Neel Burton

"The best books are those that tell you what you already know, but didn't know that you knew." —Neel Burton, psychiatrist and philosopher, University of Oxford

There is more to being human than the absence of disorder.

We live in an era of rapid change and growing uncertainty. Many of the structures that once gave us identity, meaning, and direction are being upended. Today more than ever, we must answer life’s great questions for ourselves. How should we live, love, work, suffer, and die?

I’ve been searching for answers across psychology and philosophy, literature and history, mythology and ancient wisdom—and sometimes in less obvious places, like a bottle of wine. The deepest truths often emerge where disciplines meet.

Taken together, my books amount to an education in how to think, how to live, and how not to waste your life.

Editorial reviews:

"Burton has a clear talent for narration and is able to distil complex topics into understandable gems." —BookLife

"Neel is an incredibly insightful and elegant writer, with a deep knowledge of all he surveys." —Dr James Davies, psychotherapist and author

"Burton's writing blends deep knowledge with lively anecdote and a genuine concern for how we might draw on the insights of psychology and philosophy to live a better life." —Dr Gareth Southwell, philosopher and author

Ideas to hold on to:

"Depression: the healthy suspicion that modern life has no meaning and that modern society is absurd and alienating."

"Many things can prolong your life, but only wisdom can save it."

"The highest purpose of education is to unlearn what we once took for granted, to replace certainty with subtlety, prejudice with compassion, and destiny with possibility."