The Consolations of Philosophy

"The Consolations of Philosophy: - Alain de Botton

"A fine introduction to the world of philosophy" - Newsweek

The book covers a total of 6 areas as below:

1. Unpopularity
2. Not Having Enough Money
3. Frustration
4. Inadequacy
5. A Broken Heart
6. Difficulties

Unpopularity - Socrates's answer:

The Philosopher offered us a way out of two powerful delusions: that we should always or never listen to the dictates of public opinion. To follow his example, we will best be rewared if we strive instead to listen always to the dictates of reason.

Not Having Enough Money - Epicurus's response -

Happiness may be difficult to attain. The obstacles are not primarily financial.

Frustration - Seneca's response

Anger - We must reconcile ourselves to the necessary imperfectibility of existence.

Shock - Because we are injured most by what we do not expect, and because we must expect everything ("There is nothing which Forture does not dare'), we must, proposed Seneca, hold the possibility of disaster in mind at all times.

Sense of injustice - But we cannot always explain our destiny by referring to our moral worth; we may be cursed and blessed without justice behind either. Not everything which happens to us occurs with reference to something about us.

Anxiety - To calm us down in noisy streets, we should trust that those making a noise know nothing of us. We should place a fireguard between the noise outside and an internal sense of deserving punishment. We should not import into scenarios where they don't belong pessimistic interpretations of others' motives. Thereafter, noise will never be pleasant, but it will not have to make us furious.

We may be powerless to alter certain events, but we remain free to choose our attitude towards them, and it is in our spontaneous acceptance of necessity that we find our distinctive freedom.

Inadequacy - Montaigne's answer

Many things that i would not care to tell any individual man i tell to the public, and for knowledge of my most secret thoughts, i refer my most loyal friends to a bookseller's stall.