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The
Consolations of Philosophy
by
Alain De Botton
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher
Year: March
1, 2001
ISBN: 0140276610
Original
Price: HK$ 135.00
Special Discount Price: HK$ 94.50
Interested
parties, please contact Customer Services.
Delivery charge (if necessary) HK$30
per order |
Book Description:
From
Publishers Weekly:
Three years ago, de Botton offered a delightful encounter with
a writer many find unapproachable, in his bestselling How Proust
Can Change Your Life. Now he attempts a similar undertaking--not
wholly successful--with the great philosophers. In clear, witty
prose, de Botton (who directs the graduate philosophy program
at London University) sets some of their ideas to the mundane
task of helping readers with their personal problems. Consolation
for those feeling unpopular is found in the trial and death
of Socrates; for those lacking money, in Epicurus' vision of
what is essential for happiness. Senecan stoicism assists us
in enduring frustration; Schopenhauer, of all people, mends
broken hearts (by showing that "happiness was never part
of the plan"); and Nietzsche encourages us to embrace difficulties.
Black-and-white illustrations cleverly (sometimes too cleverly)
accent the text: a "Bacardi and friends" ad, for example,
illustrates the Epicurean doctrine of confused needs. Self-deprecating
confessions pepper the book, a succinct account of an episode
of impotence being the most daring. The quietly ironic style
and eclectic approach will gratify many postmodern readers.
But since the philosophers' opinions often cancel each other
out (Montaigne undermines Seneca's trust in rational self-mastery,
and Nietzsche repudiates "virtually all" that Schopenhauer
taught), readers will need to pick and choose whose cogitations
to take to heart. At his best (e.g., on Socrates), de Botton
offers lucid popularization--an enjoyable read with "a
few consoling and practical things" to say.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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