<p>What is the main message of Great Thinkers?</p>

<p>Great Thinkers provides insights into the world's most influential minds, encouraging critical thinking and personal growth.</p>

Motivation & Inspiration

Great Thinkers Book Summary - Great Thinkers Book explained in key points

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Great Thinkers summary

Name: Great Thinkers
Rating: 4.2 (378 reviews)
Author: The School of Life, Alain de Botton (series editor)

The School of Life, Alain de Botton (series editor)

Simple Tools from Sixty Great Thinkers to Improve Your Life Today

4.2 (378 ratings)

22 mins

Brief summary

Great Thinkers by The School of Life is a guide to the most influential ideas of history's greatest minds. From Socrates to Michel Foucault, this book explores how philosophy can help us make sense of the world and lead happier, more fulfilling lives.

Topics

Stoicism Western Philosophy

Table of Contents

Great Thinkers
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Learn time-tested wisdom from some of the most brilliant minds in history.

Is it safe to say that today’s great thinkers are the most brilliant yet? After all, we know so much more today about the nuts and bolts of life and the universe than the Greeks, Romans and Enlightenment thinkers ever did. What could they possibly have to tell us that we haven’t already taken and improved upon?

Not so fast! It might be tempting to think that today’s thinkers are better than yesterday’s, but the fact of the matter is that many of life’s most important questions can’t be solved by advances in technology or quantum mechanics. Figuring out what’s truly important in life, and how to deal with all the quirks that make us so human, are just a couple of eternal problems that continue to benefit from the wisdom left behind by previous generations.

As these blinks will prove, there’s tremendous insight to be gained by looking to the great minds of the past. Luckily for us, we live in an age where it’s easier than ever to tap into this knowledge and use it to learn and grow.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

how you can benefit from living out your worst fears;
how centuries-old economic ideas could still improve the world today; and
why “go with the flow” is still good advice.

Stoicism can help us overcome anxiety and paranoia.

Stoicism is a philosophical movement that dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, starting around the third century BC. Famous stoic philosophers include the philosopher and teacher Seneca the Younger as well as Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The aim of stoicism is to help people be steadfast and courageous in the face of life’s suffering. Since the Stoics believed that the one true source of pleasure in life is virtue, they saw little sense in getting overly emotional about life’s many ups and downs.

One of the benefits of stoicism is its potential to curb anxiety.

The stoics believed that anxiety can develop as a result of two possible outlooks: having very high hopes or harboring great fears about what might happen.

So, you might be anxious about nailing an upcoming audition and realizing your dream of being a movie star, while at the same time worrying about losing your day job and ending up homeless. Both scenarios are causes for high levels of anxiety.

Now, generally speaking, the common approach to dealing with anxiety these days is to try and remind ourselves that everything will likely work out one way or another, so no need to fret.

But the Stoics have another way to calm anxiety: to let go of the high hopes and embrace our deepest fears head-on.

This means that if you’re really worried about being homeless, you could spend a few days eating scraps and sleeping on a park bench. After that, you’ll be familiar with your worst-case scenario and it won’t be so scary anymore.

Another thing Stoicism teaches is how to live life with serenity, now.

While they weren’t particularly religious, the Stoics did believe in fate, particularly the Roman goddess Fortuna. This is quite different than karma, though, because at any moment Fortuna can throw something very good or very bad your way, no matter how good or bad you’ve been.

The advantage of this approach is that it allows you to stop blaming yourself if something doesn’t work out; at the same time, it can keep you from getting a big head when things do go your way.

Thomas Aquinas strove to reconcile science and faith, and we can still learn from him today.

Thomas Aquinas was a thirteenth-century Italian monk who is famous for his sainthood and the visions he had of the Virgin Mary.

In today’s secular times, Aquinas may not seem like the most apparent candidate for a great thinker, but his intellectual contributions remain important, especially in his attempts to reconcile science and faith.

Adam Smith shows us some keys to improving the capitalist economy.

If you’re making small talk at a party, there’s a good chance you could end up confounded if you ask someone what their job is. You might scratch your head, wondering, what exactly does a logistics supply manager do?

The reason behind these confusing job titles isn’t some new trend. It’s actually the result of job specialization – an occurrence that was first identified by the eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher and economist Adam Smith.

Lao Tzu taught that life is sweet if you follow its natural flow and take time for contemplation.

There’s very little biographical information on Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher believed to have lived during the sixth century BC. Yet, despite this mystery, his ideas are still a major influence in the world today.

To get a quick idea of the kind of philosophy Lao Tzu taught, there’s a popular story that puts him, along with Confucius and the Buddha, at a vinegar tasting ceremony. Confucius, with his views of people being corrupt, found the vinegar sour; Buddha, who focused on the suffering in the world, found the vinegar bitter; but Lao Tzu believed it tasted sweet.

Through her anthropological research, Margaret Mead taught us much about sexuality and gender.

A common mistake can be to think of the world in black and white terms, like looking at modern technology as being entirely good and the ways of past societies as being entirely bad or useless.

The great thinker Margaret Mead found great insight through anthropological research, and her work shows that there’s much to be gained from the ways of more traditional societies.

Sigmund Freud's ideas about pleasure and the influence of our childhood on our lives are still relevant.

Even though he was a highly successful doctor in his day, Sigmund Freud was also an unhappy workaholic. But it’s safe to say that much of his hard work paid off, as there is a great deal of Freudian wisdom that can still be applied today.

One of the lasting and primary tenets of Freud’s work was the pleasure principle, or the human tendency to move toward pleasure and away from pain.

Jane Jacobs showed that if cities were to be fun, they needed to be dense ecosystems.

For some of us, living in the big city is the only way to go, and we couldn’t imagine life in the boring countryside or a dreary suburb. But that doesn’t mean city life is free of problems.

One of the sharper minds to consider how cities could be more comfortable and enjoyable is that of Jane Jacobs.

Jane Austen teaches us that lovers should educate each other and that we should judge people carefully.

People love Jane Austen’s novels for their witty portrayal of romance and English life in the early nineteenth century. But let’s not forget that her books also contain a number of highly relevant moral lessons.

At the top of Austen’s important messages is that couples should educate each other.

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What is Great Thinkers about?

Great Thinkers (2016) provides a handy guide to some of the most creative and ingenious people who have ever lived. These are thinkers who have changed the way we perceive and think about the world, and their wisdom continues to be highly relevant to people everywhere. By keeping these ideas close at hand and not far from our minds, the great thinkers of the past can continue to help us live better lives today.

Great Thinkers Review

Great Thinkers (2016) is a thought-provoking exploration of influential minds throughout history, urging readers to engage with timeless ideas. Here's why this book is worth reading:

It presents a diverse range of thinkers and their ideas, offering an enlightening journey through philosophy, psychology, science, and literature.
By delving into their essential theories and beliefs, the book encourages readers to reflect on their own values and contemplate the big questions of life.
With its concise yet accessible format, the book provides a comprehensive overview of each thinker's legacy, making it an engaging and enriching read.

Best quote from Great Thinkers

Stoicism is nothing less than an elegant, intelligent dress rehearsal for catastrophe.

—The School of Life, Alain de Botton (series editor)

Who should read Great Thinkers?

Culture vultures
Wisdom seekers
Students of the humanities

About the Author

The School of Life is an organization that promotes general knowledge and culture. It believes that the humanities can help us develop emotional intelligence, wisdom, empathy, communication skills and much more. Based in cities like London, Amsterdam and Seoul, the School of Life produces educational films, as well as classes and therapy sessions.

Alain de Botton is the writer of multiple nonfiction books aimed at helping people live better lives by being intellectually curious and raising important questions. His previous books include The Architecture of Happiness (2008) and How Proust Can Change Your Life (1998).

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