The site is nice but, having read through most of it I don't think I care for it.
It seems to promote (among other things) aristocracy, dictatorship and censorship (to varying degrees). It glorifies mindless ritual. It seems to believe that those who know best should be in charge (De Botton himself?) structuring life for others around them. It concentrates far too much on supposed motives (jealousy, envy, ambition, desire for respect, the desire to remake the world etc.) which may apply to the author, but are not necessarily as universal or basic as he seems to believe. Maybe, just maybe, on occasion, a person might buy a nice car not because they want to be seen in a nice car and thus respected, but simply because they like nice cars. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.
To me, the individual is paramount. The society where the individual can expand is a beautiful and increasingly vanishing thing. I'm always wary of want-to-be kings dressed up in talk of a better world. Traditionally, not much good has come from them.
This looks interesting. I love Alain de Botton and what he's trying to do by inspiring a type of secular Renaissance in traditions, religious activities and culture. Doing things like having church-like sermons on ideas, the importance of rituals and other concepts covered in his book, Atheism 2.0. He also has thephilosophersmail.com, a news site that's like a positive spin on the Daily Mail.
Agreed, the navigation for sub-chapters shouldn't be so hidden by default. Alternatively a 'next' button to take the reader to the next sub-chapter would be great.
Don't really agree with it at all. I like a reliable partner who has supported me for a long time, not just going after someone new like it recommends. I don't like censorship. Seems very European, I guess, so maybe better for that audience.
I haven't read through this myself and I might not agree with what's in there but then again it seems to be a thoughtfully laid out format. Do we always have to agree with what we read?
I've bookmarked this, since my CompSci education was very light on humanities and especially the 'Curriculum' chapter seems valuable to me. Would be even better if they had .mobi/.epub download links!
The "founder" of this is Alain de Botton. He studied philosophy and started writing books. His greatest success is "How Proust can change your life".
In it he explains how to become a happier person by reading Proust for a big public.
In interviews at that time (end 90's) he talked about erecting a school of happiness and he did that.
The list features philosophers who can make you happy not the ones looking for the "truth".
Descartes, Leibniz, Kant, Spinoza the whole school of rationalism is missing here.
It seems to promote (among other things) aristocracy, dictatorship and censorship (to varying degrees). It glorifies mindless ritual. It seems to believe that those who know best should be in charge (De Botton himself?) structuring life for others around them. It concentrates far too much on supposed motives (jealousy, envy, ambition, desire for respect, the desire to remake the world etc.) which may apply to the author, but are not necessarily as universal or basic as he seems to believe. Maybe, just maybe, on occasion, a person might buy a nice car not because they want to be seen in a nice car and thus respected, but simply because they like nice cars. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.
To me, the individual is paramount. The society where the individual can expand is a beautiful and increasingly vanishing thing. I'm always wary of want-to-be kings dressed up in talk of a better world. Traditionally, not much good has come from them.