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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
The Consolations of Philosophy shows how the lives and works of six philosophers—Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche—can help us deal with everyday issues such as frustration, inadequacy, broken hearts, and adversities. I may listen to this a second time (or get the book to read) as there are so many useful ideas that deserve a bit more pondering.
SOME FAVORITES:
~ “Booksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books written because authors couldn't find anyone to talk to.”
~ “Being incomprehensible offers unparalleled protection against having nothing to say...but writing with simplicity requires courage, for there is a danger that one will be overlooked, dismissed as simpleminded by those with a tenacious belief that the impassable prose is a hallmark of intelligence.”
~ “What we encounter in works of art and philosophy are objective versions of our own pains and struggles, evoked and defined in sound, language or image. Artists and philosophers not only show us what we have felt, they present our experiences more poignantly and intelligently than we have been able; they give shape to aspects of our lives that we recognise as our own, yet could never have understood so clearly on our own. They explain our condition to us, and thereby help us to be less lonely with, and confused by it.”
~ "We must learn to suffer whatever we cannot avoid. Our life is composed, like the harmony of the world, of discords as well as of different tones, sweet and harsh, sharp and flat, soft and loud. If a musician liked only some of them, what could he sing? He has got to know how to use all of them and blend them together. So too must we with good and ill, which are of one substance with our life." Montaigne
"…if you refuse to let your own suffering lie upon you even for an hour and if you constantly try to prevent and forestall all possible distress way ahead of time; if you experience suffering and displeasure as evil, hateful, worthy of annihilation, and as a defect of existence, then it is clear that [you harbor in your heart]…the religion of comfortableness. How little you know of human happiness, you comfortable …people, for happiness and unhappiness are sisters and even twins that either grow up together or, as in your case, remain small together." Nietzsche
SOME FAVORITES:
~ “Booksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books written because authors couldn't find anyone to talk to.”
~ “Being incomprehensible offers unparalleled protection against having nothing to say...but writing with simplicity requires courage, for there is a danger that one will be overlooked, dismissed as simpleminded by those with a tenacious belief that the impassable prose is a hallmark of intelligence.”
~ “What we encounter in works of art and philosophy are objective versions of our own pains and struggles, evoked and defined in sound, language or image. Artists and philosophers not only show us what we have felt, they present our experiences more poignantly and intelligently than we have been able; they give shape to aspects of our lives that we recognise as our own, yet could never have understood so clearly on our own. They explain our condition to us, and thereby help us to be less lonely with, and confused by it.”
~ "We must learn to suffer whatever we cannot avoid. Our life is composed, like the harmony of the world, of discords as well as of different tones, sweet and harsh, sharp and flat, soft and loud. If a musician liked only some of them, what could he sing? He has got to know how to use all of them and blend them together. So too must we with good and ill, which are of one substance with our life." Montaigne
"…if you refuse to let your own suffering lie upon you even for an hour and if you constantly try to prevent and forestall all possible distress way ahead of time; if you experience suffering and displeasure as evil, hateful, worthy of annihilation, and as a defect of existence, then it is clear that [you harbor in your heart]…the religion of comfortableness. How little you know of human happiness, you comfortable …people, for happiness and unhappiness are sisters and even twins that either grow up together or, as in your case, remain small together." Nietzsche
I was a little disappointed with this book. I enjoyed the content well enough but not the way it was written or the way it was all put together. I guess I would have liked a little more from de Botton's point of view and less biographical information about past philosophers. If that makes any sense.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Mildly underwhelming. I started this book after listening to Alain De Bottain's talks on pessimism. The structure of the book, each chapter divided into a consolation for some inadequacy, is both a strength and weakness. The images are a distraction : for instance, when the author mentions a flower, it is followed by an unnecessary image of a flower. The part on Socrates does not offer anything new. But the chapters on Seneca, Shroppenhaur and the rest are quite good. I would recommend this book as an introduction to philosophy, and also as an alternate viewpoint in a world where success and happiness are drilled down as the most important goals of life.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Needed something like this! I've always found it a relief to know that people hundreds of years ago had the same worries as us, and this book was exactly that.
Enjoyed every section except Schopenhauer, he seemed like a real grumpy knob.
Enjoyed every section except Schopenhauer, he seemed like a real grumpy knob.
informative
reflective
Charming little primer. I got a bit impatient with the final chapter on Nietzsche but, in general, each philosopher was nicely sketched out as a sort of storybook character ambassador from their philosophical region.
An accessible introduction to 6 philosophers. Alain de botton explains how the philosophy can be applied to a perspective on life that makes you more resilient in the face of a range of difficulties and gives you a mental toolkit to interpret events and misfortunes.
"The world is more flexible than it seems, for the established views have frequently emerged not through a process of faultless reasoning, but through centuries of intellectual muddle."
"The world is more flexible than it seems, for the established views have frequently emerged not through a process of faultless reasoning, but through centuries of intellectual muddle."
2024: året jag läser klart påbörjade böcker innan jag börjar med nya??
lättläst och lättsam introduktion till filosofi, stundtals rolig och välformulerad. saknar tyvärr desperat ett perspektiv som inte är centrerat kring den vita mannen. både bland filosoferna som diskuteras, men också i de tänkta scenarierna. många av argumenten faller fort om man försöker läsa med ett mer intersektionellt perspektiv.
lättläst och lättsam introduktion till filosofi, stundtals rolig och välformulerad. saknar tyvärr desperat ett perspektiv som inte är centrerat kring den vita mannen. både bland filosoferna som diskuteras, men också i de tänkta scenarierna. många av argumenten faller fort om man försöker läsa med ett mer intersektionellt perspektiv.