Self-Help Books Corrupt; Philosophy Heals

A course in philosophical critique of self-help literature - with an alternative life philosophy.

Bookstores and the internet are full of advice about the good life: recommendations about weight loss and exercise alongside promises of peace of mind through long walks or better sex through special exercises. The problem is that this advice rarely tells the whole story. Most self-help books are based on incomplete research or personal experience and don't go deeper than the surface culture they were written into.

Over four Wednesday evenings, the course examines some of the most popular self-help philosophies: what worldview they are built on, where they fall short - and what the philosophical tradition can offer as an alternative.

All evenings start at 19:00:
• Wednesday 21 October 2026
• Wednesday 28 October 2026
• Wednesday 4 November 2026
• Wednesday 11 November 2026

The course is taught by Emil Skovlykke Carlsen, cand.mag. in philosophy, secondary school teacher and lecturer, and is arranged in collaboration with Vordingborg Folkeuniversitet.