Books @ my Bedside: Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder
Review by Steven Wu.
Sophie's World is a curious book. It is, at its core, a much-simplified but well-written exposition of the history of Western philosophy, covering many of the major thinkers and providing capsule summaries of their major thoughts. But such a description fails to capture all the tricks that Gaarder pulls with this book, for Sophie's World is also a book within a book within a book, a meditation on the free will of fictional characters, a mystery, and a political manifesto.
The chief strength of Gaarder's presentation of philosophy is his ability to draw connections between the different philosophers. So, for instance, Gaarder will trace a line of thought that begins with Aristotle and journeys through Aquinas and many of the more modern philosophers, or he will show that the Existentialists are concerned with issues that the early Christian theologists were also concerned with. In doing so, Gaarder showcases philosophy as a process, one that builds off previous ideas and presents new ones on top of them. Suddenly Marx begins to make sense against his Hegelian background, Simon de Beauvoir starts sounding reasonable against her Existentialist background, and Aquinas's project becomes clear, especially in relation to the Church's relationship to history at the time. Gaarder also provides ample space for Eastern philosophy, pointing out, for example, the parallels between the Buddha and (of all people) David Hume.
Strangely as I have been actively ‘truthseeking’ for some time now it’s only recently that I’ve been turned on to philosophy. This book helped me in that process. It’s a highly readable and enjoyable account of Western philosophy as seen through the eyes of a child being led through the history of ideas by a mysterious stranger. Things get rather weird from time to time as the ‘characters’ in the book take on lives of their own but it’s a great way to get a basic grounding in philosophical thought. Well worth the effort.
5 comments:
I might like to try and read this book if as you say it's kind of from the point of view of a child...I find most philosophy "learning" too heady for me, and I just get lost in the words and it all starts to sound like a foreign language to me...I would need a book called "Philosophy For Dummies"...you know? (lol)
Thanks for stopping by my blog, my dear, and I feel a true kinship to Cacti, myself...they are so very sculptural, generally speaking, and their ability to survive...Amazing! It's true, many look so huggable, but....NOT! Just like in life, I guess, with many humans...but as with most people, too, Cacti have a very soft beautiful side...the flowers are sometimes incredibly vibrant...(I'll be showing more photo's as time goes on...)
Kew Gardens has a gorgeous Greenhouse with beautiful beautiful Cacti...if you've never seen it...it's worth the trip, if you are partial to these plants...
OOL said: I might like to try and read this book if as you say it's kind of from the point of view of a child...I find most philosophy "learning" too heady for me, and I just get lost in the words and it all starts to sound like a foreign language to me
I can recommend these for you - both by Mark Rowlands..
The Philosopher @ the End of the Universe (where he explains philosophical concepts through SF films) and Everything I Know I learned from TV (where he does the same through major TV shows). Both are very readable and more importantly.. fun.
As to cacti... I was SO overjoyed a few years back when one of my little one's flowered for the first time... I almost cried it was SO beautiful... They're great plants.
I was @ Kew about.... 20 years ago... I think it's time for another trip.... Thanks for to tip.
I bought this book a long time ago. You've encouraged me to finally read it.
Karlo said: I bought this book a long time ago. You've encouraged me to finally read it.
Hope you enjoy it. It's not too mind bending (or boring) like some philosophy books I've tried...
I read this book and it is my favorite,
I like philosphy and this book opened my eyes to many things.
I soppted reading for two times. First, I stopped for 2 days after the banana issue. and the second time I stopped reading for a week after the cartoon characters appeared in the wood.
But this book is great, and I'm planning to read it again.
Post a Comment