Tag Archives: YouTube

Few writers receive the strong emotional reactions to their work that Alain de Botton gets: Many readers enjoy his efforts which connect philosophy with the practices of everyday life; Other readers, well… not so much.

You can put me in the camp that generally likes his work. Just as I have never expected a TED talk to replace deep study, I’ve never mistaken de Botton’s essays for the philosophical works that they reference. Generalists shouldn’t be mistaken for specialists or academics. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t offer a valuable perspective or provide a good introduction to the ideas that they discuss. Not everything he’s done has resonated with me, but I’ve enjoyed books like ‘The Art of Travel’ and ‘Status Anxiety’ for what they are – One writer’s reflections on aspects of the human experience.

To that end, another de Botton venture called The School of Life just announced a YouTube channel. The London-based school is, like de Botton, devoted to encouraging a ‘philosophy of everyday life’. Though their collection looks a little bare at the moment, I think it’s worth keeping an eye on the page and checking back occasionally to see what gets published there. Given the school’s existing portfolio of courses, I think it may end up being a good resource of stimulating clips on topics like careers, relationships, politics, travels, and families.