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Alain de Botton        

Swiss Writer, Philosopher & Television Presenter

Alain de Botton, FRSL is a Swiss writer, philosopher, and television presenter who currently lives in the United Kingdom. His books and television programmes discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. At 23, he published Essays in Love (1993), which went on to sell two million copies. Other bestsellers include How Proust Can Change Your Life (1997), Status Anxiety (2004) and The Architecture of Happiness (2006).

In August 2008, he was a founding member of a new educational establishment in central London called The School of Life. In May 2009, he was a founding member of a new architectural organization called "Living Architecture". In October of that same year, de Botton was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), in recognition of his services to architecture. In 2011, de Botton was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL).

What he offers you

Acclaimed philosopher, Alain de Botton offers a kinder, gentler philosophy of success, giving us a great lesson on how to relate to ourselves, and how to relax counter-productive emotions. The way he organizes his thoughts, and combines philosophy with pragmatism, is truly engaging. His goal is (through any of his mediums) to help clients learn "how to live wisely and well". He was an extremely popular speaker at TEDGlobal 2009.

How he presents

With a philosophical eye and his characteristic combination of wit and wisdom, Alain de Botton's humorous, articulate and eye opening talks are given with an elegance philosophers might envy. He makes an eloquent, witty case to move beyond snobbery to find true pleasure in our work and skilfully raises the big questions we all tend to ask of our work.

Speech Topics

A Kinder, Gentler Philosophy of Success

Based on a legendary TED talk (downloaded 1million times), Alain de Botton discusses our ideas of success in the modern world, and argues that we're perhaps all both more and less successful than we tend to think. An entertaining, wise and witty tour around the pressure to be 'a success'.

The Modern World of Work

Drawing on his acclaimed book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, Alain de Botton considers what makes the modern workplace so challenging, how we strive to find meaning in what we do, and why colleagues is both infuriating and hugely important. Mixing history, psychology and philosophy, this is a talk to console and inspire.

The Consolations of Philosophy

Philosophy is often seen as a dry and obscure subject, but in this talk, Alain de Botton shows how the great philosophers remain important guides to our contemporary lives. Taking in great names from Socrates to Nietzsche, this talk will inform as well as heal. Based on the bestselling book, The Consolations of Philosophy.

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