A self-help guide for the philosophically minded
The trouble with philosophy as it’s usually presented is that it has so little bearing on everyday problems. The questions which seem so urgent to philosophers (Is this a tree? What is a question?) seem irrelevant to us. Our own concerns are more along the lines of ‘Am I in the right job?’. But the great philosophers have, in fact, always been concerned with basic human problems and their work is full of practical and accessible advice for living a happier and more fulfilled life. In Philosophy: A Guide To Happiness, Alain de Botton, author of How Proust Can Change Your Life, chooses six philosophers and applies their teachings to a common problem: Socrates for self-confidence; Epicurus for happiness; Schopenhauer for love. It is both an introductory guide to some of the key milestones in the history of ideas and a simple, psychobabble-free self-help course for the philosophically-minded, full of tips on how to be happy.
