The School of Life

What does it mean to live wisely and well in the twenty-first century? And how should we go about doing it?

This is the question Alain de Botton's School of Life has been exploring for the past ten years. And the answer lies in emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence affects every aspect of the way we live, from romantic to professional relationships, from our inner resilience to our social success. It is arguably the single most important skill for surviving in the modern world.

In The School of Life, de Botton introduces the gathered wisdom of ten years' innovative research and conversation, teaching and listening, about the nature and practice of emotional intelligence. Using the combination of social analysis, philosophical insight and practical wisdom which has come to define the School of Life's essential work, it works through five core areas - Self, Others, Relationships, Work and Culture - and shows how none of us will be perfect but each of us can be a little bit better.

Rigorous and revelatory, humane and hopeful, Alain de Botton and his team of experts present The School of Life: a comprehensive guide to the modern art of emotional intelligence.