The Philosophy Cure: Lessons on Living from the Great Philosophers

by Laurence Devillairs

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

240 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2020

Reviews

[Christine Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Thelma · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’ai apprécié ce « condensé » de philosophie appliquée à chaque aspect de nos vies , nous rappelant au fil des sujets abordés les théories des plus grands philosophes..
déguster les pensées de certains de mes chouchous comme Spinoza, Nietzsche, ou Montaigne …. Et revisiter les Descartes, Kant, Pascal,… étudiés en long et en large il y a plus de 20 ans…
Un ouvrage bien étayé malgré son apparente vulgarisation.
236 pages
Un excellent bouquin pour les fans de philo
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book aims to show how philosophy can help individuals navigate modern struggles, from stress and self-doubt to existential uncertainty. Devillairs suggests that embracing philosophical thought can lead to a more meaningful life by providing structure, clarity, and resilience. However, despite its premise, the book often takes on a bleak and rigid tone. Instead of offering a balanced perspective, The Philosophy Cure tends to emphasize struggle, self-discipline, and an almost exhausting pursuit of rationality as the primary paths to fulfillment. This can make the book feel like a stern lecture. The author often frames human emotions and desires as obstacles rather than integral parts of life, making the book’s outlook feel detached and overly intellectualized. The writing itself can be dense and meandering, with philosophical references that sometimes feel forced rather than naturally integrated into the discussion. Readers looking for practical, digestible self-improvement tips may find themselves frustrated by the book’s abstract nature. Instead of feeling empowered, many might walk away with the sense that happiness is an unattainable ideal reserved for those willing to engage in endless self-questioning. Overall, the book has moments of insight but ultimately falls short due to its cold, somewhat negative tone and its tendency to over-complicate rather than illuminate. Those seeking a more engaging and uplifting philosophy-based self-help book would likely be better off exploring other options.

[Chad Alexander Guarino da Verona · Rating 4 out of 5]

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**

[Liam Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite what this app says this is the most recent book I’ve read, and I also just discovered the ability to write reviews, you can put two and two together. I really enjoyed this for many reasons. A lot of philosophy is quite challenging to understand, and the writing can get pretty wordy, but this book (for the most part) simplifies things in a way that makes this accessible for all. Sure it’s still a tough read in ways but it makes philosophy a lot more approachable. So many great nuggets in here that have helped me a lot.

[Joshua · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Kaeli Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Veronica Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, really

a bit disjointed, but overall a very readable launch pad into philosophy. not sure why people are criticizing it being too modern or “shallow”, that’s the whole point babes. i did a lot of nodding while reading this.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The wisdom of famous philosophers distilled into practical takeaways for modern readers" says the description. If there were any "practical takeaways," they sailed right past me. Sorry, but this book was so boring I couldn't finish it.

[Fatma Kızıl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Türkçe çevirisini okudum. Kitap, ufak hayat dersleri içeriyor ve bunların felsefeyle ilişkisini kurıyor. Fakat çeviri berrak bir çeviri değil ne yazık ki. Ayrıca bu tür bir yayınevinden beklenmeyecek kadar yazım yanlışı var, neredeyse her sayfada.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Turgut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is a struggle.👍

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

decent enough introductory compendium

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re new to philosophy or want to have some light read between your Kant and Hegel, this book is a great choice.

[bunuokuyalim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yazım yanlışları ve anlam kayıpları nedeniyle o kadar zorlayıcı bir okumaydı ki kitabın içeriğinden bahsetmeye hevesim kalmadı. Deneyeceğim.

Gündelik sorunlar üzerine bir düşünme metni olarak özetleyebilirim. Arkadaşınızla farklı farklı konularda sohbet ediyormuşsunuz gibi bir havası var, keyifli. Söyleyeceklerini çok net bir şekilde ve tekrara düşmeden söylüyor olması çok çok güzeldi. Asla sıkılmıyorsunuz bu nedenle. Bölümler birbirinden bağımsız olduğu için ara vererek okumanın da sorun olmayacağını düşünüyorum.

Kitabı merak ettiğim ve haksızlık etmek istemediğim için tamamladım ancak listenize almak için farklı bir baskısını beklemenizi tavsiye ederim🫶🏼

[Florenceg · Rating 1 out of 5]

L'ouvrage n'est pas ce que j'attendais. Il est hautement déprimant et n'apporte pas la guérison attendue. Il donne envie d'aller se pendre plutôt que de guérir la vie. Tout à fait déconseillé en période de dépression ou même de simple déprime passagère. Il se lit bien et il est riche mais il apporte encore plus de dureté à un monde difficile. Il a provoqué chez moi à sa lecture une alternance d'incompréhension, de bouderie et parfois de révolte. Quelques articles ont trouvé un écho favorable mais trop peu pour que j'adhère à l'ouvrage dans son entier. On est très loin de Montaigne qui a l'art de redonner du baume au coeur. Ce n'est sans doute pas le propos de l'auteur. C'est une analyse très personnelle de l'âme humaine qu'elle dissèque de façon très rationnelle en apportant le point de vue des philosophes sur tous les grands thèmes qui nous préoccupent. Le livre n'est simplement pas fait pour moi bien que j'appréci les articles publiés par Laurence Devillaires dans Philosophie Magazine.

[Forked Radish · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Reine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well thought out, written, from the perspective of a philosopher who is passionate about her field but no other.hence, the four instead of five stars. For instance, while much of the philosophy content was thoroughly researched and indeed helpful, psychology was reduced to one damning phrase with a suggestion that the whole.field is unethical. A shame really.

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good place to start if you have a passing interest in philosophy but don't want to delve into Kierkegaard's existentialisms or Camus' absurdities.