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sidharthvardhan's review
3.0
on bad side, book is a difficult reading and if you are new to subject might kill entirely your interest. Also it should be called 'The story of western Philosophy' as there is absolutely nothing about Asian philosophy.Also some big names from western philosophy itself are missing. For someone wanting an introduction,'Sophie's world' is incredible reading. it is for more serious students and it wins 4 stars as it is far better far better than you may find in market. you can't help respecting writer for his hard work and analysis of the few philosophers he discuses.
zeibeat's review
4.0
It's been a long time since I hadn't read anything on Philosophy, so I took this recommendation to get reminded about its basics.
Durant wrote this magnificent book running away from academy, trying to explain Philosophy to anyone curious about it but for a XXIst century reader still feels like a challenging book.
I loved how the author makes a proper bio intro of each philosopher so you can see the link between the guy's life and his thoughts.
The only thing I missed it's the lack of some thinkers between Aristotle era and Bacon, too big of a gap
Durant wrote this magnificent book running away from academy, trying to explain Philosophy to anyone curious about it but for a XXIst century reader still feels like a challenging book.
I loved how the author makes a proper bio intro of each philosopher so you can see the link between the guy's life and his thoughts.
The only thing I missed it's the lack of some thinkers between Aristotle era and Bacon, too big of a gap
rishabsomani's review
5.0
An amazing summary of human minds through time. Well written and researched to provide insights not just into the greatest ideas of mankind, but the more complicated and necessary situations that led to their formation. Reading it feels like a condensation of over 100 different books in different languages into one Mega book. A must read for anyone trying to grasp The Story of Philosophy and the minds that shaped it.
Thank you Will Durant for undertaking this mammoth task to enrich the lives of others.
Thank you Will Durant for undertaking this mammoth task to enrich the lives of others.
stephenmeansme's review against another edition
4.0
Probably a bit dated, which is good for its writing style (in my opinion; Durant is a hell of a writer) and maybe not so good for its opinions (they have a slight musty odor). Grover Gardner does a great job of narrating, although there hasn't been any effort on his or the producers' part to clearly separate Durant's exposition from a particular philosopher's quotation. To my ear it was sometimes hard to distinguish between them.
tackman_babcock's review
4.0
I got a lot out of this book; it's an extraordinary privilege to be introduced to some of the greatest historical thinkers in a way that feels surprisingly personal, yet still engages fairly solidly with the heart of their intellectual contributions.
Durant's writing is charming in many places, and I had a good chortle over his frequent gibes over whether this or that way of thinking about the world was particulary German, or particularly French etc etc. These insights can be entertaining or valuable- think for a moment about the way French comedy films for example might tend to explore a ridiculous character who has no sense of his place in the world, while comedy in Britain might explore a character who is overly cognisant of the worlds expectations of him and whose response is of insecurity and false bravado.
Sadly, those kinds of quips become remarkably less charming when Durant uses a paragraph or two of his book to muse over the history of thought in places like India, which he apparently thinks must have challenges contributing to the philosophic body of knowledge because it is very hot there.
Durant's writing is charming in many places, and I had a good chortle over his frequent gibes over whether this or that way of thinking about the world was particulary German, or particularly French etc etc. These insights can be entertaining or valuable- think for a moment about the way French comedy films for example might tend to explore a ridiculous character who has no sense of his place in the world, while comedy in Britain might explore a character who is overly cognisant of the worlds expectations of him and whose response is of insecurity and false bravado.
Sadly, those kinds of quips become remarkably less charming when Durant uses a paragraph or two of his book to muse over the history of thought in places like India, which he apparently thinks must have challenges contributing to the philosophic body of knowledge because it is very hot there.