Alain de Botton - A Kinder, Gentler Philosophy of Success

When a new semester starts, and I want to get a read on my students, the question of their major always comes up. When I ask them about their thoughts on success, the most usual answers have to do with status and bling bling. There's rarely an answer pertaining to personal fulfillment or social responsibility :(

In this amusing and thought-provoking presentation, philosopher Alain de Botton (yes, from the inspiring documentary series Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness) provides an analysis of our modern views of success and failure, and questions the assumptions underlying these judgments, revealing in the process the misconceptions through which we make sense of the world, our social relations and even our own aspirations.

And check out what Penn & Teller have to say about self-help in this episode of Bullshit!

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