This was followed by "The Consolations of Philosophy" in 2000. The title of the book is a reference to Boethius's "Consolation of Philosophy", in which philosophy appears as an allegorical figure to Boethius to console him in the period leading up to his impending execution. In "The Consolations of Philosophy", de Botton attempts to demonstrate how the teachings of philosophers such as Epicurus, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Seneca, and Socrates can be applied to modern everyday woes. The book has been both praised and criticized for its therapeutic approach to philosophy.