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The Consolations of Philosophy
Alain de Botton Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Consolations of Philosophy
"A light introduction to some of history's great thinkers. The life and times of six philosophers are related to the modern condition. Did their philosophy make them better people and help them live wisely? In some cases. Whether or not it will help the reader is a matter for the reader's judgement, and well worth the effort of finding out.

Socrates offers us consolations for unpopularity; Epicurus, consolations for poverty; Seneca, (poor fellow) consolations for injustice. Montaigne offers a bouillabaisse of sociological obiter dicta; Schopenhauer offers consolations for unrequited love. Nietzsche, I don't know what he offers, so you can safely skip that chapter: there's no need to stuff your head with the contents of a dirtbag. It's a pity there is no Descartes or proper British empiricism in here, but it is a fun book."

Michael JR Jose, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Consolations of Philosophy
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession: - philosopher
Job/profession/poverty story Yes

Subject of Biography
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - not employed but independently wealthy
Age: - 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric - obsessed - deluded - emotionally unstable
Biography of famous person? Yes
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - Greek
How sensitive is this person? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other people
Physique - physically sick

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - France - Greece - Germany
City? Yes
City: - wealthy
Misc setting - Fancy Mansion - prison - resort/hotel
Century: - distant past

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel? - thoughtful
Is book humorous? Yes
If humorous, kind of humor - eccentric personalities - Dry-cynical - satire - sarcastic/sardonic - metaphorical
Commentary on society? Yes
Commentary on - love/sex - decency - selfishness - capitalism - justice system - wicked men - dying - religion
Writer's slant towards subject: - favorable
Story of entire life, or part? - story of set of events during life
Is this a biography of several people? Yes
Pictures/Illustrations? - A ton 16-20 B&W
How much dialogue in bio? - little dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 76%-100% of book
How much is philosophy rather than life story? - 76-100% of book
Most similar books to The Consolations of Philosophy
Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius by Ray Monk
Autobiography by John Stuart Mill
Elspeth Huxley by C.S. Nicholls
The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand
St. Thomas Aquinas by G.K. Chesterton


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