• The Consolations of Philosophy

  • By: Alain de Botton
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (662 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Consolations of Philosophy  By  cover art

The Consolations of Philosophy

By: Alain de Botton
Narrated by: Simon Vance
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.57

Buy for $19.57

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Alain de Botton has performed a stunning feat: He has transformed arcane philosophy into something accessible and entertaining, useful and kind. Drawing on the work of six of the world's most brilliant thinkers, de Botton has arranged a panoply of wisdom to guide us through our most common problems. From the frustration of misplacing your keys to the sadness of losing a loved one, the writings of Seneca can offer consolation. For the particular agony of not having enough money, Epicurus has a solution that everyone can afford. And if your life is beset by difficulty after difficulty, wise advice may be found in the words of Nietzsche, the brilliant philosopher whose own life was riddled with poverty, bad health, and excruciating loneliness. The Consolations of Philosophy is smart, lucid, and pleasing, a rare sort of book that wonderfully fulfills the promise of its title.
©2000 Alain de Botton (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"De Botton, genial, accurate, humane guide to the thinkers at hand, has written a rich and useful book." (Washington Post Book World)
"The quietly ironic style and eclectic approach will gratify many postmodern readers....An enjoyable read with 'a few consoling and practical things' to say." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Consolations of Philosophy

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    393
  • 4 Stars
    168
  • 3 Stars
    73
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    336
  • 4 Stars
    107
  • 3 Stars
    33
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    300
  • 4 Stars
    126
  • 3 Stars
    45
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Cheering, empathic, helpful

Sometimes our opinion of a book indicates what we are, moreso than the book. Alain de Botton's reflections are for those people who are in touch with their pain, great and small, and who are inclined to solve their problems by understanding them. Frankly, philosophy's greatest value might be to raise the heads of the downtrodden--to console them, not to allow them to look down their noses at others. Forget what snobs are saying about the use of "Philosophy" in the title, both here and on bookstore sites. If you're a person who examines his or her life seriously, then you will find helpful and invigorating ideas about your existence by an articulate, sensitive author. Botton even addresses snobbery. Oh, and the narration is great; Vance at his best.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Best author ever

I have read 3 or 4 books by De Botton and I intend to read every last thing this guy writes. The narrator is a perfect fit as well. For my money there is no better combination on Audible. I can't imagine anyone not liking this (or any other book by De Botton). Other than my wife perhaps - who refuses to read it because there are no vampires. ugh.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

insight 4 the insecure

a collection of misleading short stories that maul the lives of a few philosophers. Great insights in the book include that a french philosopher farted and was impotent. This was painted as a wonderful gem of wisdom that shows us that even our more unpleasant aspects are only human. Perhaps the author suffers from the delusion that we are not sure if we are? The collection of stories amount to a handful of anecdotes. Some are: Who can know anything? Who cares if people don't like me? No one can know anything anyhow. Happiness comes from the simple things in life. Etc. if you need a self help book get a self help book. If you want philosophy, look elsewhere.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I Recommend ...

What did you love best about The Consolations of Philosophy?

This book got mixed reviews in its print version, and I understand why. If you were a philosophy major in college or a hard core philosopher this overview of the giants in philosophy might appear watered down. Not for me. As someone who was exposed to these thinkers years ago, but felt a need to return to their ideas, I thought this overview was accessible and contextual. It provided a thread of philosophical thought through the ages than console a person on a variety of subjects. I truly enjoyed it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Consolations of Philosophy?

Hard to say. Because I am an amateur athlete I was drawn to his assessment of Nietzsche and overcoming difficulty, but all of the chapters were of equal interest.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have, and he always does a very good job. For this material his European accent helps with describing the paintings and cities cited in the text.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I rarely do that, but I did listen to in short period of time. This is not a long book. I enjoy shorter books between longer books I usually listen to, it breaks things up a bit.

Any additional comments?

I enjoy books about Non-Fiction a bit more than The Great Courses Series. This book is a good example of a great presentation on a weighty subject that is handled is an way that is accessible to all readers. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to revisit Philosophy but doesn't want to wade through a complex discussion of a sometimes dense topic. Well done Audible!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

the title is deceiving. This is not Boetheus.

not much substance to philosophy that the author discusses. interesting biographies on the 5 philosophers he discusses. a nice bedtime reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Perfectly okay.

Listen to an empathic feeling therapist teach you an intro to western philosophy class. It's totally … okay.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Biographical, self-congratulatory and boring

Bought this expecting to listen to philisophy. All I heard was incredibly tedious and longwinded descriptions of completely uninteresting parts of some philosophers lives. To make matters worse, the strongest voice in this text is the writer, who is so evidently satisfied with his metaphors and references. Best read as forced middle school texts if you're a simple minded and pretentious teacher.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful

Hardcore lovers of philosophy might be critical of this book. I am a layman and I loved it. With humor, humanity, and a kind of background sorrow, Vance puts forth some of the great philosophies of life. I especially loved the chapter on Epicurus. Great audiobook that I have finished twice and will probably play again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a gift to humanity

the narration is too fast for a philosophy book. I recommend listening it a little slower 90 or 95

philosophical reading and listening needs a little bit of space so we can think and listen in the same time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The best about how philosophy can help you

What did you love best about The Consolations of Philosophy?

Style and topic in writting

Who was your favorite character and why?

Schopenhahuer and Nietzsche; interesting history they will change the way you think

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

Thinking in different ways can make you even happier

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful