti-semitic ethos. His comparison of Socrates as an unpopular outcast who preserved his individual beliefs presents the reader hope of triumph under adversity and his Evaluation of Seneca And the way his heartbreak philosophy will help our possess comprehension of our individual intimate anxieties was nostalgically considered provoking.

Wanting back again after some time philosophical considered has stimulated and for this reason shaped the pinnacles of modern thought and distribute to more and more people who in the preceding age would never ever have had the chance to master from The good thinkers. But many folks consider philosophy is just for the elite largely because they remain segregated by modern day professors of thought who surface to surreptitiously cover far from trying to teach the masses like Alain De Botton is trying to carry out. Possibly It is pretentiousness, it's possible It truly is arrogance Or possibly they don't want to stick their neck out for want of failing a popularity contest like Socrates.