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For nearly a century, readers have turned to this book not to become philosophers, but to understand why philosophy matters. If you have ever felt intimidated by Immanuel Kant or confused by Aristotle, this is the book that promises—and delivers—clarity.
Voltaire and Immanuel Kant (The Enlightenment and Its Critique)
Durant believed philosophy had been locked away in academic jargon for too long. His goal was to show that philosophy matters —to politics, ethics, religion, and daily life. He writes:
| | Note | |-----------|----------| | Dated | Written in 1926; ignores 20th-century giants (Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Popper, Sartre, de Beauvoir). Later editions add a brief chapter on Dewey and Bergson, but it’s still incomplete. | | Eurocentric | Entirely Western. No Confucius, Buddha, Ibn Rushd, or Islamic Golden Age thinkers. | | Sometimes oversimplifies | To keep the prose lively, Durant elides technical distinctions (e.g., Kant’s transcendental aesthetic is glossed). | | Biased toward pragmatic, atheistic, liberal views | Durant was a secular humanist. He admires religious skeptics (Voltaire) and downplays medieval or Christian philosophy almost entirely (Aquinas gets a few pages). | story of philosophy by will durant
This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later.
| | Focus | |-------------|------------| | Plato | Ideal state, theory of Forms, Socrates as mentor | | Aristotle | Logic, ethics (Golden Mean), politics, science | | Francis Bacon | Inductive method, “knowledge is power” | | Spinoza | God/nature, determinism, rational ethics | | Voltaire | Enlightenment, deism, religious tolerance | | Immanuel Kant | Critique of Pure Reason, duty-based ethics | | Schopenhauer | Will to live, pessimism, art as escape | | Herbert Spencer | Social Darwinism, evolutionary philosophy | | Friedrich Nietzsche | Will to power, Übermensch, master morality |
Durant’s prose is romantic, energetic, and engaging, transforming complex dialogues into compelling drama. For nearly a century, readers have turned to
Plato and Aristotle anchor the classical era, establishing the foundational questions of justice, governance, ethics, and logic.
: Henri Bergson, Benedetto Croce, Bertrand Russell, George Santayana, William James, and John Dewey. Amazon.com Central Themes and Philosophy Book Review: The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant
A fair critique: Durant focuses almost exclusively on European males. Eastern philosophy (Confucius, Buddha, the Upanishads) gets a brief, respectful nod but no deep treatment. And some of his scientific assumptions are quaint. His goal was to show that philosophy matters
Durant arranges the philosophers not just chronologically, but thematically, tracing the evolution of the Western mind.
The "Giant of Königsberg" is the most difficult philosopher, but Durant pulls off a miracle. He explains Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (What can I know?) and the Critique of Practical Reason (What should I do?) with surprising simplicity. He introduces the Categorical Imperative—act only according to rules that could become universal law—without causing the reader a headache.
For nearly a century, readers have turned to this book not to become philosophers, but to understand why philosophy matters. If you have ever felt intimidated by Immanuel Kant or confused by Aristotle, this is the book that promises—and delivers—clarity.
Voltaire and Immanuel Kant (The Enlightenment and Its Critique)
Durant believed philosophy had been locked away in academic jargon for too long. His goal was to show that philosophy matters —to politics, ethics, religion, and daily life. He writes:
| | Note | |-----------|----------| | Dated | Written in 1926; ignores 20th-century giants (Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Popper, Sartre, de Beauvoir). Later editions add a brief chapter on Dewey and Bergson, but it’s still incomplete. | | Eurocentric | Entirely Western. No Confucius, Buddha, Ibn Rushd, or Islamic Golden Age thinkers. | | Sometimes oversimplifies | To keep the prose lively, Durant elides technical distinctions (e.g., Kant’s transcendental aesthetic is glossed). | | Biased toward pragmatic, atheistic, liberal views | Durant was a secular humanist. He admires religious skeptics (Voltaire) and downplays medieval or Christian philosophy almost entirely (Aquinas gets a few pages). |
This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later.
| | Focus | |-------------|------------| | Plato | Ideal state, theory of Forms, Socrates as mentor | | Aristotle | Logic, ethics (Golden Mean), politics, science | | Francis Bacon | Inductive method, “knowledge is power” | | Spinoza | God/nature, determinism, rational ethics | | Voltaire | Enlightenment, deism, religious tolerance | | Immanuel Kant | Critique of Pure Reason, duty-based ethics | | Schopenhauer | Will to live, pessimism, art as escape | | Herbert Spencer | Social Darwinism, evolutionary philosophy | | Friedrich Nietzsche | Will to power, Übermensch, master morality |
Durant’s prose is romantic, energetic, and engaging, transforming complex dialogues into compelling drama.
Plato and Aristotle anchor the classical era, establishing the foundational questions of justice, governance, ethics, and logic.
: Henri Bergson, Benedetto Croce, Bertrand Russell, George Santayana, William James, and John Dewey. Amazon.com Central Themes and Philosophy Book Review: The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant
A fair critique: Durant focuses almost exclusively on European males. Eastern philosophy (Confucius, Buddha, the Upanishads) gets a brief, respectful nod but no deep treatment. And some of his scientific assumptions are quaint.
Durant arranges the philosophers not just chronologically, but thematically, tracing the evolution of the Western mind.
The "Giant of Königsberg" is the most difficult philosopher, but Durant pulls off a miracle. He explains Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (What can I know?) and the Critique of Practical Reason (What should I do?) with surprising simplicity. He introduces the Categorical Imperative—act only according to rules that could become universal law—without causing the reader a headache.
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