The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As so many other reviewers have noted, this book is a strange mixture of philosophy and self help. Like the other De Button books I’ve read, it is clear, expressive and makes a driving point. I thought it more like a cliff notes told through the personal lives of these men, more than anything else. De Button wishes to present these at times, difficult philosophers as fodder for how philosophy can be useful. In some ways its appropriate to understand that these ideas came from individuals who had to experience and embody them. In other ways its inappropriate to lessen the force of the ideas in order to humanize them (and use these figures as puppets for their thoughts). I am strangely not liking this book, but at the same time, I also find it to be an interesting and quick read.
Definitely something you can do when you are bored and want some easy distraction. I feel that his chapter on Socrates and Seneca to be the strongest. His chapter on Nietzsche and Montaigne were fairly weak, as at times these chapters seemed an aimless collection of ideas that are somehow related. So in this sense, this book is more fitting as an introduction than anything else. What makes me give it three stars even though its a light introduction is that there isn’t much consolation at all. He should have dropped the self help theme unless he wanted to end the chapters with a stronger sense of self help.
Comments (0)