The School of Life

The School of Life is an educational company that offers advice on life issues. It was founded by a number of intellectuals including Alain de Botton in 2008 and has branches in London (headquarters),[3] Antwerp, Amsterdam, Berlin, Istanbul, Mexico City, Paris and São Paulo [4][5] Seoul, Taipei and Tel Aviv.[6] The School offers a variety of programmes and services covering finding fulfilling work, mastering relationships, achieving calm, and understanding and changing the world.[7] The School also offers psychotherapy and bibliotherapy services and runs online and physical shops.[8]

See also: School of Life (disambiguation)

The School of Life

Traded as	Three 13 Solutions, Campus London LLP, ELOE Limited, STOA Limited.[1]
Founder	Alain de Botton[2]
Website	www.theschooloflife.com

History

The School of Life, founded by philosopher and author Alain de Botton, is staffed by a number of writers, artists and educators.[9] The faculty includes philosophers Mark Vernon, Robert Rowland Smith and writer John Armstrong.[10]

Criticism

Some critics think The School of Life's approach is shallow and unhelpful: "Yet the real issue...is not simply a lack of depth but one of purpose: they are certainly shallow in their philosophy, but they are not particularly useful either. The books are combination platters of soft science, anecdotal case studies (some real, some fictional), and exercises or suggestions about steps the reader could take to further his or her goal."[11] Some critics suggest that selling philosophical ideas as therapy is problematic, but others suggest it has merit: "But even those who are cynical about the combination of profit and philosophy may find The School of Life’s non-fiction series substantive."[12]

Shop

The London branch of The School of Life has a small shop on Marchmont Street in Central London.[8]

Publications

• The School of Life: An Emotional Education. London: Hamish Hamilton, 2019. ISBN 978-0241382318.
• Great Thinkers. London: The School of Life Press, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9935387-0-4.
• Calm. London: The School of Life Press, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9935387-2-8.
• Small Pleasures. London: The School of Life Press, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9935387-3-5.
• Relationships. London: The School of Life Press, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9935387-4-2.
• A Job to Love. London: The School of Life Press, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9935387-5-9.
• Sex. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9935387-6-6.
• Why You Will Marry The Wrong Person. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9955736-2-8.
• On Being Nice. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9955736-4-2.
• Things Never to Tell Children. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9955736-8-0.
• How to Find Love. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9955736-9-7.
• On Confidence. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9955736-7-3.
• Self-Knowledge. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9957535-0-1.
• The School of Life Dictionary. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9957535-9-4.
• Why We Hate Cheap Things. London: The School of Life Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9955736-3-5.
• The Sorrows of Work. London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-0-9957535-1-8.
• The Sorrows of Love. London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-0-9957535-2-5.
• How to Get Married. London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-9997471-1-4.
• What is Culture For?. London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-0-9957535-3-2.
• What is Psychotherapy?. London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-9997471-7-6.
• The Joys and Sorrows of Parenting London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-9999179-3-7.
• Big Ideas for Curious Minds London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-9997471-4-5.
• How to Travel London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-9999179-6-8.
• How to Reform Capitalism London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-0-9957535-7-0.
• The Emotionally Intelligent Office London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-0-9957535-8-7.
• Who Am I? London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-912891-08-5.
• Phone Detox London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-9999179-2-0.
• The Meaning of Life London: The School of Life Press, 2018. ISBN 978-0-9957535-4-9.
• Procrastination London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-00-9.
• Insomnia London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-9999179-7-5.
• How to Overcome Your Childhood London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-9999179-9-9.
• Dating London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-04-7.
• Heartbreak London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-01-6.
• Arguments London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-11-5.
• Affairs London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-05-4.
• The School of Life Guide to Modern Manners London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-14-6.
• A Replacement for Religion London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-03-0.
• Thinking & Eating London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-02-3.
• What Can I do When I Grow Up London: The School of Life Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-912891-20-7.
• How to Get on With Your Colleagues London: The School of Life Press, 2020. ISBN 978-1-912891-15-3.
• How to Think More Effectively London: The School of Life Press, 2020. ISBN 978-1-912891-13-9.
• Couples Workbook London: The School of Life Press, 2020. ISBN 978-1-912891-26-9.
• Anxiety London: The School of Life Press, 2020. ISBN 978-1-912891-21-4.

References

1. "Campus London LLP – Overview (free company information from Companies House)".
2. "Fresh findings point to solution for financial education". FTAdviser. Financial Times. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
3. "Londoner's Diary: Alain De Botton and his school exit Europe". London Evening Standard. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
4. "The School of Life: An Interview With Alain de Botton". HuffPost. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
5. Wyndham, Susan. "Alain de Botton and his School of Life come to Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
6. "International Opportunities". The School of Life. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
7. "About Us". The School of Life. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
8. Conrad, Peter (1 September 2013). "Life Lessons from... Bergson, Byron, Freud, Hobbes, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
9. "Faculty". The School of Life. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
10. Coombes, Phil (4 October 2010). "Street photography now". BBC News. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
11. ""How To Think More (But Not Better): Alain de Botton's School of Life" By Lisa Levy. Los Angeles Review of Books. 11 May 2013".
12. ""When Philosophy Becomes Therapy" by Lauren Cassani Davis, The Atlantic 21 Sept. 2014".

External links

• Official website
• The Book of Life, online database material produced by The School of Life