The Consolations of Philosophy
- The Consolations of Philosophy
"The Consolations of Philosophy" (ISBN 0-140-27661-0) is a nonfiction book by Alain de Botton. First published by Hamish Hamilton in 2000, subsequent publications (2001 onwards) have been by Penguin Books.
The title of the book is a reference to Boethius's "magnum opus" "Consolation of Philosophy", in which philosophy appears as an allegorical figure to Boethius to console him in the year he was imprisoned, leading up to his impending execution.
In "The Consolations", de Botton attempts to console the reader through everyday problems (or at least help them to understand them) by extensively quoting and interpreting a number of philosophers. These are categorised in a number of chapters with one philosopher used in each.
* Consolation for Unpopularity (Socrates)
* Consolation for Not Having Enough Money (Epicurus)
* Consolation for Frustration (Seneca)
* Consolation for Inadequacy (Montaigne)
* Consolation for a Broken Heart (Schopenhauer)
* Consolation for Difficulties (Nietzsche)
The book was the inspiration for the Channel 4 TV series, "Philosophy: A Guide To Happiness". The series was produced mirroring the book's layout with the following six episodes:
# "Socrates on Self-Confidence"
# "Epicurus on Happiness"
# "Seneca on Anger"
# "Montaigne on Self-Esteem"
# "Schopenhauer on Love"
# "Nietzsche on Hardship"
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