Great Thinkers

Great Thinkers by The School of Life is a concise and insightful guide to the ideas of history’s most influential philosophers, artists, and writers, showing how their wisdom can help us live better, more meaningful lives today. Covering figures like Aristotle, Nietzsche, Freud, and Virginia Woolf, the book distills their complex ideas into practical lessons on topics such as love, work, self-knowledge, and happiness. Rather than treating philosophy as abstract theory, it presents it as a toolkit for understanding ourselves and navigating modern challenges. Ultimately, Great Thinkers encourages readers to engage with the world’s greatest minds as companions in the ongoing journey of personal growth and emotional intelligence.

The School of Life is an organization that uses a variety of mediums to help people improve. With physical spaces around the world as well as an online presence, the School of Life offers workshops, books, and films.

Subjects addressed by the School of Life include relationships, self-improvement, career advice, and wellness. In 2016, the School of Life Press was created to share many of these ideas. 

Alain de Botton, founder of the School of Life, is the series editor for the books from the School of Life Press. Alain de Botton is philosopher born in Switzerland who also has British nationality.

De Botton has degrees from the University of Cambridge, King’s College London, and Harvard University. In addition to his work with the School of Life, he has written several fiction and non-fiction books. His philosophy background was used for a television series sharing lessons from philosophy on how to be happy.