Alain de Botton
Author, "The Course of Love"
Alain de Botton was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1969 and now lives in London. He is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a 'philosophy of everyday life.' He’s written on love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries. Alain also started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. Alain's latest book is titled Religion for Atheists and is published in the Netherlands, Italy, Korea, Turkey and Brazil in 2011 and in the UK, US and other territories in 2012.
Alain started writing at a young age. His first book, Essays in Love [titled On Love in the US], was published when he was twenty-three.
Waking Up and Falling Asleep with Proust
Some people say, "I went white water rafting in Canada and I felt alive" or "I went to Thailand and I felt alive." Proust’s lesson is, "I lay in bed, and by looking at things properly, I felt properly alive."
Understanding the Religious View of Freedom and Kindness
What religions want to do is remind us of how kind we want to be.
There are 10 or 20 Commandments We All Believe In
We’re not short of things we can believe in.
How Religion Can Make Friends of Strangers
Churches can create the context in which sociability can be made safe and expressed.
Self-Help is Not Just for Dummies
My heaven, nirvana, would be if the questions that are raised by Oprah Winfrey would be answered by the faculty of Harvard University.
Proust’s Guide to Waking Up and Feeling Properly Alive
Proust’s lesson is, "I lay in bed and by looking at things properly, and I felt properly alive."
Transforming Education According to the Needs of the Human Soul
Wisdom is particularly present in the humanities, in the teaching of literature, philosophy, history, the arts in general. This is my area of interest. I think the teaching of the […]
Can We Have a Day of Atonement for all the World’s Religions?
While strife is bound to happen between different religious communities, there is no occasion to apologize. Alain de Botton says it’s awkward to apologize, after all. “This could lead to […]
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What Are You Worth? Getting Past Status Anxiety.
Writer Alain De Botton says that status anxiety is more pernicious and destructive than most of us can imagine, and recommends getting out of the game altogether.
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Alain de Botton: How Proust Can Change Your Life
Alain de Botton sees literature as a series of lenses that can significantly change the way you view the world.
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Alain de Botton: Bibliotherapy
The London-based School of Life’s Bibliotherapy program has a growing fan-base among Londoners who appreciate its relatively low-cost, non-medicalized approach to the anxieties that are characteristic of modern life.
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Values Without Religion
Are shared human values possible and sustainable without religion? This is the subject of life philosopher Alain de Botton’s new book, Religion for Atheists.
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