Quite possibly single-handedly responsible for reviving interest in
philosophy among the general reading public (that is to say, the small
proportion of the population that actually reads books), de Botton has
certainly made philosophy accessible to me. I wanted to be interested in
philosophy, but found the long-winded, overly abstracted and tortuous
way it is generally written completely inaccessible. De Botton's
engaging and laconic style, however, makes it available, and
interesting, and applicable to the real world.
I started with The Art of Travel, which explores the experience of travel, why we do it, and which bits we focus on and which we ignore. Then I read The Consolations of Philosophy, which explores the approaches of various different philosophers to
the common problems of life (love, death, meaning). Then I read The
Architecture of Happiness, which looks at which types of architecture
make us happy, and which make us miserable, and why. I am currently
reading The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. I've only got as far
as chapter 1, on logistics, which explores why we ignore the romance of
goods coming from far away places and being delivered to our doorsteps,
and why we allow warehouses and distribution centres to be so ugly and
boxy. But it's very good indeed and promises to be as interesting as his
other stuff. I look forward to reading his next book, Religion for Atheists.
A timely offering if ever there was one - there are plenty of religions
which don't mind if you're an atheist (Unitarians, Quakers, Pagans and
Buddhists all welcome atheists and don't try to change them into
theists).
De Botton's writing does what good poetry and comedy should do:
it looks at the world from a different perspective, and makes
connections between things that no-one else had noticed a connection
between. Presumably that is what good philosophy should do, too. He also
asks why things are as they are, and whether the status quo
could or should be changed - or, if he doesn't ask this question
himself, he certainly provokes it in the reader, and gives the reader
the conceptual tools to ask the question, and work towards an answer.
It is a truism that the in France, philosophers are held in
popular esteem, whereas in England, they are regarded with suspicion. De
Botton has single-handedly reversed that trend, so that it is cool to
be seen reading one of his books. And about time too.
Of course there have always been people who enjoy Wittgenstein
and Bertrand Russell and so on, but they were few and far between; now
there are more people who read and enjoy philosophy, thanks to de
Botton, who has succeeded in popularising something without dumbing it
down.
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