The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
Ratings4
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings4
Average rating3.5
We spend most of our waking lives at work — in occupations often chosen by our unthinking sixteen-year-old selves. And yet we rarely ask ourselves how we got there or what it might mean for us.Equally intrigued by work's pleasures and its pains, Alain de Botton here heads out into the under-charted worlds of the office, the factory, the fishing fleet and the logistics centre, ears and eyes open to the beauty, interest and sheer strangeness of the modern workplace. Along the way he tries to answer some of the most urgent questions we can ask about work: Why do we do it? What makes it pleasurable? What is its meaning? And why do we daily exhaust not only ourselves but also the planet?Characteristically lucid, witty and inventive, Alain de Botton's 'song for occupations' is a celebration and exploration of an aspect of life which is all too often ignored and yet as central to us as our love lives.
Reviews with the most likes.
The best piece of literature I have read this year. I am a big fan of Alain de Botton, having been introduced to his work through his YouTube channel “School of Life”. It opened for me the various schools of philosophy ,which has greatly affected the way I view the world.
This book explores various professions and provides a glimpse into the life of various individuals pursuing them. The writing might come across very erudite, elitist and verbose to most readers, who might have picked up this book for its name and are unfamiliar with the author himself and the context in which this book was written. This should not however, deter anyone from giving it a try.
The book got me looking at everyday things in the work place in a different light. Each page provides something very fresh to think about.
Would definitely recommend this book.
