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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
A definite recommend for people new to philosophy. It will give you a birds eye view on what the greatest minds of humanity have said.
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is not my usual reading genre, personally I'm not a big fan of philosophy, but it was written in a way I found quite enjoyable, and Sophie is very relatable, probably because we're around the same age.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Philosophy made easier.
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've been meaning to read this for years! Here are some thoughts:
Good things: if you are at all interested in philosophy, this book is very accessible, and gives a wonderful overview of the history of philosophy from Ancient Greece to the existentialism of the twentieth century. I think the best way to describe it would be to say that this is what a Goosebumps book written by a professor would look like. Really weird and eerie but also highly academic.
Not so good things: I had a lot of criticisms while reading. The most important one is that throughout the book, the author emphasizes how different humans are from animals- going so far as to write several times that animals don't think. I think this is so backwards and a really dangerous viewpoint to put forward in a book meant for young adults. There are so many hundreds of studies about animal intelligence (see the May 2015 edition of National Geographic on dolphin languages) and I think it's the height of arrogance for humans to differentiate ourselves from animals and to claim that we have superior thoughts and feelings. So many people view animals and nature as some sort of hierarchy, with us on top. I completely disagree. Animals are not imperfect humans, and we shouldn't judge them by our own standards. You'd think that a book that had the tagline "the only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder" would keep an open, wondering mind when it comes to animals, but it doesn't. This was the worst part about this book.
Otherwise, I found the dialogue very stilted, but I am going to give the author the benefit of the doubt since the book is originally written in Norwegian. Also, apart from some very brief mentions of Buddhism, this is a book on Western philosophy only. I also found that by the end of the novel, there were so many philosophers that they all blurred together. I couldn't tell you the difference between Hegel or Kierkegaard and I literally just finished the book. The two main characters, who are taking a philosophy course, keep on referring to how many times they are re-reading sections, as if the author is trying to hint to the reader that we should re-read the book. Which is okay, but in a novel, things should really be clear the first time through.
I'm glad I read it, but I had to keep in mind that this book is definitely biased. For example, the author is extremely harsh on both the Epicureans/Lucretians, as well as those who believe in telepathy/ESP, both of which I think have a lot of merit. So, read this book with a grain of salt.
Good things: if you are at all interested in philosophy, this book is very accessible, and gives a wonderful overview of the history of philosophy from Ancient Greece to the existentialism of the twentieth century. I think the best way to describe it would be to say that this is what a Goosebumps book written by a professor would look like. Really weird and eerie but also highly academic.
Not so good things: I had a lot of criticisms while reading. The most important one is that throughout the book, the author emphasizes how different humans are from animals- going so far as to write several times that animals don't think. I think this is so backwards and a really dangerous viewpoint to put forward in a book meant for young adults. There are so many hundreds of studies about animal intelligence (see the May 2015 edition of National Geographic on dolphin languages) and I think it's the height of arrogance for humans to differentiate ourselves from animals and to claim that we have superior thoughts and feelings. So many people view animals and nature as some sort of hierarchy, with us on top. I completely disagree. Animals are not imperfect humans, and we shouldn't judge them by our own standards. You'd think that a book that had the tagline "the only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder" would keep an open, wondering mind when it comes to animals, but it doesn't. This was the worst part about this book.
Otherwise, I found the dialogue very stilted, but I am going to give the author the benefit of the doubt since the book is originally written in Norwegian. Also, apart from some very brief mentions of Buddhism, this is a book on Western philosophy only. I also found that by the end of the novel, there were so many philosophers that they all blurred together. I couldn't tell you the difference between Hegel or Kierkegaard and I literally just finished the book. The two main characters, who are taking a philosophy course, keep on referring to how many times they are re-reading sections, as if the author is trying to hint to the reader that we should re-read the book. Which is okay, but in a novel, things should really be clear the first time through.
I'm glad I read it, but I had to keep in mind that this book is definitely biased. For example, the author is extremely harsh on both the Epicureans/Lucretians, as well as those who believe in telepathy/ESP, both of which I think have a lot of merit. So, read this book with a grain of salt.
A very comprehensive study of philosophy. Getting so much of information about eons of philosophy into a comparatively small book is praiseworthy. The author presents every philosopher and his philosophy with an unbiased view. The story is made quite interesting by linking everything to Sophie. And towards the end the author also presents his own concept by the way the story of Sophie's life takes a turn. A well written book with appealing simplicity. Recommended to all those who want to get an overview of philosophy in little time.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wasn't captivated by the metanarrative. The "course" of introductions to importance currents of Western philosophy are appetizers that will be more appealing the less contact you've already had with each. The demonstrations of each philosophy by Sophie and crew were rather dull. I imagine a newcomer to these thoughts might find this book far more interesting.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A