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قصة الفلسفة

Will Durant,

ول ديورانت

4.13 · Rating details · 13,999 ratings · 947 reviews

إبداع ويل ديورانت في هذا الكتاب يتمثل في بحثه لشتى الفلسفات من يونانية وأوروبية، بأسلوب روائي مبسط وطلي، أسلوب ييسر حتى لطلاب الفلسفة المبتدئين، وحتى للقرّاء العاديين أن يجدوا في الفلسفة موضوعاً شائقاً وطلياً، لا يستوجب ذاك المقدار من العبوس والتجهم والرصانة والتركيز والتأمل، فالمؤلف كما سيلمس القارئ، حين مطالعته لهذا الكتاب لم يفصل أية فلسفة عن فيلسوفها، كما جرت العادة حي ...more

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2, 592 pages

Published January 1st 1994 by دار القارئ العربي (first published 1926)

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مدخل للفلسفة

12 books — 11 voters

حكمة الغرب الجزء الأول by Bertrand Russell

الإنسان يبحث عن المعنى by Viktor E. Frankl

خطة غير أكاديمية لدراسة الفلسفة

71 books — 31 voters

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Jun 02, 2008 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, non-fiction, historical, 20th-century

The Story of Philosophy, Will Durant

The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers is a 1926 book by Will Durant, in which he profiles several prominent Western philosophers and their ideas, beginning with Socrates and Plato and on through Friedrich Nietzsche.

Durant attempts to show the interconnection of their ideas and how one philosopher's ideas informed the next.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز نخست نوامبر سال 1986میلادی

عنوان: تاریخ فلسفه؛ گردآوری: ویل دورانت؛ مترجم: عب ...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Riku Sayuj rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, pop-phil, r-r-rs, philosophy

This was a long postponed book as I always thought it would be a long and trudging read, hard to comprehend and harder to remember afterwards. But Durant's treatment of the philosophers and their ideas as organic evolutions of their character and their times was what made the book a joy to read.

The ideas and the long dead philosophers come alive magnificently in these pages and Durant even manages to fill one with the thirst to go ahead and read all these works that are compressed and presented ...more

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Feb 04, 2008 Jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the most sensitive look at philosophy I've ever read. Will Durant is brilliant-- and who wasn't touched by his heartfelt dedication to his wife at the beginning? I think what really set this book apart is Durant's inclusion of just enough biographical information of the philosophers to remind you that they were just people like you and me who happened to think deep, amazing things about life and were deeply affected by their own childhoods and personal lives, i.e. Nietzsche and his less ...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Trevor rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy

This is quite a conservative history of philosophy. As such I would probably recommend Russell’s work over this one – but this has the advantage of being shorter, and that’s quite an advantage. There are main chapters on a series of ‘key’ philosophers – Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche – and some shorter chapters on Bergson, Croce, Russell, Santayana, James and Dewey. Along the way he also mentions Comte, Hegel, Locke, Rousseau and Hume. Of the m This is quite a conservative history of philosophy. As such I would probably recommend Russell’s work over this one – but this has the advantage of being shorter, and that’s quite an advantage. There are main chapters on a series of ‘key’ philosophers – Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche – and some shorter chapters on Bergson, Croce, Russell, Santayana, James and Dewey. Along the way he also mentions Comte, Hegel, Locke, Rousseau and Hume. Of the main chapters, about fifty pages are dedicated to the key philosophers I've listed. This is interesting as it generally starts with their ‘life’ and then moves onto their ‘ideas’ and ends with a criticism – although, often these are rather glowing. There are a few nice jokes along the way – my favourite being about Santayana (someone I knew virtually nothing of before reading this) and his version of atheistic Catholicism (for want of a better term) that he would like to see Europe remain Catholic long after it had given up Christianity – and a wit who said, “God doesn’t exist and Mary is His mother”.

One of the underlying themes here is that Plato was right that the best form of society is an aristocracy. We need to be ruled by the best people. Well, this is hardly contentious in one sense – better to be ruled by the best of people than the worst – but how we are to go about choosing these best of people is where the problems tend to arise. If at all possible I think I would rather pass on the Nietzschean artist/war-lord/herd’s man/superman.

The interesting thing about this book is that he feels epistemology (the theory of how we know stuff) has troubled philosophy for far too long and that he felt the time was fast approaching when philosophy would get over epistemology and go back to more worthwhile questions – particularly to do with how to live a good life – ethics.

His explanations are always clear and generally also insightful. He essentially weaves his way through his explanations using the philosopher’s own words and drawing together their thinking in ways that clarify what they had to say – this is particularly evident with Nietzsche, who does tend to be a bit all over the place.

Still, as I said, this is a very conservative collection. Hegel gets seven pages and his lack of influence on James is highlighted, but not his very strong influence on Dewey. Dewey gets half the mention of James who gets about half the mention of Santayana, in virtually inverse relation to any current valuation of their worth, I would suspect. I also found it interesting that some philosophers were even selected (not sure I would have picked Voltaire in my top ten philosophers for an extended discussion). Books that have extensive chapters on Schopenhauer and Nietzsche (like The Consolations of Philosophy say) do tend to be more conservative – and, to be honest, I did find myself getting a bit bored hearing their views rehearsed yet again. I felt he was kinder to both of these philosophers than he was to Kant – but I also think Kant’s contribution to philosophy so greatly outweighs either of their's that this would have to be seen as an odd valuation to say the least.

I am going to have to spend some time reading Spinoza, but I’ve no idea just when I’ll get time to read him the requisite two to three times. Still, he does sound particularly interesting and I have been meaning to read his Ethics for years – I even have it on my bookshelf waiting, always waiting… It's a good thing Spinoza is so patient.

This wasn’t a terrible overview of the history of Philosophy – but I guess it could more accurately have been called, “Some of My Favourite Philosophers” – if you know what I mean.
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Dec 01, 2016 Roy Lotz rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: footnotes-to-plato, one-damn-thing-after-another

The Story tried to salt itself with a seasoning of humor, not only because wisdom is not wise if it scares away merriment, but because a sense of humor, being born of perspective, bears a near kinship to philosophy; each is the soul of the other.

A while ago, as I began to set about learning philosophy, I bought a used copy of this book, but I never got around to reading it. The book sat, unread, on my shelves for a few years, its yellowed pages only growing more yellow, and its already cracked a ...more

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Aug 03, 2013 Roy Lotz rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: education

The Story tried to salt itself with a seasoning of humor, not only because wisdom is not wise if it scares away merriment, but because a sense of humor, being born of perspective, bears a near kinship to philosophy; each is the soul of the other.

A few years ago, as I began teaching myself philosophy, I bought a used copy of this book. But I could never seem to get around to it. So its yellowed pages only grew more yellow, and its already cracked and broken spine castigated me from my bookshelf e ...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Nandakishore Varma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This is the best introduction to Western philosophy that the layman can find. It's a "dummies" book which, however, does not assume that the reader is a dummy.

I would have given it a five, had it included Eastern philosophies too. ...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Arghya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, history, read-in-2014, philosophy

“The Story of Philosophy” by Will Durant is an excellent book which discusses the lives and works of famous philosophers from ancient Greek to recent Continental and American Philosophers. It is well known that Philosophy books, even the expository ones, tend to be obscure and it seems compulsory for every student of Philosophy to inch her way through the difficult, and often obfuscated, text. Many just flee because they come for some consolations and are simply not interested, and prepared, to “The Story of Philosophy” by Will Durant is an excellent book which discusses the lives and works of famous philosophers from ancient Greek to recent Continental and American Philosophers. It is well known that Philosophy books, even the expository ones, tend to be obscure and it seems compulsory for every student of Philosophy to inch her way through the difficult, and often obfuscated, text. Many just flee because they come for some consolations and are simply not interested, and prepared, to dive into this mess, only to get more confused.

The importance of this present book lies precisely here. Will Durant was brave enough to do a thorough reading of the canonical texts of Western Philosophy and present us lucid, and in no sense diluted, account of the major points of each system. And his achievement, in accomplishing this end, is stellar. In a very clear prose that scintillates with his wit, he passionately painted the lives and times of the prominent Philosophers (my personal favourite among them are those about Spinoza and Kant), their main contributions and, also, provided critique of their opinions. So, I must say that this is an indispensable book for the beginners of Philosophical readings.

Having said that, some points, in my opinion, are worth mentioning. First of all, the author is passionate and has strong opinions; make no mistake about it. I am not saying that it affected the whole of the book negatively but, nonetheless, it is present. Then, the author didn’t even mention Oriental Philosophers in a book titled as “The Story of Philosophy”! There is, for sure, difference between “Darshan” and philosophy, but that does not justify this omission. It seems “The Story of Western Philosophy” would be a more appropriate tile. Also, I don’t know why, he always associated pessimism with Eastern thinking; this at places becomes quite unintelligible.

In spite of these deficiencies, I would heartily recommend this book. My only suggestion is don’t make this “the book” on Philosophy.
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May 07, 2009 Erik Graff rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Erik by: no one

Shelves: philosophy

In August of 1982 I was invited down to Tampa-St. Pete with my girlfriend to visit her paternal grandmother. We stayed in a trailer court with a pool during a week of hot and muggy weather. With no car, the only activities available to us were walks to the mall or sitting by the pool. For me, this being my first trip to Florida, the high points were the many varieties of reptiles: turtles in the drainage ditch behind the house and magical little lizards darting about everywhere.

School was to sta ...more

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Oct 31, 2015 Vishal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

As a total philosophy novice, this book served as a great introduction – lucidly written, a gripping kaleidoscopic look at the lives of some of the great thinkers of our time, and largely accessible apart from the (unavoidable) strays into abstruse philosophy talk. To me, philosophy is most appealing when applied to the political, social or personal realm; it’s the metaphysical part that I struggle to get my head around.

The most interesting sections in this book were those that dealt with the e ...more

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Jul 31, 2013 Matt rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: childhood, wisdom-philosophical-investigatons

Ok, so I can only give this book two stars for the following reasons:

* According to the (admittedly arbitrary) GR star-signification system, two stars means it's "ok"

* This is, of course, a bit of an arbitrary distinction amid arbitrariness (stars? wtf?) since a more definitive statement isn't really being made

* Ironically, I'm going to (have to) back up my seemingly arbitrary statement with some definitive ones! Ambiguity be damned! Let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late...

* ...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Sumirti Singaravel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Sumirti by: Dad

Shelves: non-fiction, philosophy, amazing-work

A best book to begin with to acquaint with philosophy. The author has imbued the whole work with passion, clarity and brevity. The nuances of each philosophical idea is explained without turning pedantic and the striking vein of agility in his style provides a colorful read.

I enjoyed those chapters on Voltaire(my favorite writer and philosopher) and the dazzling accounts on Spinoza. Never before have I understood the philosophical stand of Kant with such a pristine lucidity. However, I am skept ...more

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Jun 04, 2018 Khyati Gautam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Subtle and finely written. It leads the way to the spiritual awakening! a must-read for anyone who shares a deep interest in non-fiction and philosophy, in particular.

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Feb 22, 2013 Nawal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reading-list, philosophie, favorites

Delightful, Compelling and involving.

In the adroit hands of Will Durant, that make even the most complicated system of thought accessible to the reader, the story of philosophy is an exciting trek into the realm of thought, from the ancient philosophers' school of Athens to modern philosophy. Durant breathes vivid life into his most influential philosophers (which include Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant (with a nod to Hegel), Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche, Bergson, Croce, Rus ...more

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May 06, 2013 Sidharth Vardhan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, philosphy, 8-usa

on bad side, book is a difficult reading and if you are new to subject might kill entirely your interest. Also it should be called 'The story of western Philosophy' as there is absolutely nothing about Asian philosophy.Also some big names from western philosophy itself are missing. For someone wanting an introduction,'Sophie's world' is incredible reading. it is for more serious students and it wins 4 stars as it is far better far better than you may find in market. you can't help respecting wri ...more

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Nov 07, 2016 Ashok Krishna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

‘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 philos ‘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!
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Nov 28, 2011 Andrew Hunt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Philosophical neophytes

Recommended to Andrew by: No one

Shelves: philosophy

Will Durant's statement about Schopenhauer's writing style can just as easily be applied to his own:

Here is no Chinese puzzle of Kantian terminology, no Hegelian obfuscation, no Spinozist geometry; everything is clarity and order; and all is admirably centered about the leading conception

of, in Durant's book's case, "the lives and opinions of the greater philosophers." Like Kant with his Prolegomena, Durant selected the title of his work with care, so as to express the purpose and intended utility of what he wrote. As Durant indicates, the book gives almost equal consideration to lives and opinions, balancing biography with philosophical exposition. The book is first and foremost a story, delving only shallowly into the wealth of ideas and controversies surrounding the work of each thinker. However, as Durant himself states in the preface, the book is not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive - as it surely could not be; my edition runs just short of 400 pages. That said, I did find Durant's selection of philosophers somewhat odd; he unexpectedly devotes a whole chapter to Herbert Spencer and a large portion of another to the largely forgotten Benedetto Croce while referring to Locke, Hume, and Hobbes only in passing and hardly glancing at Leibniz, Descartes, or (much earlier) the pre-Socratics. I suppose this selection reflects Durant's time (the book is copyrighted 1926); what is less excusable is the fact that Durant almost entirely passes over the period Bertrand Russell places under the heading of "Catholic Philosophy" in his ponderous History of Western Philosophy. Even if one has no particular prejudices regarding the philosophic merit of the works of Saint Augustine or Thomas Aquinas, their influence is undeniable, and the revolutionary character of the modern period stands out much more clearly by contrast with the medieval age.
Nevertheless, Durant's Story certainly serves as a compelling introduction to philosophy, and even manages to outshine Russell's History in places, especially as a work of scholarship - Durant's work is simply better researched, with more footnotes and a bibliography that at least exists (more than can be said for Russell's work). Finally, Durant's prose is precise and at times humorous; one of my favorite lines comes from the chapter on Spencer: "...he reconciled himself to seeing the world roll on without much heeding the heavy books he hurled in its direction." Commence uncontrollable laughter, knee-slapping, etc. Speaking as a survivor of Kant's first Critique (of which Durant gives an admirably comprehensible explication), it's a welcome relief from the oft-lamented webs of obscurantism which are philosophy's characteristic vice, and will introduce the novice without subjecting him or her to entanglement in Heliogabaline, pleonastic edifices of sesquipedalian loquaciousness. ...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Lalit Rajendran rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, philosophy

One of the best books I have ever read. It's a must read for people who want to start reading philosophy. The language is very good and the writing is passionate. It gives two things to the beginner which in my opinion are very important : the life and background of the philosopher which led him to come up with that particular philosophy and also the limitations and fallacies of every philosophical outlook, which cautions the reader when he decides to start reading any major philosophical book. ...more

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Jan 09, 2015 Daniel Ionson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy

An excellent book for ushering someone into the world of philosophy. I read this as a young man, and am grateful for its style as well as content.

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Jul 27, 2015 Rajan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I bought it purely by chance. There was a bookstore in baroda which kept my usual staple diet of thrillers etc. so as usual i went to buy my Ludlum and Forsyth. While browsing i saw it and was impressed by names most of which were unknown to me. So i bought it. And i didn't make a mistake. It is a very good book for the uninitiated. written in a clear concise form anybody can appreciate it. Gives a brief background of the philosopher and his times and then dvelves into his philosophy. It left me ...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Dhandayutha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy

A well written introduction to philosophy,the prose of Durant is delight to read even now.My pick in this introductions is on Nietzsche. His views and observation of Nietzsche is absolutely brilliant!

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Jun 18, 2014 Michael rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, science, xlong-over-400, historicity, nonfiction, philosophy-england, aa-europelit, philosophy-history, zz1926, grand-narrative

070819: i just read of the Boy Scouts of America being sued for sexual abuse history, this made me remember durant’s enthusiasm for the catholic church as plato’s republic... and we have much proof of how it has been home to years (decades? centuries?) of same sort of abuse. this is hard to read, hard to agree, that there is ever such incorruptible pedagogical model... not now, not ever...

140914 first review: according to GR this is the 300th philosophy book I have read (read 593 according to t 070819: i just read of the Boy Scouts of America being sued for sexual abuse history, this made me remember durant’s enthusiasm for the catholic church as plato’s republic... and we have much proof of how it has been home to years (decades? centuries?) of same sort of abuse. this is hard to read, hard to agree, that there is ever such incorruptible pedagogical model... not now, not ever...

140914 first review: according to GR this is the 300th philosophy book I have read (read 593 according to this, 634 according to home list 070819 i have no idea why big diff). this is a book that my father read when he was about 14 or 15, in high school, though it was first published in 1926, was already known, approved, recommended, and this was probably enough philosophy for him. he thought to become an engineer (philosophy was too ‘abstract’) he became a ‘theoretical chemist’ (or ‘chemical physicist9:’ or ‘physical chemist’... a professor of abstract physics/chemistry anyway), instead. so in reading this book I am fortunate to have conversations with the absent- the author long dead, my father far away- and there are at least three books I read in one... this is also an example of a certain intellectual loyalty to my father, in that i only read this by now, though this was significant to him- I do not have to argue with him about it...

we ran out of books I had not read, while in Waimea, so I took this copy a friend had given my father some years back. this is also the main philosophy my father has read, except for some Spinoza and William James. read 164 pages on the flight, though I might have nodded off because the trip seemed shorter. this covered Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Spinoza, some Voltaire. of whom I am somewhat familiar, but not enough to critique, except perhaps disagreeing with the author's great enthusiasm for the Plato's republic manifest by the medieval Catholic Church... generally, I was pleased, I was reading this as written- an ambitious history of western philosophy, with caveats, though perhaps tending to concepts of the author's time, eg. tendencies of thought peculiar to this or that nationality, a general tendency to link not quite deterministically the society, times, psychology, of the chosen philosopher, with the philosophy summarized. easy to read though, even if I was more interested in the thoughts than details of lives and times. had to think of what this would have been for a young, smart, poor, farm boy growing up on the wrong side of the tracks (my father)... the general idea that the world was open to intellectual analysis, that ideas could create that world, that some concepts that led to science and intelligence, rather than that heaving sea of intuition that seemed to drown as much as carry humans (his mother dying of Parkinson's, his father working and working, his sisters being emotional artist types), these ideas must have been heartening for him. rather less so for me, but more in the brilliance and horror in the years since written, it remains a pleasant hope...

yesterday, in meeting friends not seen for three weeks, there was only 100 pages read, but here and then more so today, I started to have problems with this book. read all today, so this is first impression. this was yesterday: Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer: today Spencer, Nietzsche, then European, then American philosophers contemporaneous to the author. well here is when i began to drift away from the line of his history, such as the rather cursory summation, psychological denigration, and dismissal of Kant and those German idealists, such as the impenetrable (to Durant...) therefore meaningless guy Hegel, well he is given a few pages... felt he was beginning to weigh heavily on psychology, particularly on the pessimism of Schopenhauer being a reaction to failures and horrors of the century- French Revolution, Napoleon, Seven Years War- but he was still moving quickly, perhaps I am judging too harshly... Spencer, though? basically, Durant has nothing good to say about Continental thinkers, who happen to greatly interest me, but he is getting closer to his time, he is talking about (then) living philosophers, but the conception of philosophy he worked with is exactly the kind of thinking i believe rather opposite the ideas of Husserl and his phenomenology followers... Durant's conception of philosophy seem to be that the person is only ‘subjective’ centre of life, therefore not important, that it is the ‘objective’ that is true and that natural science is the way to conceive everything from a very high altitude.. the idea all metaphysics are resolved, that all political thought should just give up and look for Philosopher Kings and set up the Republic, again, again, again...

so I liked it, less at the end than beginning, but I can see why it was written this way- popular psychology rather than philosophy- can see how it influenced my father, can see how it is for me. not bad, but better than just ok... ...more

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Aug 18, 2018 Sundus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Philosophy is to be understood as experience and thought, not as mere reading or passive study
I was embarked on an incredible journey by Will Durant. A reflection on philosopher's life made it a very interesting read. Strongly recommended particularly to those who are disinclined to philosophy because of the misconception that it is boring
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Feb 08, 2008 Paulius rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Story of Philosophy (1926)

Will Durant’s Story of Philosophy is a must-read volume. It is not a history of philosophy in the world, but stories of dominant personalities in western philosophy through their lives and work. He includes sections on Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche, Bergson, Croce, Bertrand Russell, Santayana, William James, and his own teacher at Columbia University, John Dewey.

His joy of Plato’s style is expressed when h The Story of Philosophy (1926)

Will Durant’s Story of Philosophy is a must-read volume. It is not a history of philosophy in the world, but stories of dominant personalities in western philosophy through their lives and work. He includes sections on Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche, Bergson, Croce, Bertrand Russell, Santayana, William James, and his own teacher at Columbia University, John Dewey.

His joy of Plato’s style is expressed when he says, “the difficulty in understanding Plato lies precisely in this intoxicating mixture of philosophy and poetry, of science and art.” {p. 14} Namely, Plato as poet can be fun to read. Durant is amazed by the prodigious accomplishments of Aristotle but admits, “We must not expect of Aristotle such literary brilliance as floods the pages of the dramatist-philosopher Plato. Instead of giving us great literature, in which philosophy is embodied (and obscured) in myth and imagery, Aristotle gives us science, technical, abstract, concentrated: if we go to him for entertainment we shall sue for the return of our money.” {p. 46} With Francis Bacon, we have the ultimate blend of theory and practice that I begin to accept as an ideal for myself, for Bacon “felt that studies could not be either end or wisdom in themselves, and that knowledge unapplied in action was a pale academic vanity.” {p. 86} Spinoza was Durant’s first love in the literature of philosophy. He was so gentle and wise that if only the public could read and understand his message “perhaps in his name a world torn with suicidal wars of tongue and sword might find a unity of faith and a possibility of brotherhood at last.” {p. 127} Durant made me a believer in the incredible gifts of Voltaire and part of my appreciation of this Enlightenment genius is his staunch defense of tolerance where “the very first step towards social health was the destruction of the ecclesiastical power in which intolerance had its root.” {p. 180} And then there’s the incomparable wit of Voltaire. When Rousseau sent him a copy of a “back to nature” type of book he had written, with which Voltaire heartily disagreed, the master wit wrote back to him, “I have received, sir, your new book against the human species, and I thank you for it….No one has ever been so witty as you are in trying to turn us into brutes; to read your book makes one long to go on all fours. As, however, it is now some sixty years since I gave up the practice, I feel that it is unfortunately impossible for me to resume it.” {p. 188} Durant displays a talent for telling stories with many remarkable phrases we can treasure. In one of his essays, Francis Bacon wrote, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” {p. 87} This book of Durant’s deserves to be chewed and digested.

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Jan 24, 2015 Alex Obrigewitsch rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I had a difficult time finishing this book. It suffers from the same problems that every history of philosophy that I have ever read suffers from, that being that it is tainted by the agenda and the opinion of its writer.
This is clearly manifest in the author's choices (no Descartes?), as well as his at times sketchy or selectively purposive interpretations (I'm thinking specifically of Nietzsche, as well as the offhand dismissal of Hegel).
The problem with these histories is that they very often ...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Rob rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, owned, philosophy, read-2011

A few quick comments about this amazing book:

* It is a shame it was written in the 20's and misses many great philosophical movements since that time, as I would love to know Durant's take on trends such as existentialism and feminism.

* Durant seems to have a much greater interest in the early philosophers than in more recent ones. The book became somewhat less engrossing after the French Enlightenment chapter. I don't know if that was my fault or the author's.

* I would recommend this more as a ...more

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May 12, 2020 Sajith Kumar rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy

The term ‘philosophy’ has something repulsive in the nature it sounds for most of us mortals. That is because it is most of the time mixed with obscure metaphysics that lives only in the abstract domain. This book was with me unopened for about 25 years. But when the unexpected Covid lockdown dried up my reservoir of books, there was no other option than seeking refuge in the lap of the good old dusty volume sitting in the corner of my bookshelf. It took much time to complete, but now I am not s The term ‘philosophy’ has something repulsive in the nature it sounds for most of us mortals. That is because it is most of the time mixed with obscure metaphysics that lives only in the abstract domain. This book was with me unopened for about 25 years. But when the unexpected Covid lockdown dried up my reservoir of books, there was no other option than seeking refuge in the lap of the good old dusty volume sitting in the corner of my bookshelf. It took much time to complete, but now I am not so averse to philosophy. I don’t pretend that I have understood it all, but what I had assimilated after reading the book has spawned a new respect for philosophy. Philosophy is in fact organized thinking about the fundamental nature of the world, society and man. Queries on god and soul originate as a corollary to the serious researcher, but there is enough to satisfy an inquisitive lay reader in this book which presents the great philosophers from Plato to John Dewey and the system of knowledge they promulgated. Philosophy attempts to coordinate the real in the light of the ideal. It begins when one learns to doubt, particularly to doubt one’s cherished beliefs, dogmas and axioms. Will Durant was an American writer, historian and philosopher who was best known for his work ‘The Story of Civilization’ in eleven volumes. ‘The Story of Philosophy’ is widely described as a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy.

Durant chalks out his role as a ground-breaking exercise. The difference between philosophy and science is first of all clearly established. Philosophy deals with problems that are not yet open to the methods of science like good and evil, order and freedom. As soon as a field of enquiry yields knowledge susceptible to exact formulation, it is called science. The role of an interpreter to smoothen the ride of the novices is also spelt out. If knowledge becomes too great for communication, it would degenerate into scholasticism and mankind would slip into a new age of faith, worshipping its new priests at a respectful distance. A teacher mediates between the specialist and the nation, learning the specialist’s technical jargon and breaks down the barriers between knowledge and need. The author dons that mantle for us.

Of the varied characteristics of the philosophers mentioned in the book, the readers can quickly follow the arguments of the ancient masters such as Plato and Aristotle than more recent ones. Plato had such an avid concern for philosophy that he wanted it to be taught first only after the student has reached 30 years of age; that too, after eliminating a great many through a selection process. The philosophers were never fond of socialism and would have recoiled in horror at the thought of ‘simplifying’ their work for the consumption of the masses like what this book does. Aristotle had a far-reaching writ in philosophy through his thoughts. Many of the indispensable terms we now use for philosophical thought such as faculty, maxim, mean, category and energy etc. were minted in Aristotle’s mind. With his death, the world awaited the resurrection of philosophy for a thousand years. His works were translated by Nestorians into Syriac in fifth century CE and thence into Arabic and Hebrew in the tenth century. By the year 1225, its Latin translations were ready, thereby making them accessible to Europe. Crusaders brought back more accurate copies of works. With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Greek scholars of the city brought further Athenian treasures with them, when they fled from the besieging Turks.

The legacy of Aristotle reigned supreme through the Middle Ages till it was challenged by Francis Bacon. He resolved to set philosophy into a more fertile path, to turn it from scholastic disputation to the illumination and increase of human good. As with other philosophers, the democratic spirit did not appeal to Renaissance thinkers as well. Bacon distrusts people, who were in his day without access to education. Philosophers pined for an aristocracy which was entitled to rule. Plato had even called for a philosopher king.

The turf of philosophy too witnessed the transition of economic and political processes from feudal aristocracy to the rule of the middle class. Voltaire and Rousseau were the two voices that signaled this process. The first stirrings of dethronement of kings from history were seen in Voltaire’s philosophy of history in its attempt to trace the streams of natural causation in the development of European mind. The nineteenth century saw monarchy give way to universities as the asylum of philosophers.

Nietzsche’s philosophy was said to be the theoretical bedrock of autocratic polities of the Nazis and Fascists. Durant gives a faithful narrative of the German scholar’s thought that is sure to upset a modern mind steeped in liberal ideology. Nietzsche argued unblinkingly for the elite among the elite. Because of democracy and Judeo-Christian morals, the strong are now ashamed of their strength and begin to seek reasons for their prominence rather than asserting it unhesitatingly. The whole morality of Europe is based upon the values which are useful only to the herd. The formula for societal decay is that the virtues proper to the herd infecting the leaders and breaking them into common clay. Nietzsche also advocates the rearing of a class of supermen to rule the society. The superman is a superior individual rising out of mass mediocrity by deliberate breeding and careful nurture. They must have good birth in a noble family. Intellect alone does not enable and an element of heredity is also accounted for. They are to be subjected to severe schooling where perfection will be extracted as a matter of course. A man so born and bred would be beyond good and evil. Other people should serve the superman. For Nietzsche, war is an admirable remedy for peoples that are growing weak. War and universal military service are the antidotes to democratic effeminacy. No wonder he was anathema to the progressive mind of the twentieth century.

A great drawback of the book is that it is confined to Western philosophy with not even an aerial survey of Indian and Chinese philosophical systems. This is especially jarring as the author finds Indian influence in Spinoza’s remarks such as ‘the greatest good is the knowledge of the union which the mind has with the whole nature’. The misogyny of the reputed philosophers will surprise modern readers. Schopenhauer’s conviction that the most distinguished intellects among the whole [feminine] sex have never managed to produce a single achievement in the fine arts that is really genuine and original; or given to the world any work of permanent value in any sphere (p.343) is a representative sample written in the latter half of nineteenth century. The author also tries to train the readers in properly appreciating philosophy. You should not read a book of philosophy all at once, but in small portions at many sittings. And having finished it, consider that you have begun to understand it. Read then some commentary. Finally, read the book again which will feel like a new one. When you’ve finished it, you will remain forever a lover of philosophy (p.170).

Durant has followed as witty a narrative as a book of philosophy can afford. However, I don’t claim that I enjoyed it, though it is equally true that I don’t repent it either. Such books mark a milestone in your reading life rather than providing a quick dose of fleeting pleasure. I regard completing this great work the same as my ‘conquest’ of Arnold Toynbee’s ‘A Study of History’ in eleven volumes (reviewed earlier). This particular volume was especially difficult with its very small typeface for the main text and the still smaller quotes and foot notes.

The book is highly recommended for serious readers.
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Jul 15, 2018 Phrodrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Of the several efforts I have made to acquaint myself with the leading western philosophers, Will Durant’s The Story of Philosophy has left me with the least respect for most of these men. The 4 stars are because I think Durant tells his version well enough and I was certainly engaged. It is not his fault if so many of the great minds were disappointing. My recommendation is that you skip this book and select instead: The Western Intellectual Tradition: From Leonardo to Hegel.

When I told one Goo ...more

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Apr 10, 2015 Corey Wozniak rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The only fault of this book is the eye-straining font size; otherwise, this was a perfectly interesting and enlightening introduction to "the story of philosophy." Durrant is a terrific guide through the annals of philosophic history: he is witty, poetic, and erudite. Most important, he has a talent for simplicity without oversimplification. I appreciated that Durrant included long sections of the ver batim words of philosophers themselves. What I most liked is that he put flesh on the philosoph ...more

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Oct 09, 2016 Pavan Dharanipragada rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, non-fiction

Everyone is a philosopher in some capacity. We all have some belief as how the world works, how we should live and what we should live for. Some of us acquire it from parents or elders or other role-models or even movies. Some take it from religion. It's easy really, because it is passive mostly. But for others things start to lose sense. All the certainties they had in their youth start crumbling away. Or maybe they never were truly comfortable with the world they were living in. It is these pe Everyone is a philosopher in some capacity. We all have some belief as how the world works, how we should live and what we should live for. Some of us acquire it from parents or elders or other role-models or even movies. Some take it from religion. It's easy really, because it is passive mostly. But for others things start to lose sense. All the certainties they had in their youth start crumbling away. Or maybe they never were truly comfortable with the world they were living in. It is these personal crises that drive one to search for a new truth based on all the wonderful models of it made by her predecessors.

So here we have comprehensive introductions to nine such models from history and their proponents, and shorter introductions to contemporary (in 1926) philosophers. We have the lives these masters led, their influences and their impact. We have everything important that they said and what they thought about everything important. You could see these were the minds that determined the course of western civilisation and represent a wide range of philosophies, including Eastern ones through a couple of proxies.

Plato was the original master. He was extremely ambitious and he had the sort of command over everyone to realise his utopia. Every subsequent philosopher either reproduced his conclusions through their ideas or reacted strongly against his ideas.
Aristotle practically created logic. He drove Western philosophy for a long time; his theories were dogmatised by the Catholic Church and the aristocracy.
Francis Bacon fathered the scientific method and materialism and shaped England's destiny as the pioneer of industrial societies.
Spinoza was "the greatest philosopher of modern times". He sought to create a set of ethics not centered on God. "To be a philosopher, one must be a Spinozist first."
Voltaire taught us how to read history and why we should value liberty as our highest ideal; something we take for granted now.
Immanuel Kant was big on epistemology. He made us take several steps back in assuming what we know. He tried to make religion go back to its rightful space and not fight a battle with science it was certain to lose.
I loved Schopenhauer. He has just the kind of mix of depression and purpose in his writing that appeals to me. There's a lot of influence of Eastern, especially Buddhist, philosophy in his work. Maybe that's why it appealed to me so much. It's familiar.
Herbert Spencer was incredibly boring. His philosophy was based on the theory of evolution and it didn't do much for me. It felt like he lacked the conviction to take his premises to their logical conclusions which Nietzsche would do later. Apparently his celebrity dwindled soon after this book was written.
Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy is deplorable but so very charismatic. It characterises all the horrors of late 19th and early 20th centuries. God is dead, he says. Of course, he didn't mean there was actually an entity alive called God who later died, but that we didn't need God for morality anymore and he sought to replace Him with his Übermensch.
Then there are Bergson, Croce and Bertrand Russell from Europe, and Santayana, William James and John Dewey from America. Important thinkers from 20th century. Dr. B R Ambedkar studied under John Dewey at Columbia University.

Philosophy is ultimately generalisation. You pick the ones that work for you, make you happy and give a meaning to the chaos. Will Durant guides admirably in helping you understand the various philosophies you may take a shine to while gently nudging toward ones he values. Keep an open mind and jump into the shallows. Let the current that feels the strongest to you guide you to the depths.

P. S. : This is my hundredth read book on Goodreads. Yay for an accomplishment. ...more

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About Will Durant

Will Durant

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William James Durant was a prolific American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for the 11-volume The Story of Civilization, written in collaboration with his wife Ariel and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for his book, The Story of Philosophy, written in 1926, which was considered "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy."

They were awarde ...more