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The Philosophy Cure: Lessons on Living from the Great Philosophers Paperback – April 7, 2020
by Laurence Devillairs (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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The wisdom of famous philosophers distilled into practical takeaways for modern readers
For centuries, philosophers have considered the “big questions” of human life, mulling over everything from ethics to the definition of reality. Their ideas and insights are powerful and innovative, but often inaccessible and far too academic for most readers. In The Philosophy Cure: Lessons on Living from the Great Philosophers, scholar and expert on Cartesian philosophy, Laurence Devillairs has stripped away the convoluted language, translating the core ideas and wisdom of some of the most prominent philosophers into simple concepts for modern readers. She skillfully reveals that far from being impractical or distantly academic, philosophy is, at its heart, a deeply useful discipline ultimately concerned with what it means to live a good and fulfilling life.
Perfect for readers who are intrigued with philosophy, but who are uninterested in reading dense academic texts, The Philosophy Cure reveals the true wisdom of the best-known philosophers―from Socrates to Kant and Descartes.
Print length
224 pages
Language
English
Publisher
St. Martin's Essentials
Publication date
April 7, 2020
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Graduate of the École Normale Supérieure, associate, doctor and lecturer in philosophy, Laurence Devillairs is a specialist in Descartes and philosophy of the seventeenth century. She is Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the ICP and in the author of The Philosophy Cure along with several other books published in French.
Product details
Publisher : St. Martin's Essentials (April 7, 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 224 pages
Customer reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
15 total ratings, 9 with reviews
From the United States
atmj
VINE VOICE
4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant distillation to read and ponder
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2021
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This book approaches the topic matter a bit differently than I had anticipated. I guess I had expected passages from famous books presented relative to a stated issue. There are a few here and there but for the most part, that is not the case. Instead the author has distilled down the philosophers thinking in a more approachable though interpreted way, so you can see in modern language what they thought of a particular issue.
The book is then organized around these issues under major headings:
**** Afflictions of the Body
**** Afflictions of the Soul
**** The Worries of Everyday Life
**** Afflictions of the Mind, Temporary & Chronic
**** Life’s Little Accidents
**** Borderline Cases
**** Curious Theories
I find the groupings interesting as Love and Love at first sight are covered under Afflictions of the Soul. So you kind of get a sense how the philosophers (and author) have approached these items.
While this could be a horribly dull and plodding book since the author has done the research so we don’t have to, it is instead single chapters on topics of life in general. Mind you, it is subject to her interpretation, but I don’t think any controversial interpretations would be brought up in a book like this.
I find this book instructive and entertaining. Despite the centuries some things are still relevant.
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Kayo
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking & beautifully written.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021
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I have always loved philosophy, but I will admit that I do not find all philosophy enjoyable to read. This, however, is.
Eloquent. Deep, but not obscure. Takes the mundane out, turns it about and peers at it from unsuspecting angels. Probes at aspects of every-day living that are often left and lived unquestioned. Inspires one to do the same with self. Love it.
2 people found this helpful
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Bryan Carey
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4.0 out of 5 stars Your Philosophical Guide to Modern Living
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2021
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Philosophy has much to teach us. It can help a person sort out many of life’s issues and at least provide some guidance to help make better decisions. Philosophers from throughout history have offered their take on everything from the nature of reality to ethics and beyond and their collective wisdom is brought to life in The Philosophy Cure.
With this book, you get short tidbits of advice to help cope with many of life’s challenges. The book takes much of its wisdom from great philosophers from the past such as Kant, Schopenhauer, Descartes, and others. The intent is to provide thinking points so that ordinary people can apply the lessons taught to us from the great philosophers from the past toward the everyday concerns faced by individuals in the modern world.
This book is easy to segment into pieces because the individual chapters are quite short. This makes it simple to read just a small amount at a time, place your bookmark, and return later. My one issue with the writing is that some of it is less clear than it should be. I did have to go back and re- read certain sections to completely understand what was being said. This made the reading a little more tedious than I would like, but I still found the advice useful and I like that so many of today’s problems/concerns are discussed.
Philosophers can teach us quite a bit. Anything of a philosophical realm remains undecided and while philosophical questions by their nature cannot be answered definitively, the words of advice from great philosophical minds are still useful and highly relevant today. The Philosophy Cure may not be able to heal everything that ails you, but it does offer useful, practical guidance to help point you in the right direction.
2 people found this helpful
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C.M. & T.M.
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4.0 out of 5 stars lost in translation?
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2021
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The content of the book gets five stars, the translation gets a three (really, a two...) - I'm completely interested in this topic, the ideas were distilled down into wonderful thinking points, but the writing was stilted and I was forced to constantly re-read sentences that didn't flow at all to make them stick in my brain. I am guessing that is due to the fact that this book is translated (which should be more prominent on the cover) and the translator tried too hard to stick to the author's specific writing style, and it didn't really work in English. This book deserved a good edit from a writer, not just a translation. Too many of the ideas in this brief and succinct book get lost in the awkward sentence structure.
2 people found this helpful
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DJ Faz
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4.0 out of 5 stars Sound Advice from Ages Past
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2021
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I have always been enamored by the great philosophers—Plato, Socrates, Kant, Descartes, to name just a few. Author and lecturer of philosophy, Laurence Devillairs, lays out what the great (and lesser known) philosophers have to say on various topics: aging, body image, suffering, addiction, insanity, burnout, fear, love, regrets, money, and much more.
Devillairs helps us take the basic concepts of great philosophers and employ them toward modern day problems. Her ultimate goal, I believe, is to show readers that philosophy continues to be a useful tool that can help us live a good and meaningful life. I will be taking time to delve deeper into this book.
One person found this helpful
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Bronx Book Nerd
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4.0 out of 5 stars Not helpful
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2021
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Perhaps I am just not in the mindset for this book. I found it somewhat depressing to read about all of life's problems and how philosophy attempts to address them. Did not find the answers therapeutical at all. Philosophers lack the bedside manner of a good therapist, and instead give you deep, profound quotes that you have t decipher before you draw any benefit. If you're looking for an unnecessarily complicated view of life's problems and how to address them, this Bud's for you.
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Mitchell R. Alegre
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5.0 out of 5 stars Confronting life's realities with philosophy
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2020
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Laurence Devillairs pulls no punches. She confronts readers with the realities of life and allows for no excuses for not addressing those realities. She does provide advice, though, for dealing with life’s challenges gleaned from some of humanities great thinkers. The remedies offered are not quotable lines one may find on motivational posters. These are serious prescriptions for real everyday concerns that all must face. Readers may not always like the taste of the medicine prescribed and may refuse to swallow it, but Devillairs will get readers thinking. The book is divided into seven sections—Afflictions of the Body; Afflictions of the Soul; The Worries of Everyday Life; Afflictions of the Mind, Temporary and Chronic; Life’s Little Accidents; Borderline Cases; and Curious Theories. The author explains philosophical concepts in clear language and explains how those concepts can be applied in practical ways for those wanting to live a fuller life.
2 people found this helpful
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Kim L
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5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2021
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Ever wonder how to live your life or wish there was an operating manual? Well, this won't solve all your issues, but it does give you suggestions on how to approach things like death, ageing, etc-in other words, all those things we have to deal with sooner or later. Think of this as philosophy for dummies. It breaks down deep philosophical concepts into easy-to-understand language. Each chapter is short, too. I really enjoy this book a lot. It would make a wonderful gift.
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Honest Feedback
5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy for dummies
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2021
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When I read philisophy in college it was always accompanied by lectures and class discussions and even essay writing... This text gives you concepts and some of that missing conversation to conect the dots between those wise words and their meaning/relevance to my life.
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The Philosophy Cure: Lessons on Living from the Great Philosophers
Laurence Devillairs
3.16
57 ratings9 reviews
The wisdom of famous philosophers distilled into practical takeaways for modern readers
For centuries, philosophers have considered the "big questions" of human life, mulling over everything from ethics to the definition of reality. Their ideas and insights are powerful and innovative, but often inaccessible and far too academic for most readers. In The Philosophy Cure: Lessons on Living from the Great Philosophers, scholar and expert on Cartesian philosophy, Laurence Devillairs has stripped away the convoluted language, translating the core ideas and wisdom of some of the most prominent philosophers into simple concepts for modern readers. She skillfully reveals that far from being impractical or distantly academic, philosophy is, at its heart, a deeply useful discipline ultimately concerned with what it means to live a good and fulfilling life.
Perfect for readers who are intrigued with philosophy, but who are uninterested in reading dense academic texts, The Philosophy Cure reveals the true wisdom of the best-known philosophers--from Socrates to Kant and Descartes.
Genres
Philosophy
Nonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2020
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Laurence Devillairs
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Flora
15 reviews
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September 9, 2020
after trudging through Sartre’s Nausea, I was afraid that perhaps I was simply too dumb or too impatient to truly appreciate philosophy. Although i’m sure Devillairs only barely brushes the surface of most concepts that he talks about, the philosophy cure is a great way to pique interest in philosophy and how it’s relevant to our lives. I can’t say that it was incredibly life changing but it wasn’t borderline impossible to get through which is something that i’m grateful for.
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Chad Guarino
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March 26, 2020
If you have more than a passing interest in philosophy and its value in everyday existence, but don't have the stomach for dense Kantian wisdom or Camus' wordy musings on the absurd, The Philosophy Cure was written with you in mind. Laurence Devillairs distills the ideas of some of the great thinkers of humanity into bite size chapters, covering a wide range of topics including love, work, boredom, addiction, and the doldrums of routine.
Devillairs' ability to parse through the dense texts in the field makes this the perfect read for the "armchair philosopher" interested in seeing how the thoughts and ideas of past thinkers can still apply in our modern world. It's a fairly quick read as well, so it's easy to pick up and read a couple of chapters without a gigantic time commitment.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press**
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Christine Edwards
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December 9, 2022
My first thought is that this must be better in the original French... or perhaps if you are French. For something that tried to sell itself as less academic and more readable, it did not reach that goal. The result instead was a lack of flow that made it difficult to read more than one tiny chapter at a time. One thought simply didn't connect to the next and it felt like there were assumptions made about the potential readers that were inconsistent. Am I supposed to know the great philosophers or not? Do I have enough understanding to comprehended this or do I not? And what was I truly supposed to get out of it? Needless to say, I was disappointed with this book and, unfortunately, I would not recommend it.
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Ryan
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December 27, 2021
In The Philosophy Cure, Devillairs uses an illness/ remedy framework to introduce a variety of philosophical ideas. This framework should work in a Philosophy 101 kind of way, but I almost never found the contextualization of these problems and these philosophies clear or engaging. Generally, I'd recommend that readers just try out some Stoic and existential philosophy, probably starting with Ryan Holiday's The Obstacle is the Way or Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. Having said that, Pascal came across as interesting here, and I'll try to learn more about him.
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Joshua
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June 30, 2020
Pretentious and devoid of content. Descriptions of philosophers’ positions are superficial and unrelated. The author states his personal beliefs about how individuals should respond to the human condition, then lists popular philosophers’ names with no clear connection to support his assertions. This is truly an awful book. Reading a collection of Philosophy in an Hour books would be better.
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Kaeli Hoover
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June 20, 2021
This was super interesting and a great introduction to philosophy. Some of the chapters were better than others, but overall, the application of philosophical ideas through the ages to daily life was well done.
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Shannon
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June 1, 2020
I'm not completely sure how much I enjoyed this book or how much I got out of it. I think it will sink in more with time, and there are definitely parts or chapters that I will want to reread!
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Turgut
283 reviews
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July 6, 2020
Life is a struggle.👍
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Forked Radish
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June 9, 2020
Reading this book is like being a scatologist. After eating their victuals animals excrete the indigestible bits in the form of scats. Scatologists pick through these scats to determine the diets of the animals that excreted them. Similarly, If one were to read about philosophy and were unable to digest the ideas contained therein one might excrete the undigested bits in the form of a book... A scat of a book.
my-bottom-10-worst
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