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3.88 AVERAGE

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It's not easy to condense and present the core ideas (at least relevant to life problems) of philosophers of this level of distinction and nuance and for that Botton deserves praise. The text flows as if in a conversation and is easily digestible and very accessible. Whether you agree with his interpretation or even the approaches offered is a different matter, which merits a lengthy review. A genuinely good introduction book to the lived dimension of philosophical thought.
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informative medium-paced
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everyone needs to read this book at least once in their life
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Introduction to the philosophies of Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. Starts with Socrates who influenced Epicurus who influenced Seneca.....

The best pop philosophy book? The Consolations of Philosophy is a sort of pop version of a history of western philosophy. Even then, I would consider it a diet version of that, given that it only covers the thought of 6 philosophers. Going from Socrates (Plato) to Epicurus then to Seneca, followed by Montaigne, Schopenhauer and finally, Nietzsche. It is definitely not a comprehensive list of philosophy, missing some of the biggest names such as Kant but it covers these philosophers extraordinarily well. The author makes sure that the ideas and beliefs of the philosophers are well represented by taking into account their writings as well as their philosophical inspirations and historical influences. More so than most authors, de Botton makes it clear how these philosophers’ lives affected their beliefs. Their beliefs did not originate from some divine revelation, but rather through careful thinking about their environment. In a way, one of the themes of this book is that to be a philosopher does not require one to be the most well read or to originate from a background of academia. Rather, to be a philosopher is truly to be a lover of thinking. The author develops this idea by having chosen a series of philosophers that can be said to have directly influenced one another. Indeed, he makes it clear how some ideas are repeated from one thinker to the next but with some variation. The final product is thus a beautiful thread from ancient greek philosophy to modern continental philosophy. Of course, there is no mention of analytic philosophy (or many other threads around the world, even in continental philosophy). However, this is not the scope of the book and for what it is, this book is extraordinarily well done. In fact, I would suggest this book as the first introduction to philosophy for most people as it covers topics that are the most relevant to “real life” such as love, money, respect, etc. Of course, it is always prudent to note that it is essential for people to read the primary literature, that is the actual works of the philosophers, because every interpretation such as the one by the current author, requires some material to be ignored in favour of some other. Therefore, I would recommend for those interested in academic and intellectual development to actually read the works of the philosophers mentioned on top of reading this book. My issue with the book comes from its lack of development. While it is a short pop philosophy book, I still believe that it would have been a better book if it went more into detail and possibly covered another philosopher or two, maybe even a modern one. Still, this is a highly enjoyable short read that will leave you thinking for days, like a real philosopher. 4/5
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As Consolações da filosofia é um livro muito rápido, o livro em si tem uma quantidade de páginas bem considerável mas cada capítulo apresenta uma “consolação”, ou seja, uma ideia teórica filosófica diferente. 

Nesse livro é abordado Sócrates com sua teoria de questionamento geral, ele convence o leitor de que mesmo em situações que nossas verdades são contestadas devemos debater afim de compreender se aquilo acreditado realmente é o mais lógico e não apenas um equívoco geral disfarçado de “senso comum”, assim levando o leitor a valorizar seu conhecimento e suas propias ideias 

Epicúreo é o próximo desvendando  as causas de uma vida infeliz que em sua visão se dá por uma busca de satisfação carnal como objetos, poder e dinheiro assim contrastando com oque para ele seria uma vida de significado, em suas palavras o propósito está em encher a vida de bens naturais como sua mente, a natureza, e etc, parece extremamente banal em minhas palavras mas quando se lê realmente você percebe o significado disso 
 Vou terminar aqui,
Mas o escritor deixa o livro muito bem polido e simples levando a uma leitura rápida e dinâmica, cada página se conecta com a próxima e assim que vive começa você sente vontade de terminar 
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