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PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHYTHE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PHILOSOPHY IN PRACTICEwww.practical-philosophy.org.uk www.society-for-philosophy-in-practice.org |
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PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHYTHE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PHILOSOPHY IN PRACTICEwww.practical-philosophy.org.uk www.society-for-philosophy-in-practice.org |
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The Consolations of Philosophy
Alain de Botton
Hamish Hamilton
Practical Philosophy (Book Reviews) November 2000 Volume 3.3
Reviewed by: Tim LeBon
A method for writing a philosophical best-seller now exists which may without injustice be sketched in the language of an instruction manual or recipe book.
1. Take six of your favourite philosophers.
2. Identify an aspect of life where they offer useful advice.
3. Write one chapter on each philosopher, focusing on their life story and the practical help they can give in the chosen aspect of life.
4. Make a television series based on the book.
5. Wait for the book to rise to the top of the best-sellers list and the royalties to roll in.
It also helps to be as gifted a writer as Alain de Botton, whose literary skill has been honed by years of journalism and a number of well-received novels. The book is beautifully written, and makes correspondingly easy and enjoyable reading. But is The Consolations of Philosophy good philosophy? The book is certainly unusual for a work of philosophy in that it gives a wholly sympathetic treatment of the featured philosophers. Hardly a word of criticism is uttered, even regarding some frankly cranky ideas of Schopenhauer and the somewhat extreme views of Seneca and Nietzsche. Instead, de Botton takes great pains to make their positions seem as plausible as he can. Does this mean it cannot be good philosophy? Actually, I found this treatment very refreshing, and certainly preferable to the more usual practice of criticising philosophers from one's own standpoint without fully appreciating or understanding that of the writer. Reading de Botton is like attending an extremely sympathetic and articulate lecture about each philosopher. As a result the reader understands each philosopher's insights better, and is motivated towards going back to their work or reading them for the first time. For me, this is one of the main virtues of the book. Yet this virtue is also the book's main limitation. After reading the ideas of these six very different philosophers I felt like saying ‘Hang on - they can't all be right!’ The most striking tension perhaps is between Nietzsche and Seneca's contrasting views about the emotions, viewing them (roughly) as our friends and foes respectively. They may both be right, but this would certainly take some explaining. I would have liked to see a final chapter which provided de Botton's own perspective on this question, perhaps tying together some of the apparently contrasting ideas into one coherent worldview.
This brings me to my own specific agenda - how the book can be used in philosophical counselling. The most obvious route a philosophical counsellor could take would be to use Consolations as a direct answer to clients' problems. Is your client concerned by unpopularity? Ask them to look at how Socrates ‘ maintain[ed] confidence in an intelligent position which has met with illogical opposition’. Are they worried about their lack of wealth? Give them Epicurus to read for an acquisition list for happiness which doesn't require a lot of money. Perhaps though they are concerned about frustration and anger? In that case recommend Seneca and the Stoics for the insight that we should lower our expectations, recognising that Fortune can take away the contingent delights of life as easily as she gives them. Whilst those who do philosophical counselling mainly by prescribing philosophical tonics will doubtless find de Botton's book valuable, personally I do not think this is either the best way of doing philosophical counselling or of using this book. In my view, philosophical counsellors (and clients) should not accept a statement as wisdom just because it comes from one of the great philosophers. After all, some very great thinkers have said some pretty daft things. I believe that philosophical counsellors and their clients should treat these utterances as potential wisdom, looking at the reasons for and against accepting the philosopher's view in each case. Moreover philosophical counsellors need to explore the subtleties of clients' worldviews before assuming that any particular piece of wisdom is relevant. For example, before suggesting to a client that they lower their expectations to reduce anger, philosophical counsellors should undertake a detailed investigation of the context and meaning of the client's anger.
So how would I use this book in philosophical counselling? I would certainly recommend it to clients interested in pursuing philosophical ideas. It is at the same time enjoyable and enlightening; simple yet thought-provoking; philosophical yet understandable to those with no prior philosophical knowledge. I would also say that it is required reading for philosophical counsellors - not so much so one can prescribe particular 'consolations' but for the sympathetic treatment of six philosophers whose work can have practical implications.
Having said that, it is by no means true that the chosen six are the only philosophers whose work has practical applications. One could well imagine a different book dealing with the consolations to be gained from reading Aristotle, Plato, Hume, Mill, Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein, for example, not to mention eastern philosophers. And why limit oneself to consolations? Why not explore the positive practical implications of each philosopher as well? Whether de Botton himself will be inspired to write such a book remains to be seen. It is perhaps time to remind ourselves that de Botton has bequeathed to us not only this book but also a recipe for writing a philosophical best-seller. So, dear reader, should you be less than entirely convinced by Epicurean consolations regarding poverty - get writing!
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