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wwatts1734's review
3.0
I had high hopes for the "Story of Philosophy". I enjoyed the bits of pieces of Will Durant's multi-volume world history that I have read, so I was excited to see that he had written a history of philosophy. I was even more intrigued when I learned that Durant was actually a philosopher by training. But this history of philosophy did not live up to my expectations.
There were several problems with the "Story of Philosophy". The first problem is that Durant completely bypasses all of history from Aristotle, who lived around 300 BC, until Spinoza who lived around 1600 AD. Not only is that 1900 years of history that were completely ignored, but Durant also skipped over the Stoics, the Neo-Platonists, the early Christian philosophers such as Augustine and Origen, and the Medieval philosophy of the Schoolmen, as well as Maimonides and Avicenna. Perhaps Durant did not see any value in delving into the philosophy of these schools, but in ignoring them he has left a huge hole in his story.
Another problem with the "Story" is that Durant's analysis of modern philosophy, which is about 80% of his focus, deals only with the "Enlightenment" philosophers. These are the philosophers who regard only those things that can be physically verified with the senses, ie they are materialists. Not all philosophers in the West since 1600 were materialists, but in "Story of Philosophy" Durant only mentions the materialists. While he goes into great depth about Herbert Spenser and Bertrand Russell, for example, he completely ignores Pascal and Maritain.
Finally, Durant completely ignores non-Western philosophy. Since Durant is a Westerner I would not expect that he would spend a tremendous amount of time discussing the Muslim and Chinese philosophers, for example, it is not unreasonable to expect that he would at least mention the great Muslim and Chinese philosophers. He does not.
So here you have it. The "Story of Philosophy" is a great overview of Modern, Western and Materialist philosophy. If that sounds good for you then have at it. In my view, this focus is entirely too narrow.
There were several problems with the "Story of Philosophy". The first problem is that Durant completely bypasses all of history from Aristotle, who lived around 300 BC, until Spinoza who lived around 1600 AD. Not only is that 1900 years of history that were completely ignored, but Durant also skipped over the Stoics, the Neo-Platonists, the early Christian philosophers such as Augustine and Origen, and the Medieval philosophy of the Schoolmen, as well as Maimonides and Avicenna. Perhaps Durant did not see any value in delving into the philosophy of these schools, but in ignoring them he has left a huge hole in his story.
Another problem with the "Story" is that Durant's analysis of modern philosophy, which is about 80% of his focus, deals only with the "Enlightenment" philosophers. These are the philosophers who regard only those things that can be physically verified with the senses, ie they are materialists. Not all philosophers in the West since 1600 were materialists, but in "Story of Philosophy" Durant only mentions the materialists. While he goes into great depth about Herbert Spenser and Bertrand Russell, for example, he completely ignores Pascal and Maritain.
Finally, Durant completely ignores non-Western philosophy. Since Durant is a Westerner I would not expect that he would spend a tremendous amount of time discussing the Muslim and Chinese philosophers, for example, it is not unreasonable to expect that he would at least mention the great Muslim and Chinese philosophers. He does not.
So here you have it. The "Story of Philosophy" is a great overview of Modern, Western and Materialist philosophy. If that sounds good for you then have at it. In my view, this focus is entirely too narrow.
rossbm's review
2.0
Listened to it on Audiobook. Nice to get an overview of different philosopohers. Some were more interesting than others. Makes me want to read Schopenhauer. Hopefully he is easier to read than Nietzsche. Reading (listening to?) "The Story of Philosophy" also made me want to try and read "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" again, which I have never been able to make heads or tails of. Having some background might help. I enjoyed the early philosophers like Spinoza or Aristotle. There are some questionable choices like Herbert Spencer. It was interesting that "The Story of Philosophy" was written back in the 1920s. It would be interesting to read a more modern book in this style. This book dragged on in places.
uderecife's review
4.0
Philosophy, a word that so often spring out in conversations. But what does it mean? Where does it come from? Who were the people who made it so important for us? What were their main ideas?
If you like this subject and you, like me, feel utterly lost amidst the vast world (or should I say worlds?) of this field of knowledge, and you're serious into grasping its profound insights and scope, this is the book where you should start.
One of its striking features is the way that Will Durant, the author of this story, guides you through the main characters that made philosophy what it is today, with a passion and insight that are only available to those that truly love this subject.
The book is slightest dated towards the more recent authors (namely the 1st half 20th century philosophers), but this is just a small detail that doesn't make the book less valuable – it's still a priceless resource to provide the reader with a good view of the history of philosophy as a whole.
If you like this subject and you, like me, feel utterly lost amidst the vast world (or should I say worlds?) of this field of knowledge, and you're serious into grasping its profound insights and scope, this is the book where you should start.
One of its striking features is the way that Will Durant, the author of this story, guides you through the main characters that made philosophy what it is today, with a passion and insight that are only available to those that truly love this subject.
The book is slightest dated towards the more recent authors (namely the 1st half 20th century philosophers), but this is just a small detail that doesn't make the book less valuable – it's still a priceless resource to provide the reader with a good view of the history of philosophy as a whole.
cantordustbunnies's review
4.0
A beginner friendly book on philosophy which is true to its title. This book is made for those who don't have a pre-existing background which is surprisingly hard to find. Durant clearly loves this subject and his appreciation is contagious. He is very affectionate towards every philosopher discussed and extends a very warm, intimate tone with the reader. My one complaint is that while most of the time he would carefully educate the audience about certain philosophers at other times he would casually reference a name with very little explanation. Maybe this was designed to get the audience to look into things more for themselves but I thought this habit struck a discordant note alongside Durant's otherwise clear and conscientious delivery designed for those unfamiliar with the topic. Overall I think he does a great job. Personally, I would have preferred something a bit more streamlined with less focus on the life and personality of the philosopher and more focus on their contributions. A bullet point summary after every chapter would have been a wonderful touch. One really great thing he does is provide excellent further reading recommendations. Overall I was quite pleased with this book and enjoyed the accessible manner in which it was written.
davehershey's review
3.0
If you are interested in learning a bit of philosophy, but not in wading through myriads of pages of practically incomprehensible ideas, this book may help. Durant's book is an enjoyable and educational read. He does not limit himself to the ideas of these philosophers, but places them into their historical context and thus introduces you to them as fascinating people. It is an introduction to philosophy and makes difficult ideas digestible to any interested reader. Also as an introduction, many important philosophers are skipped over or barely mentioned. Overall it is a fun read, and at almost 100 years old seems to have stood the test of time.
connie_leavitt_rees's review against another edition
2.0
This would probably be better titled “Will Durant’s Philosophy.” It is one man’s interpretation of the lives, times, and ideas of some of the people who influenced Western philosophy. I felt like I learned more about Will Durant and his ideology by reading this than I did about historic philosophers and their teachings. In his note to the reader, he states, “This book is not a complete history of philosophy. It is an attempt to humanize knowledge by centering the story of speculative thought around certain dominant personalities. Certain lesser figures have been omitted in order that those selected might have the space required to make them live.” His biases and beliefs are on full display in the choice of which philosophers are considered the “dominant personalities” to include versus those “lesser figures” to exclude as well as in which ideas gain his praise versus his censure.
His biographical information is the most interesting part of this book. Not too surprising when one considers that Durant is most well known for his expertise in historical analysis. His purpose in writing this book was to “learn the lessons which [his chosen dominant philosophers] are so eager to teach.” These are the lesson he learned from them. I think it’s really probably best to read them for oneself. Each person will learn something different based on the unique perspective and worldview they bring to the table.
His biographical information is the most interesting part of this book. Not too surprising when one considers that Durant is most well known for his expertise in historical analysis. His purpose in writing this book was to “learn the lessons which [his chosen dominant philosophers] are so eager to teach.” These are the lesson he learned from them. I think it’s really probably best to read them for oneself. Each person will learn something different based on the unique perspective and worldview they bring to the table.