false 23419 23 "It is common," Alain de Botton writes in <I>The Consolations of Philosophy</I>, "to assume that we are dealing with a highly intelligent book when we cease to understand it. Profound ideas cannot, after all, be explained in the language of children." While his easygoing exploration of philosophers from Socrates to Nietzsche isn't exactly written for the <I>Blue's Clues</I> set, few readers will cease to understand it. Furthermore, it's a joy to read. De Botton's 1997 <I>How Proust Can Change Your Life</I> forged a new kind of lit crit: an exploration of <I>Remembrance of Things Past</I>, delivered in the sweet-gummed envelope of an advice book. He returns to the self-help format here, this time plundering the great thinkers to puzzle out the way we ought to live.<p> What was stunning about the Proust book was de Botton's brazen annexing of a hallowed novelist to address lite emotional problems. That format is less arresting when applied to the philosophers, since which earnest philosophy major has not, from time to time, tried to apply the alpine heights of thought to his own humble worries? Usually, sophomoric attempts to turn to, say, Kant for advice on love tend to be unmitigated disasters. In de Botton's case, however, he is able to find consolation for a broken heart in Schopenhauer, consolation for inadequacy in Montaigne. Epicurus, usually associated with a love of luxury, is a solace for those of us without much money--and de Botton learns from him that "objects mimic in a material dimension what we require in a psychological one. We need to rearrange our minds but are lured towards new shelves. We buy a cashmere cardigan as a substitute for the counsel of friends."<p> Lest the reader become burdened by all this philosophizing, the book is peppered with illustrations--the section on Nietzsche of course includes a DC Comics drawing of Superman. And it's further leavened by the author's personal anecdotes and winning confessional tone. Early on, for instance, he admits his own gnawing need for popularity: "A desire to please led me to laugh at modest jokes like a parent on the opening night of a school play." Before he became a medicine man for the soul, de Botton was a first-rate novelist, and it shows in his writing. <I>--Claire Dederer</I> 649106 2000 The Consolations of Philosophy total:970|5:283|4:411|3:214|2:41|1:21| 970 3804 1429 112 5 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Sat Oct 13 04:37:02 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 13 05:12:33 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Jan 24 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 29 11:32:12 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 31 12:20:35 -0800 2009
The spin of the book is that philosophy can help you overcome obstacles in your life (unpopularity, poverty, frustration and a broken heart among others). It's a cute angle, but not to be taken too seriously.

This book is a refresher...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 12:55:58 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 13:13:34 -0700 2009
i particularly enjoyed the Nietzsche chapter ("C...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Mar 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 19:33:20 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 19:34:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 08 16:58:57 -0800 2007 Thu Nov 08 17:02:01 -0800 2007
After I blazed through ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 14 10:08:30 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 10:10:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 true false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Wed Aug 19 07:22:40 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 07:41:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Jun 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jan 25 19:19:47 -0800 2009 Thu Jun 18 09:42:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Dec 15 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Nov 02 19:13:25 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 02 19:15:09 -0800 2008 2 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Oct 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Nov 01 13:58:10 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 16 12:24:42 -0700 2009 3 On Nietzsche:
"Sex figured prominently in a list he drew up under the heading 'Delusions of the Individual'" (208). What a list!
"Fulfillment was to be reached not by avoiding pain, but by...more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Sep 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 08:56:41 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 16:09:20 -0700 2008
H...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Jan 04 08:52:51 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 04 08:52:51 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 25 13:55:42 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 25 13:55:42 -0700 2007
And more general...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Apr 03 00:33:51 -0700 2007 Tue Apr 03 00:37:21 -0700 2007
En la biblioteca circular de Montaigne había varios libros sobre la vida de las tribus indígenas de América, entre los que figuraban la Historia general de las Indias de Francisco López de Gómara, la Storia de mondo novo de Girolamo Benzoni y Voyage au Brésil d...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 10:08:40 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 17:14:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 04 05:43:49 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 05:55:09 -0800 2009 I began reading this book and lost interest after Soctates was given the poison. I then became very interested in history and went back to this book due to the fact I ran out of books to read one weekend. I picked up the book...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jun 24 16:07:20 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 16:12:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat May 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 21:59:28 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 22:07:35 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 18:14:52 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 18:21:42 -0700 2009 4 0 true false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Oct 22 13:11:03 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 22 13:14:55 -0700 2009 5