Rating: 
Summary: Inspired but not Inspirational
Review: I came to this book via de Botton's novels and How Proust Can Change Your Life, his previous effort at distilling a dense literary morass into something fresh and alive. As with that previous book, de Botton takes writings I would probably never approach on my own, and mines them for bon mots and ideas to console the modern reader. In seeking to return philosophy to the masses and demonstrate it's relevance to everyday life he takes six of life's dark areas and finds a philosophically-based "consolation" for each. It's an interesting approach, one de Botton compliments and flavors with his own delicate and understated humorous prose. For unpopularity, be offers Socrates, who suggests we look at the logic behind others dislike for us, and if we find it flawed (as we likely will if we are good and honest people), we shall be consoled. Of course, since we often inexplicably crave the approval of people who aren't particularly stable, this approach may not be very useful. But that's another problem altogether. For poverty, de Botton has us consider Epicurus, who believed one needed nothing more than to be surrounded by good friends, decent food, shelter, intellectual stimulation, and-most importantly and problematically for the modern reader-to remove oneself from a position of having to work for someone. In this last condition, one meets the rub of the consolation that many of us may find problematic in a modern capitalist economy (although not one de Botton need worry about, as he apparently just inherited something like half a billion dollars from his father's estate). Schopenhauer's consolation for a broken heart doesn't work as well as the other sections, especially if one starts to add same-sex relationships to the discussion. Montaigne on inadequacy is kind of funny but unmemorable. Seneca on frustration is probably holds up the best: if you have more realistic expectations of life (or at least lower them), you'll face less frustration. Basic, obvious, but somehow lacking in many, many people. The final bit on Nietzche ties in to this somewhat, where he tells us we should be prepared for suffering. The two are somewhat complementary, if rather different in application. The book has been attacked as some sort of "philosophy for dummies" diminution of great thinkers, which is not at all what de Botton is doing. For example, he's not saying that everything Socrates had to say can be boiled down to a consolation for unpopularity, what's he's doing is showing how we can find consolation for a great many problems in the works of great thinkers. The book is meant to provide examples, to entice one into further examination, but not as a substitute. As if there were any doubt, at the back of the book de Botton cites the sources for all his quotes, and suggests further reading, a section more than one critic seems to have missed. Rather, he should be commended for his brevity and clarity in writing about philosophy, and bringing it toward the mainstream. I should say that nothing in book particularly forced me to reexamine my own views toward life or inspired me to change, but I can say I'm better for having read it.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Read of Practicality of Philosophy
Review: Most entertaining read of taking philosophy to the lives of people. Each word and quote is well selected in a dense, tight-knit but easy flowing manner, illustrated with delightful snipits of all kinds of topics being discussed, from moles to mountain climbing to furniture to art. The intent is to provide advise from five great thinkers (Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Montaigne) on five common tensions: unpopularity, not having enough money, frustration, inadequacy, a broken heart and difficulties. Interesting that the Christian Bible addresses these issues and more, and even addresses several of the philosophies addressed in this work (see 1 Corinthians 1:17;3:22,23; 4:3-5; 6:12; 7:3-5;and Proverbs 1. Fascinating read for those searching for guidance, but this reviewer will trust more reliable and experienced source in the revelation of the One True God.
Rating: 
Summary: What Is Philosophy If It Doesn't Reach the People...?
Review: ....nobody's perfect. Not even philosophers and philosophy students, in all their hifalootin language and verbosity and 'ivory tower'-ness and obfuscations. Although not evvybody is going to reach for this particular book on self-help, it offers a positive treat for those who do reach for it. De Botton makes Schoepenhauer come across as Eliot's J Alfred Prufrock...in fact, the six philosophers included here come across as lonely and loveless souls who were never in love, yet lusted for the lost youth in love... actually, that may be the point. What is a life without love? (Even ultimately self-love.) And can one find some lessons from these guys that don't sound like it is ripped from a Journal of Ethics and Philosophical Thought? De Botton shows that, their lives are good examples of what we can avoid or endure, or accept in ourselves even though, for example, we may not be trialed and then condemned to drink the vial of hemlock--however much we feel like we have been. Or we could not buy that Porsche Boxster like the kid down the street evidently could afford. It is another book for the knotheaded like I am. Little bites made simple, big ideas made accessible. Points made clearer by pictures and illustrations. One may not agree with De Botton juxtapositioning a picture of Nietzsche's sister shaking hands with Hitler to a drawing of Superman in order to make a point, but, it works with me. Like a reviewer [...], I too, particularly enjoyed the section on Epicurius. We somehow have distilled his work of "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" to the consumption of the a lot of the finer things in life, but De Botton repositions our thoughts to reaching and enjoying what we have, simple though they may be... Overall one may wonder why did these philosophers go thru the pains of producing their works. Simply, they did so to be heard. And if someone like De Botton comes along and make some of the world's great ideas more accessible, like he also did in 'How Proust Can Change Your Life', then evvybody benefits. Isn't that a great thought? A win-win-win-to-infinity world!
Rating: 
Summary: I wasn't consoled
Review: De Botton has written a book where he uses the lives and work of six major philosophers to help people come to terms with some of the problems in everyday lives: Socrates on Unpopularity Epicurus on not having enough money Seneca on Frustration Montaigne on Inadequacy Schopenhauer on having a broken hear Nietzsche on Difficulties The author has attempted to find a place between a self-help book and philosophy primer, but doesn't quite make it. The self-help aspect is very elusive, and the examples given are not particularly encompassing examples of the philosophers' work. Most disappointing for this reader, who has encountered the philosophers mentioned only through studies of politics and history, none of the writing gives good examples of how to apply their philosophy to everyday life. For example: * The section on Socrates didn't really give advice on how to deal with un-popularity - if anything it said Socrates was an exception for how he dealt with society (and he wasn't unpopular - he had lots of close friends, who were there up until the end) * The section on Epicurus did point out that happiness is not directly related to money, but in a very convoluted way that could have perhaps been pointed out using another, clearer example (the Buddha comes to mind). * In the section on Schopenhauer, we learn what a depressive, self-indulgent person he was, but not much about the emotion of love (Schopenhauer thinks it is to do with the continuation of the species, nothing more). The consolation seems to be that we have to remember that life is not meant to be happy, and to remember that lots of other people have gone through what we are going through. I'm sorry, but if I had a broken heart, I don't think I would find that very helpful. That said, this book has some interesting little insights (I learned more about Montaigne's thoughts on his body functions that I really needed) and it does not set itself on too high a level for non-specialists to enjoy. I just wish that I had been consoled a little more by Mr De Botton and his philosophers.
Rating:
Summary: Great Starting Point
Review: If anyone is contemplating delving into the daunting world of Philosophy for the first time, I suggest that you start by reading 'The Consolations Of Philosophy'. Similarly, if you looking for a way to enhance the happiness in your life, then I suggest that you start by reading 'The Consolations Of Philosophy'. De Botton approaches the subject in a straight forward and decisive manner and he leaves you wanting to grow a great big beard in respect and honour to all the great philosophers.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting approach to self help
Review: Finally! Someone did what people like me have been screaming for someone to do amidst the head-scratching rise of shallow self help books: he introduced the thinking of the Greats as a possible solution to every day problems. Judging from the negative reviews of this book, I sense that a lot of people despised it because they felt it oversimplified and cheapened philosophy for the masses. Socrates, they said, was reduced to a one dimensional character, and the author made many gross over-generalizations of what the philsophers believed. I think that the book's critics missed the point of "Consolations of Philosophy." It's not meant to be textbook primer to philosophy; it is a work meant to inspire people to look to philosophers like Socrates, Montaigne, Neitszche and Schopenhauer for help in their every day lives. That's all. This is evident in the the beginning of the book when de Botton says that in times of trouble he turned to the philsophers for advice. So what we have here in "Consolations" is one's man personal experience with philosophy and his desire to share what he learned from the philosophers with other people. In their desire to gleefully make mincemeat of the guy and dazzle people with their philosophical expertise by splitting hairs about de Botton's portraits of the Masters, the critics of this book totally missed the point and instead came off as a bunch of academic soreheads. Which is a shame, because if they looked past their prejudices, they would have seen the many good points of this book, including the following two: 1. It gives people an alternative to Self Help. Even before I read this book, I knew that philosophy was actually a discipline that was more practical in my everyday life than I was led to believe. After the ideas of Existentialism helped me make sense of all the chaos in my own life, I realized that it was ludicrous to turn to people like Dyer and Chopra and Canfield for help, when I could pick up the books of Bertrand Russell, Sartre and Spinoza or read the ideas of the ancient Greek philosophers. My skepticism of self help and the embracing of Western philosophy paid off. Ever since delving into philosophy, I have found more wisdom in a sentence of, say a Montaigne essay, than I have in three hundred Chicken Soup for the Soul books put together. If you feel you have reached a dead end with Self Help and are looking for alternative answers, this is the book that will lead you in the right direction. 2. Makes philosophy more accessible. As many other reviewers said below me, if any book for "the masses" gets people interested enough to actually read philosophy, all the better for philosophy. I had already been interested in Socrates and Montaigne before reading "Consolations of Philosophy," but I would have never thought I would become interested in Seneca or Nietzsche. (I had always thought that Nietzsche was hopelessly abstract.) Thanks to de Botton, I will now make sure to read about what these two philosophers had to say. This book will not only provide the reader with some alternative sources of practical help amongst the throng of corny and tired New Age books that flood the market, it will interest him enough to pursue a path of greater wisdom. "Consolations of Philosophy" is not only cleverly written, it contains some humorous pictures and illustrations to add to the equally humorous text. I only gave the book three stars instead of four because I totally agree with what a fellow reviewer said below me: as wonderful as the writing is, it's missing that certain "oomph" that would have made it a classic. I think it's because some of the advice here is a little too self-evident, so don't expect a mind-blowing, this-will-change-my-life book. However, do expect an entertaining and interesting look into some of the greatest minds of Western philosophy and how these minds can help you in your current life today.
Rating:
Summary: Nice contribution
Review: As one who has waded through quite a few overviews of philosophy, De Botton's book was a breath of fresh air. By focusing on specific themes from four philosophers, he gave me several concrete concepts that have influenced how I live in the world. Although I'm certain that some professional philosophers might discount the book, I highly recommend it as an efficient means to see how philosophy can inform and enrich your life. I hope that he writes more.
Rating:
Summary: You're consoled, until you look in the mirror
Review: Alain De Botton is unquestionably a gifted writer with wonderful command of the English language. One of the most well written books around and one of the most imaginative. You will also learn something about several important Western philosophers accompanied by pictures and witty commentary. My only gripe about the book is that there's not enough soul in it. It didn't touch or move me, as I think a good book should, especially a book on philosophy. It has dry moments balanced by enlightened revelations about life. Overall, a worthwhile book to read. But, your problems will remain as such, despite an effort to escape into this book.
Rating:
Summary: Everything you know about philosophy is wrong
Review: This profound and satisfying book is bound to be despised by the pretentious and self-important for returning philosophy to the masses. The question is: how does one overcome the pain of existence, or, seeing how hard life can be, how do we go on anyway? Here some of the the primary problems of life (being a failure, unpopular, rejected, poor, frustrated) get an insightful look. Other books usually take the "famous philosopher" approach. But De Botton astutely starts with the questions that matter, and looks to philosophers for their answers. His analysis makes one even wish to read the philosphers' own works on which these answers are based.
Rating:
Summary: Where Self Help and Philosophy Meet
Review: Having read Alain de Botton's highly amusing Proust book, I expected no less from CONSOLATIONS OF PHILOSOPHY; and I was not disappointed. Five philosophers (Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche) and one giant of literature (Montaigne) are enlisted to help us deal with such universal problems as popularity, sexual rejection, poverty, and inadequacy. Curiously, none of these philosophers (with the possible exception of Epicurus) led happy lives. Seneca was ordered by his pupil Nero to commit suicide; Montaigne was tortured to the point of distraction by kidney stones; and Nietzsche went mad. De Botton, however, shows how each one exhibited great common sense on at least one area in their lives. The upshot of all this advice is to consider that others have it worse, buck up, and forge ahead despite all the obstacles. Not quite what Buddha discovered beneath the Bodhi Tree, but in this era of chicken soup for whatever ails you, it's a step up. Unlike most self-help books, this one instead of bloating two paragraphs into a 100,000-word book, leaves you hungry for more. Particularly useful are the notes in back, directing the reader to the sources and presumably further enlightenment. I was a little put out that de Botton left out all mention of Boethius, whose CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY was one of the most influential books of the last 1,500 years and is still a very worthy book for accomplishing the same goals. As a skeptic, I was also disappointed that Lucian of Samosata was omitted. Oh, well, you can't criticise a book for what it was not. De Botton's selection is highly individual and, what is more, it works.
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