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 featured book review: august 2002 "The Consolations of Philosophy" by Alain de Botton for adults (from Pantheon Books, 2000) Philosophy has practical benefits as well as intellectual ones. It can even offer consolations for our human difficulties, frustrations and fears. That's the simple premise of THE CONSOLATIONS OF PHILOSOPHY, an accessible introduction to the ideas of a few of the greatest philosophers. And since philosophy is the wellspring of much human insight into morality, the nature of being human, and the nature of the universe and our place within it, every parent looking for such insights without theistic overtones needs look no further than the works of the great philosophical thinkers. Alain de Botton builds each chapter around a philosopher whose work provided new ways of thinking about one particular human difficulty, providing rational consolation for the demons with which we all wrestle. There is consolation for the fear of death, for frustration, for unpopularity, for obstacles in life, even for a broken heart. It's a thinking person's self-help manual, drawing not on the mutterings of Therapist X but on the deeply reasoned arguments of history's most profound minds. Religious parents make excellent use of biblical parables to comfort their children in times of distress, invoking David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion's den, Job on the dung heap, even Christ on the cross. De Botton presents not only the philosophies of these great figures but episodes and illustrations from their lives, and thereby provides secular parents with the seedcorn for thoughtful discussions with children about issues both mundane and sublime. For parables of sheer courage and intellectual integrity in the face of enraged, ignorant authority, look no further than the lives and philosophies of Socrates and Seneca. (Socrates is especially useful as an illustration for non-theistic parents, for his renunciation of the gods was partly responsible for his execution, which taps children's sense of injustice quite effectively in the retelling.) For a philosophy that extols the three simple keys to happiness, and the reasons why, see Epicurus (by the way, they are friendship, freedom, and thought). For independence of thought, back to Socrates. For tranquility of mind and acceptance of whatever comes to pass, back to Seneca. Unhappy being a radiant intelligence trapped in a smelly, lazy, ungainly body, or want to understand the nature of friendship, of sleep, of smells, of drunkenness, of glory, conscience, virtue, cruelty? Read Montaigne. For consolations in the contemplation of death, back to Epicurus. And, in one of the most surprising juxtapositions I've ever seen, read the thoughts of Schopenhauer in consolation for a broken heart. The book is not without its detractors. It's been called "Philosophy for Dummies," a slam generally delivered with the dismissive sneer that accompanies all snobbish rejections of popularizations of academic subjects. Those ready for a deep and complex dive into philosophy should look elsewhere; there's plenty out there. It has been pointed out more legitimately that the less palatable opinions of the featured philosophers (notably Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, of course) go unexplored. Fine. But De Botton has written a lively and readable text, full of illustrations and wit, that will make you want nothing more than to learn more about these thinkers and their philosophies, at which point you can sort it out for yourself. That's the idea behind freethinking, after all. And the more you go off on your own into these philosophers and others, the more the best of their insights become integrated into your own perspective. And then, the next time your child is frustrated, disappointed, heartbroken or afraid, don't be surprised if you hear yourself telling about a great thinker long, long ago who thought hard about the same problem... [The September Family Issues Book Review will feature several of the best introductions to philosophy for kids.] |
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