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Summary: It's not meant to be a primer on philosophy!!
Review: I pulled this book off the shelf last night looking for what it offers in the title - consolation. Feeling down lately and not able to sleep, I thought I should take advantage of de Botton's insight and wit. I've had the book for awhile, but I tend to save this author's books for times when I really need them. He is such a unique philosopher himself - young but possessing amazing insight into the human condition. And I was consoled. By the chapter on difficulties which discusses the philosophy of Nietzsche and his metamorphosis from being a pessimistic disciple of Schopenhauer to learning to experience joy. The book offers what it proclaims to - consolation/advice/self-help based on philosophy and it's done with wry intellectual humor which serves to lighten up some potentially dark topics. I've only flipped through the other chapters, but if the chapter I read last night is any indication, the rest of the book will be a treat to read. As are all of Alain de Botton's books.
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Summary: Readable and relevant, without being simple-minded
Review: This book is highly readable, yet never simple-minded or patronizing to the reader. Alain de Botton succeeds in bringing to life the most important concepts of some of the most important Western philosophers, relating them in a very effective manner to the everyday trials and tribulations any human being might experience. The reviewer who had "trouble" with this approach seems to have missed the point, and to have misunderstood the Socrates section in particular. (Alain de Botton is not suggesting we be consoled by the thought that future generations will think us right; he suggests that if we have reasoned out our position and find it correct by method of such reason, we should not be troubled if that position is unpopular. This is the example Socrates provided, and also what de Botton relates.) This book will turn you on to Montaigne, to philosophy, and to the possibilities of learning in general. The humor that runs throughout the book makes reading it a true joy, as well as a worthwhile endeavor.
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Summary: This wont kill you. It will make you stronger
Review: Alain De Botton gives a marvellous account of six major thinkers in Western Philosophy. However much I enjoyed the book, I put it down with the feeling that something is missing. I wouldn't account for what I saw as the missing as the fault of the text's superficiality. Rather, it seems there is a deliberate choice in omision. And this omision seems to be a discussion of the primary causes. Socrates made no bones of the belief that there was such a thing as the soul, and that the soul was divine and like the divine. The confronting of metaphysical beliefs has been perhaps the greatest challenge of philosophy. The question of how one lives happily and ethically without recourse to the divine is taken on by Kant, Husserl, Heidegger, Ricoeur. There seems to be something very positivist in this work - I think therefore I am, the vanity of consciousness. The ways in which the post classical thinkers tried to come to terms with this is not even touched upon so that the reader can get a sense of the developments of thought. The notion of false consciousness that De Botton raised in his discussion of Socrates was not furthered in his discussion of Nietzsche. Nietzsche, it could be argued on one level was a liberator, freeing people from the binds of religion, a Dionysian philosopher because he recognised the Other and gave freedom to it. His discussion of the way language held the mind in captivity was a major part of the philosophy of Derrida, the metapsychology of Freud, in fact the whole movement from Barthes who declared that "The author God is dead", not to mention Foucault. How De Botton could discuss Nietzsche without mentioning his most famous of all sayings is problematic to say the least. Then again, it is deliberate, because here we have philosophers as human beings. And Nietzsche without the grandeur of his pronouncements takes on different colours and becomes a different kind of friend.
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Summary: A Great Book
Review: One of the best expositions of the philosophy of some (6) great Western philosophers. Superb English prose and perhaps the best I ever read. Given that Botton is hardly more than 30 years old, he has a great future, and I expect from him similar expositions of the philosophy of other philosophers. However, compared to the first 4 chapters, I found the last 2 (on Schpenhauer and Nietzsche) are less well structured. I found that both philosophers are a bit boring to read. Surprised that Plato and Aristotle are missing. Perhaps Botton may consider my comments if he revises this book. I want to stress that I am not a trained philosopher, but someone with interest in Western philosophical thought and the need for the Orient to learn from the West some of its philosophy, although the Orient has a great tradition of its own philosophy. I wish all the best to the author and highly recommend this book. It is a book which will be read many times by its admirers like myself.
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Summary: Philosophy according to Alain De Botton!
Review: Alain De Botton has proven again and again that he is a keen observant and a genius. Having read On Love and How Proust Can Change Your Life, I was curious about Botton's views on Western Philosophy. His views are both amusing and intelligent. He introduced the of work Nietzsche and Seneca (my favorite philosopher) in a great way. The chapters and illustrations are amusing and intense at the same time. I know of people who have absolutely no knowledge on philosophy and this book could teach the basics of this interesting subject. The great thing is that Botton does so with a great deal of wit and originality. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Professors of Philosophy might just be wrong!
Review: What I love about this book is just how mad it seems to make philosophy professors. There they go jumping up and down saying - it's trivial, it's not philosophy, listen to me, buy my books instead etc (for the latest example of this check out Andrew Carpenter's review below). And yet, speaking as someone who did FOUR years of philosophy at college/PhD level, I can say that De Botton's book is a triumph, capturing the essence of what philosophy is about, detailing it in a human way, and what is more, writing like a dream. Let's not quibble about whether this book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about philosophy; of course it doesn't, but it's a wonderful portrait of a few great philosophers and why they matter.
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Summary: An extension of de Botton's genius
Review: I couldn't disagree more with the last reviewer. I too much enjoyed de Botton's novels (though my favourite novel was actually his first, ON LOVE). But I'm also enjoying the essayistic turn he has taken in the last two books. What we get in them is an extension of his analysis, which always formed a part of his novels. So it's not so much a change of direction as an evolution of direction. And while this book is not a novel, it has certain features in common with novels; namely, a concern with language, with pace, in simple terms; with keeping the reader entertained. De Botton has written a wonderfully personal yet urgent essay on the great philosophers.
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Summary: No nearly as edifying as DeBotton takes it to be
Review: De Botton, enfant terrible of the upper crust literary set in Britain, has produced a mildly entertaining discourse on the usefulness of Western philosophy. His gentle and unassuming analyses are a mixed lot. For example, Socratic questioning may well help us to rationally test cultural assumptions and norms, but DeBotton's one-dimensional portrayal of Socrates provides none of the emotional depth necessary to construct a satisfying "consolation of unpopularity." His discussion of poverty, which centers around a lovely analysis of Epicurus' life, is much more successful. The other sections--Montaigne as the source of consolation for inadequacy, Schopenhauer as consolation for broken heart, etc.--are rarely successful, although each is written with considerable wit and charm. Helping readers to understand the deep connections between philosophical abstractions and issues of deep concern in their own lives is an important task. Unfortunately, DeBotton's work is not nearly as edifying as he takes it to be. One hopes that this volume--as well as the popular companion British television series--will lead DeBotton's many admirers to consult their libraries for the genuine article.
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Summary: Ou sont les neiges d'antan?
Review: I've loved the first books of Alain de Botton.Such gentle phylosopy of life,such undertanding of human nature!His novel-essays were wonderful (notably The Romantic Movement).But whit his last two books,he has taken a wrong turn.He banalizes some great philosopher's ideas ,and extracts from them the simplest of messages than any self-help book can give.Good grief,what a waste of time!
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Summary: Complexity and Simplicity
Review: Good books always seem to stir up the most fuss. I came at this book with really mixed feelings. A friend of mine from college loves deBotton, has read everything he wrote (he even gathered together his journalism from England!) and he said you've got to read this. I was afraid that it would be an introduction to philosophy in the bad sense - you know the kind of thing, Socrates was born in X, he made major contributions to y etc. But far from it, this is a far more original book. It doesn't merely digest and regurgitate what the philosophers wrote, it weaves its own voice and philosophy around them. In the guise of an 'explanation,' it actually makes a 'contribution.' I'd hate to be deBotton in a way (apart from the fact his book sells millions), because he's sitting on a high exposed rock. He basically says simple truths in an elegant way and no one else really does that. Academics hide behind jargon, and self-help writers and journalists sound glib. Here's an attempt to lay out the truth about life in a simple and clear way. I can't recommend this highly enough.
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