Alain de Botton
The Consolations of Philosophy
Alain de Botton follows Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche to ask how philosophy can steady us against unpopularity, frustrated desire, anxiety, bodily shame, cultural judgment, romantic pain, and hardship. The book offers a practical map for questioning inherited beliefs, recalibrating expectations, and turning difficulty into clearer, more durable forms of life.
8 chapters
The School of Life
The School of Life asks how people can learn emotional skills that formal education often leaves to chance. Drawing on psychotherapy, philosophy, art, and relationship advice, it explores self-knowledge, love, and work, offering ways to understand feelings, communicate with care, and find consolation without expecting people or life to become flawless.
15 chapters