“Josep Maria Esquirol rejects the argument that educational institutions should be at the service of society. In La escuela del alma he points to an ambitious horizon: educational institutions must “shape” society. Not “adapt to it”, but “adapt it”.
Sergi Dòria, ABC

“Each new book by Josep Maria Esquirol constitutes a singular, valuable contribution that reinforces his philosophy of proximity. La escuela del alma is a beautifully written essay which, although not setting out to say anything new, upholds many fundamental principles. This is what is new, and even revolutionary.”
Jordi Llavina, La Vanguardia

“Conceptual depth, clear presentation, and critical acuity characterise this highly interesting essay, which makes a solid case when arguing for ethical learning about life.”
Jesús Ferrer, La Razón

More than a book, La escuela del alma (School of the Soul) is a surprising, indefinable invitation to the reader to set out on a path leading from the true foundations of education to the horizon of a mature, fruitful, and spiritual life. With each step, realities that speak words like place, teaching, company, attention, world, care, contemplation, creation keep illuminating the path with their own light, and reveal new meanings. Each human being is shown as an origin, and a meeting between two people as a “soul touching another soul”. Once again, in his quest for the essence of things, Josep Maria Esquirol holds out a luminous and hopeful proposal in times of bewilderment and discouragement. This is a most singular conspiracy: the philosophical order of love.

Josep Maria Esquirol is professor of Philosophy at the University of Barcelona where he teaches Contemporary Philosophy and heads the research group Aporia which studies the relationship between philosophy and psychiatry. He has published more than a hundred articles in specialist journals as well as a dozen books, notable amongst which are Uno mismo y los otros (Oneself and Others, 2005), El respeto o la mirada atenta (Respect or the Attentive Gaze, 2006), El respirar de los días (The Breathing of Days, 2009), Los filósofos contemporáneos y la técnica (Contemporary Philosophers and Technique, 2011), La penúltima bondad (The Penultimate Goodness, Acantilado, 2018), Humano, más humano (Human, More Than Human, Acantilado, 2021) and, in particular, La resistencia íntima (Acantilado, 2015 – published in English as The Intimate Resistance: A Philosophy of Proximity, Fum d’Estampa, 2021), winner of the City of Barcelona and National prizes for the essay, and also published in Italian, Portuguese, and German.