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.