The world of thought
I just read an interesting new book that I thought I'd share.
Sophie's World, a New York Times Bestseller written by a high-school philosophy teacher, is basically a quick survey of philosophy couched within a narrative. Young Sophie Amundsen is on the cusp of her fifteenth birthday when she discovers a strange letter in her mailbox. The letter asks "Who are you? Where does the world come from?" So begins Sophie's adventure in a philosophical correspondence course. She receives her lessons via mail at first, as her teacher wishes to keep his identity a secret. Soon, though, Sophie and her professor, Alberto Knox, are meeting in cafes, churches, and other places around town to discuss philosophy. The result is a fairly engaging treatment of what could easily be very difficult and dry material.
I thought this was a good book for what it was. In other words, Gaarder was successful in his use of the narrative to introduce and cover some rather weighty topics. (I did find the novel a bit dry in places, particularly when Knox is racing through the Middle Ages at breakneck speed.) As the book is basically a philosphy survey, Gaarder doesn't get too involved in the specifics of every theory; however, Sophie's "teacher" does try to provide a "big picture" view of the history of philosophic thought.
What intrigued me most about the book was that I hadn't pondered many of the questions in it since my college philosophy courses. I can't remember when the last time was that I wondered where the world came from, or that I thought about whether man has any eternal bits about him, rather than just a temporal form. As Sophie discovers, it is so easy for people to get caught up in day-to-day life. We rarely ask ourselves some of the biggest questions of human existence because we are worried about what we are making for dinner on any given night. That's the primary reason that I recommend this book. So few of us really sit down and think about what our purpose is, and what the world is all about. This book will have you asking yourself those questions again, and it's very refreshing to do so.
Sophie's World, a New York Times Bestseller written by a high-school philosophy teacher, is basically a quick survey of philosophy couched within a narrative. Young Sophie Amundsen is on the cusp of her fifteenth birthday when she discovers a strange letter in her mailbox. The letter asks "Who are you? Where does the world come from?" So begins Sophie's adventure in a philosophical correspondence course. She receives her lessons via mail at first, as her teacher wishes to keep his identity a secret. Soon, though, Sophie and her professor, Alberto Knox, are meeting in cafes, churches, and other places around town to discuss philosophy. The result is a fairly engaging treatment of what could easily be very difficult and dry material.
I thought this was a good book for what it was. In other words, Gaarder was successful in his use of the narrative to introduce and cover some rather weighty topics. (I did find the novel a bit dry in places, particularly when Knox is racing through the Middle Ages at breakneck speed.) As the book is basically a philosphy survey, Gaarder doesn't get too involved in the specifics of every theory; however, Sophie's "teacher" does try to provide a "big picture" view of the history of philosophic thought.
What intrigued me most about the book was that I hadn't pondered many of the questions in it since my college philosophy courses. I can't remember when the last time was that I wondered where the world came from, or that I thought about whether man has any eternal bits about him, rather than just a temporal form. As Sophie discovers, it is so easy for people to get caught up in day-to-day life. We rarely ask ourselves some of the biggest questions of human existence because we are worried about what we are making for dinner on any given night. That's the primary reason that I recommend this book. So few of us really sit down and think about what our purpose is, and what the world is all about. This book will have you asking yourself those questions again, and it's very refreshing to do so.
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