Alain de Botton

Science and a traveling mindset are compatible with each other and share some qualities. Alain de Botton in his essay “On Habit,” presents the concept of a traveling mindset. A traveling mindset means seeing everyday places like a great opportunity for adventure. De Botton argues that by paying attention to the details around, people can fight against the boredom of their routine. Also habituation can be reversed by developing a traveling mindset because it helps discovering how things really look and work. De Botton does not go into how this can affect science, but it can be related to the author Lauren Slater’s essay “Who Holds the Clicker?”. In her essay Slater explores the subject of mind control through stimulation of the brain by presenting…

for it was printed on the printing press. However, since today we gather information from so many different sources that it does not make sense to call it simply “the press” anymore. News and journalists are all a part of the collective body known as “the media”. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the media is embodied by “the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet, that reach or influence people widely” and is a synonym for the press.…

“Humor is mankind's greatest blessing” (Mark Twain). The controversy, however, is within how humor is conveyed or perceived to be. Alain De Botton, a philosophical writer, deems that humorists hold “impunity” in their messages that underlie their humor; impunity is something exempt from punishment. I consider that humor is used to veil the serious meaning that is proven such in political cartoons and the article “Humor conveys ‘Me No Terrorist’s’ serious message” (Elder). Conversely, people may…

The continual pursuit for real or imagined landscapes is built around an individual’s ontological pursuit for happiness, having implications far beyond the physical with the potential to restore, inspire and transform the soul. Two composers who’s work reflect this notion is Alain De Botton with his philosophical discourses in “The Art of Travel”, which interweaves personal experiences with those of the past to challenge society’s perception of landscapes, and William Mackinnon’s painting…

the power to prompt philosophical insight and a spiritual awakening in an individual experiencing a landscape. This notion is encapsulated in Alain de Botton’s non-fiction memoir, The Art of Travel (2002) and Sean Penn’s film ‘Into the Wild’ (2007). These texts collectively explore the philosophy of the relationship between people and landscapes and it’s potential power to nurture an intellectual and spiritual understanding of one’s self and the human condition. Alain de Botton reveals in his…

In 2004 Alain de Botton published a book called “Status Anxiety” which talked about the purpose of humorists. de Botton said the main point of humorists in not to entertain, but to transmit impunity messages that could be dangerous or unimaginable to talk about directly. I personally disagree with de Botton because why would it be vital to slander about serious topics furtherly educating people that that topic is bad and to stay away from it. Even though society allows humorists to talk about…

ESSAY OPTION TWO: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY PROMPT Humorists have a unique freedom of expression that few professions enjoy. They can simultaneously entertain and inform the opinions of an audience; they can speak their mind without being held accountable for the things they say. Once a person has been generally accepted as a humorist, he or she can get away with metaphorical murder. One author, Alain de Botton, argues that humorists play a crucial role in society because of their ability to say…

In this speech, Alain de Botton discusses the issue that is career crises. His first reason for the anxiety and suffering people feel, is that we live in a world where we are surrounded by snobs. In today’s world, people will judge you based strictly on your career choice. De Botton (2009) then states that we have thrown out the idea of hierarchies; we are all equal. The problem with this equality, though, is that we as humans become envious of other’s success. Another reason de Botton stated…

The goal of the humorists is to bring laughter and happiness to the audiences while delivering news to the society. Humorists do not hesitate to deliver their messages even if the messages are dangerous or impossible to state directly. Moreover, they are essential and powerful as the messages they conveyed can influence the viewpoint of the audiences towards particular issue. Thus, in his 2004 book Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton argues that humorists are vital to the society. However, from…

focus on finishing one goal. This clouded mindset makes them extremely unconscious of the setting around them. Through a process explained in Alain De Botton's essay "On Habits" he supports the idea of revisiting familiar settings and experiencing them like the first time. His idea of enjoying old experiences came from a Frenchman, Xavier de Maistre, who wrote Journey around My Bedroom. In De Maistre’s book he simply puts on a pair of pajamas and uncovers the hidden adventure of his home. De…