Book description
A brilliant and concise account of the lives and ideas of the great philosophers, from Plato to Dewey.
Few write for the non-specialist as well as Will Durant, and this book is a splendid example of his eminently readable scholarship. Durant's insight and wit never cease to dazzle; The Story…
Why read it?
2 authors picked The Story of Philosophy as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I love Durant because when I read him, I feel pulled into another world. It’s the world that actually was.
The philosophers I thought I knew from dusty textbooks suddenly feel alive—full of quirks, flaws, and fire. The history I got in high school was flat compared to this. Durant tells stories that breathe. He makes Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche feel like people you could argue with over dinner.
Anytime I need to transport myself through time, especially after a rough day, I go right to this audiobook.
From M. B.'s list on how the world actually works.
This is the book that really got me into philosophy. My girlfriend gave it to me when I was a teenager. I opened it up began reading, and I never really stopped. Durant’s book gives what I now understand to be a rather conventional account of the origins and history of Western philosophy, but it does it very well. It enthusiastically and eloquently leads readers into the central conceptual concerns, principles, and problems of the central figures of the Western traditions. It’s intellectually substantial, and it doesn’t require advanced degrees. A joy to read, and in a word, for me,…
From Peter's list on starting out in philosophy.
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