Should I Prioritize Passion or Obligation?

Why It Might Be Your Physical Self - Not Your Thoughts

One of the paradoxes of trying to understand our minds is that, at particular moments, we need to acknowledge that what passes through them may have very little to do with the workings of these minds themselves but rather our bodies. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/73Qp9 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/WW1fd FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/38Icry0 “One of the paradoxes of trying to understand our minds is that, at particular moments, we need to acknowledge that what passes through them - the ideas we entertain and the moods we’re in - may have very little to do with the workings of these minds themselves. It may - for example - suddenly seem as though we have a new and very specific take on the world: we are sure that we should leave our job, say goodbye to our partner and never see our ungrateful children again. Or we may feel that we have come to a resolute new political certainty: that society is totally corrupt and human nature inherently selfish…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Deanca Rensyta https://www.instagram.com/deancarensyta/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Meritocracy

We've been taught to feel very good about the fact that many of our societies are now apparently 'meritocracies.' But the concept of meritocracy is - from close up - rather more peculiar than modern politicians make out. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/ZcVXd Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/CsPQa SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Mad Adam http://www.madadamfilms.co.uk #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

We're on Tour Throughout America

Come and say hello in the following places: New York City Tues 14th June 2016, 6.30-8.30pm http://www.cooper.edu/events-and-exhibitions/events/alain-de-botton-course-love Philadelphia Wed 15th June 2016, 7.30pm https://libwww.freelibrary.org/authorevents/index.cfm?id=56550 A Free Library of Philadelphia event. Cambridge: SOLD OUT - SORRY Fri 17th June 2016, 6.00pm http://www.harvard.com/event/alain_de_botton/ Los Angeles Sun 19th June 2016, 5.00pm To reserve a ticket, email: events@skylightbooks.com http://www.skylightbooks.com/event/alain-de-botton-reads-his-new-novel-course-love San Francisco Tues 21st June 2016, 7.00pm To reserve a ticket, call: (415) 927-0960 http://www.bookpassage.com/event/alain-de-botton-course-love-corte-madera Seattle Wed 22nd June 2016, 7.00pm http://www.spl.org/calendar-of-events#/?i=4 Portland Thurs 23rd June 2016, 7.30pm http://www.powells.com/calendar #theschooloflife Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/LsoRH Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/Qwfh7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

SOCIOLOGY - Alexis De Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville was a 19th century French aristocrat with some crucial things to tell us about the strengths and weaknesses of that once-new and now widespread political system: democracy. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/HjRwl Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/YYjVE SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Mad Adam http://www.madadamfilms.co.uk #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Computational Intelligence

Should we be scared of artificial intelligence and all it will bring us? Not so long as we remember to make sure to build artificial emotional intelligence into the technology. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/A3XzP Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/Ah1WQ SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Mad Adam http://www.madadamfilms.co.uk #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]