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A long time ago someone recommended to me a small Norwegian book called Sophies World [0] as a very basic introduction to the history of philosophy and its serv
by ian0 6y ago
A long time ago someone recommended to me a small Norwegian book called Sophies World [0] as a very basic introduction to the history of philosophy and its served well.
It was written by a teacher and geared at young adults. So its not a rigorous introduction. But its a short read and by the end you'll have enough leads to follow.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie%27s_World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie%27s_World
- auxym 6y agoI'd also recommend Sophie's World as a jumping off point into multiple "canon" works as referend by another poster. I'm sure people out there criticize it as not rigorous or full of inaccuracies, but I've found it an easy read that gives a good overview into the works of western philosophy.
- tyre 6y agoI’ve seen many syllabi that include this book. I haven’t read it myself but have met some smart/thoughtful students of philosophy who did and value it highly.
- faisito 6y agoFor an introductory overview, you could do much worse that Sophie's world.
- porlex 6y agoThis is actually what I came here to say! It is great book that I have given to many people. I also recommend Anathem, by Neal Stephenson which is a romp of a novel shot through with philosophy.
- polytely 6y agoGot this as a gift from my teacher at the end of my last year in primary school, still one of the greatest gifts I've ever received
- upstill 6y agoCount another vote for Sophie's World as a breezy introduction. Call it the root node of your tree search.
- jfengel 6y agoJust make sure you get the correct book. I put in a request with my library and accidentally got this: https://www.amazon.com/Sophies-World-Sophie-Book-1/dp/0310707560 https://www.amazon.com/Sophies-World-Sophie-Book-1/dp/031070... I'm sure it's charming, but not what I was after. You want the one by Jostein Gaarder.