Engagingly light
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A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.
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Not great, but still worth a look.
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I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.
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A novel to make you look at the world anew
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I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.
It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.
I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.
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Ok
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The beginning of this book was really good, and I thought i was going to be in for a really good read, but the plot was confusing and the ending was terrible. I have talked to people who have enjoyed this book, it just wasnt the book for me.
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Enlightening...perfect Philosophy for Beginners!
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If you are interested in philosophy but don't know where to start, then this book is essential reading. The book is a chronological history of philosophy for beginners - and though the subject matter is presented in a format of a novel of a young girl meeting a mysterious man who opens up the world of philosophy to her mind, the great cause of this book is to weave together how mankind has sought to make sense of it's place in this sometimes wondrous, sometimes perplexing and sometimes tragic existence we call life. Don't be put off by the novel's pretext - this book provides a great overview of the history of philosophical thought.
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