How to Know a Person

David Brooks is one of America’s most insightful writers and commentators, and this is the third Philosopher’s Note we’ve created on one of his books, following The Road to Character and The Second Mountain. In How to Know a Person, Brooks becomes obsessed with the foundational social skill that shapes the quality of our lives and communities: the ability to truly see someone else, and help them feel seen in return. Big Ideas we explore include Illuminators vs. Diminishers, how suffering shapes us, empathy as a trainable art, crafting a coherent life story, and what we really see when we look at others. This is a profound invitation to become the kind of person who brings out the light in everyone you meet.