Story Of Philosophy

‘Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some to be chewed on and digested’ – so said Francis Bacon, a philosopher from 17th century Britain. This book of Will Durant, which carries a chapter about Bacon himself, deserves not just to be chewed and digested, but also to be brought out often as cud and ruminated upon. Such a brilliant work! Having already had a taste of Marcus Aurelius’ ‘Meditations’, I was wondering from where should I take a deeper plunge into the world of philosophy. This book popped up as a relevant recommendation from both Amazon as well as Goodreads and I was only glad to accept it. This book is about the famous philosophers, a brief glimpse into their lives and a detailed discussion on their philosophies. Will Durant takes enough time to also compare them all with one another and rate them on the touchstone of truth and relevance towards the daily lives of humans. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Benedict Spinoza, Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer, Immanuel Kant, Herbert Spencer, George Santayana, Bertrand Russell –these are all names that occupy the top echelons of the pantheon of Philosophy and Will Durant helps you have a clear and sufficient view into the world and works of them all. While the book is equally well-written about all the philosophers, and I loved them all, some of them stood out for me. One is Voltaire. Having already read his classic ‘Candide’, I was curious to read more of Voltaire’s works. This book only added to that appetite. It is in the hands of an author to make a subject interesting or insipid. Some of them write so well that they can make even Economics sound interesting, while some of them can bungle up even a fun-filled subject like Astronomy. I am glad that I chose to read Will Durant. Reading his words on Voltaire, I felt a smile cross my face every now and then. Such an amazing sense of humour and grasp on the subject! Voltaire would have nodded his head in approval from inside his grave. Next is Arthur Schopenhauer. You can either admire Schopenhauer OR unstintingly adore the women in your life. If you say that you do them both at once, you're a big LIAR. Such caustic views about the follies of women! Poor Schopenhauer, having got estranged from his mother in the young age, has poured out all that bitterness in his essays on women. Then, Baruch Spinoza - the religious leader who expelled Spinoza from the congregation, cursing that Spinoza's name may be forgotten for all eternity, because of his 'heretic' thoughts, is now remembered only in a negative tinge. But Spinoza's name lives on. The woman who ignored his love, allegedly for a richer suitor, is cast into oblivion. But Spinoza is remembered as one of the greatest minds in the history of mankind. The god-believing ruffian, who attacked Spinoza with a knife because of Spinoza's rational views, well, nobody remembers that thug for anything else 'noteworthy'. Religion, riches, rage - a real quest for wisdom seems to withstand the attacks from all these unworthy pursuits – that is what I learnt from Spinoza’s life. But, none of their stories touched my heart’s chords like Friedrich Nietzsche's did. Born into an influential family, brought up as a pious young man only to suffer a crisis of faith to become an apostate for life, having contempt for the 'masses', believing rather in the power of the evolved few and then that special person - 'superman', believing in the power of Germans to unite Europe culturally and politically, arguing more for the sake of war than for peace, correctly prophesying the occurrence of 'trade wars' across Europe during the early 20th century, not finding love and the warmth of a woman that could have helped heal the fissures in his heart and soul, finally ending up as a wreck both physically and mentally before passing away in peace, here is a man I would love to love and love to hate. Love to love - because his wisdom and seemingly caustic yet correctly derogatory views about the inept masses. Love to hate - because he seems to be the soil on which the thorny, poisonous plant called Hitler seems to have taken root. Love him or hate him, but you cannot ignore him. That's Friedrich Nietzsche for you. All in all, this is a great book for any beginner looking to cut their teeth into philosophy. Of course, the book has many pages of deep discussions on Metaphysics that just went over my head and my eyes could only skim through. But as I already said, this is a book that deserves more than one reading to be enjoyed thoroughly. This book is a worthy gateway into the world of Philosophy!

Good entry for people with basic knowledge of philosophy, can pick one from there and follow as your own, great way of writing book and it's purpose is very clear to the reader when reading the preface.

Very readable, succinct, captures essence of philosophical works.

Good introduction to the key figures

The book was delivered in satisfactory condition. As for the content, it is an excellent introduction to philosophy. Through his exemplary writing, Durant masterfully captures the reader's attention by striking a precise balance between the philosophies and the underlying (human) forces that shaped them, in the few pages that he has expressed himself through. An invigorating and mind-expanding read indeed.

This book is very interesting and useful. Highly recommend to read .

This was on must read book on my wishlist. Containing thoughts of great thinker in one book has been fantastic job done. This one need multiple read for better understanding...

Reading the book slowly has been a mind blowing journey for me . So much content has been presented in a easy readable manner . From plato to Russel everyone was included and treated properly . The quality of paper and binding of this book is amazing . Got delivered in time by amazon . overall 5 out of 5

...sono un completo ignorante in materia filosofica, motivo per cui ho acquistato questo libro: penso sia ottimo per chi vuole infarinarsi in questa splendida materia. Come al solito dei libri scritti in lingua inglese, non si perde in un linguaggio troppo formale, preferendo la chiarezza della forma (anche per il primario obiettivo del solito ottimo Will Durant di scrivere un prodotto chiaro, che permetta a tutti di comprendere i concetti chiave della filosofia). Nonostante questi punti positivi, però, non lo definirei un vero e proprio libro di introduzione alla filosofia; purtroppo tale contraddizione credo derivi dalla somma cultura dell'autore, che da per scontati alcuni concetti. Per questo consiglio di abbinare un Dizionario della filosofia (idea sorta per caso a mia madre, che ne aveva uno delle superiori, e devo dire che ha reso la lettura più piacevole ed espansiva). Alla fin dei salmi lo consiglio a tutti: oltre a colmare una mia grande lacuna, mi ha anche dato quel senso di accrescimento personale che cerco sempre nelle letture.

Reading this book was like taking a tour of human thought. Mr. Durant is remarkably neutral in his analysis and sometimes a touch prone to exaggeration. The best thing about the book is the middle ground between giving too much and too less details. No wonder it is one of the most beloved books of all time.

i bought the paperback and it has very small paper size hard to read

Will Durant is my favorite historian, the way he writes and his own philosophy is incredible.

A great introduction and summary of many of the key western philosophers throughout history. Really enjoyable insights and discussions of their main arguments and beliefs.