Have breakfast with Socrates, go to work with Nietzsche, head to the gym with Foucault, then have sex with Ovid (or Simone de Beauvoir).
reviews
Nov 01, 2011
Sydney
rated it: 
Confession: I did not read this book cover to cover. I picked it up because I need to summarize it for a book proposal I am writing, so I skimmed it and certain chapters with more depth than others.
However, the tastes that I did get left me with such a consistent sense of the most shallow, pathetic, ridiculous blandness I wish one of these stars was "I hated it" not just "I didn't like it." I am stunned that this actually passes for philosophical reflection even fo More...
However, the tastes that I did get left me with such a consistent sense of the most shallow, pathetic, ridiculous blandness I wish one of these stars was "I hated it" not just "I didn't like it." I am stunned that this actually passes for philosophical reflection even fo More...
Oct 02, 2011
It’s exactly what it says it is, but is exactly less hokey than it sounds. The book allows the reader to see various philosophical concepts and phenomena in the everyday—Nietzsche is with us when we commute to work, Foucault when we’re working out at the gym, Barthes when reading a book, and (of course) Freud when we’re having sexy times. It’s a book that makes us aware of what philosophers have gone on and one about, it’s a book that grounds usually lofty and hazy dogmas using the routines of o
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Jun 17, 2010
Rafael
rated it: 
The ingenious idea of analyzing and questioning our day-to-day, mundane activities and situations with the insights and theories from several philosophers and thinkers, have such a great result that allows you to open your eyes for things you don't really care about, but that make big part in our life - even though we don't know it.
I was particularly amused by the "Waking up", "Going to the Gym", "Arguing with your partner" and "Having sex" cha More...
I was particularly amused by the "Waking up", "Going to the Gym", "Arguing with your partner" and "Having sex" cha More...
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Jan 02, 2012
Kelly_p
rated it: 
This book book would make a friendly introduction to the world of philosophical thought.
I really liked the concept and it was nicely written, but I would have got a lot more from it had Smith been a little more inventive - how great would it have been if we readers could have been party to a dialogue with some of the world's greatest philsophers!? Or if Smith could have avoided his occaisional lapses into what felt more like an academic essay at times.
Overall, I found this a More...
I really liked the concept and it was nicely written, but I would have got a lot more from it had Smith been a little more inventive - how great would it have been if we readers could have been party to a dialogue with some of the world's greatest philsophers!? Or if Smith could have avoided his occaisional lapses into what felt more like an academic essay at times.
Overall, I found this a More...
Mar 23, 2010
Vicky
rated it:
The philosophy is a part of our everyday life even if we realise it or not. It is present in our life when we are waking up; we change our identity while commuting to work, even a dinner at the restaurant with our parents presents a philosophical dilemma on who is paying a bill. Why do we have different self for reading than for watching TV and why going to the gym or the hospital has the same goal - to keep the death away? Why do we drive instead of walk and than religiously work out, but not
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Aug 06, 2011
Natacha
rated it:
Not what I was expecting... but still pretty damn good. Reminds me of Barthes, essentially a book of essays that attempt to breakdown an event or action (going to the gym, waking up, arguing with your partner, etc) that occurs in the average day-to-day life. I was hoping to walk away learning a bit more about actual philosophical concepts and famous philosophers, but instead felt like I was listening to a person who just smoked a bowl and started having random existential conversations with me i
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Jan 08, 2011
Jimmy
rated it:
What a great idea for a book, but what a disappointment to read. I mean I liked it well enough, but I was expecting something quite different, something a bit more philosophical. It makes me want to start writing my own version the way it should be done. For one thing, these chapters, such as "Going to the Gym" and "Taking a Bath" and "Having Lunch With Your Parents" are just a bit too yuppyish for me. And there are only touches of famous philosophers in each chapte
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Jul 18, 2010
Nicole
rated it: 
The idea of this book intrigued me from the moment I set eyes upon it - take a journey through an ordinary day with the great philosophers as your guide(s) and analyst(s). I thought, "This can either turn out to be amazing, or the most boring book I have ever read!" Well, luckily for me, Mr. Smith is an excellent writer - this book was excellent!
If you are so inclined to ask why certain things need to be done a certain way, or at least why it seems society deems them so, More...
If you are so inclined to ask why certain things need to be done a certain way, or at least why it seems society deems them so, More...
Sep 05, 2011
Kim
rated it:
The deeper I delve into the non-fiction shelves, the more I come to realize that I should create my own charter school for future English majors. Math, science, business and yes, even physical education classes would still be required but I would substitute the horrible textbooks with actual works of research, creativity and powerful writing. For example, in place of the typical chemistry text, I would require students to read Sam Kean’s The Disappearing Spoon. For biology (or possibly ethics
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May 17, 2011
Erik
rated it:
[Dutch]
Ontbijten doe je meestal alleen, met je partner of in gezinsverband. Een dagelijks terugkerend fenomeen dat zelden aanzet tot diepe intellectuele reflecties op filosofische kwesties. Je kunt echter ook Ontbijten met Socrates: dat is beduidend zwaardere kost.
Lees meer op 8WEEKLY
Ontbijten doe je meestal alleen, met je partner of in gezinsverband. Een dagelijks terugkerend fenomeen dat zelden aanzet tot diepe intellectuele reflecties op filosofische kwesties. Je kunt echter ook Ontbijten met Socrates: dat is beduidend zwaardere kost.
Lees meer op 8WEEKLY
Nov 29, 2010
Veronica
rated it: 
I was very excited about this book when I saw the title. I imagined a young man having a conversation with various philosophers as he travels through his day, from waking to breakfast to work to play and finally to rest. This book is not that. Unfortunately it reads like a college lecture, and it is a nice review but not as much fun as I had anticipated. Maybe one day the book that I imagined will be written.
Aug 26, 2011
Jenny
rated it:
Recommended by a colleague - who later confessed that she only read the first half and skimmed the rest, which released me from a close read too. Interesting premise, matching everyday activities to philosophy. Too religious for me though. I too lost interest about halfway through. I did appreciate the reminder that belief does not equal truth.
Nov 05, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
The only way I got through this book was by not taking it too seriously. I mean, philosopy is a heavy subject, right? If you overthink it, though, it can lead you down some really ridiculous paths. Keeping that in mind, you can get some great conversations started with the statements in the book without getting yourself all bent out of shape.
Sep 23, 2011
Moran
rated it:
It was ok. Kind of superfecial but gives a nice overview of some philosophers and some other thinkers. I guess I need to give it some more time to get through, or maybe even read it again someday.
Anyway, it was far from mind blowing.
Anyway, it was far from mind blowing.
Apr 02, 2010
Dave
rated it:
Interesting little book. Using a variety of philosophers the author attaches deeper meaning to everyday events in our daily life. Not the best thing I have ever read but I did manage to pick up a few insights.
May 10, 2010
Sarah
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From this little book, I learned that I remember way more of Monty Python's Drunk Philosopher's song than I thought I did. And that what might have saved the second half from near total irrelevance was a bracket-style fictional playoff between philosophers, because I really want to see John Stuart Mill give Karl Marx the smackdown.
Mar 09, 2011
Angela
rated it:
I was hoping for a new and interesting approach to the philosophies of the past and their application to today. Unfortunately, in the parts I read, this was all stuff I'd heard/read/studied before. It's a good intro for those who don't know much about early psychology and epistimology, just not for me.
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Sep 22, 2010
Marianna
rated it:
A well written story that blends just enough philosophy with everyday experience to make you stop and think about all those little things you do each day.
Nov 06, 2010
Steve
rated it:
Not all of it seems terribly relevant, but a great read that has one thinking about daily living in a deeper and more meaningful way.
Mar 23, 2011
Ann
rated it:
Thought provoking, but I think I need to read it again when I'm not sleep deprived.
Jul 24, 2010
Susan
rated it:
The author starts off on an interesting note about how the philosophies of life can apply to almost every mundane task of our life, but then the book turns a steep turn downwards. The author dribbles on in long, complex, hard-to-follow sentences and ultimately, his rantings completely baffled me.
On a positive note, the author is very knowledgeable about less known philosophers and aims to use them for inspiration, but for the rest of us readers who know "nada" about these More...
On a positive note, the author is very knowledgeable about less known philosophers and aims to use them for inspiration, but for the rest of us readers who know "nada" about these More...
Apr 20, 2010
Tony
rated it:
The first few chapters were interesting, but the furhter along it goes the less it talks about real established philosophy, and the more it just seems to be the author riffing on his own ideas. I put it down after the chapter on Taking Baths.
Aug 16, 2011
Zaki
rated it:
A beautiful and insightful book that interlinks various aspects in philosophy and psychology to daily lives. An enjoyable and entertaining read well-strutured and illustrated by the author.
Jan 19, 2012
Julie
rated it:
A bit too slim to really be worthwhile. I found only a few chapters to be at all enlightening, but overall just felt like someone blathering on.
Dec 07, 2011
Emmett
rated it:
Confession: I skipped a few pages throughout. Some of the arguments struck me as a little too far off from the 'event' at hand (especially the one concerning lunch with one's parents), but I took back a few novel insights from this book. Especially liked the one on waking up (some portions of it - especially the allegories with death). Mr Smith's prose style makes reading each paragraph an enjoyable affair.
May 02, 2011
Maria
rated it:
Had to take this one back to the libary without finishing it. It is a slow read, almost like a philosophy textbook, but very thought provoking and educating.
