A review by cantordustbunnies
The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers by Will Durant

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.