Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

A great introduction to western thought. Avoids huge tangles that would swamp first timers. An absolute masterpiece, so far (havent finished".

"Sophies World" by Jostein Gaarder is an absolute gem for anyone interested in philosophy or seeking an engaging introduction to the subject. The novel masterfully intertwines the story of a young girl, Sophie, with the history of philosophical thought, making complex ideas accessible and enjoyable.
What I particularly loved about this book is how Gaarder weaves philosophical lessons into the narrative, guiding the reader through the thoughts of major philosophers, from Socrates and Plato to Kant and Sartre. The storytelling is captivating, and the philosophical insights are thought-provoking, making it a perfect read for both newcomers and those familiar with philosophy.
This book offers a unique experience—its not just a history of philosophy but an invitation to reflect on lifes big questions.

This book is a fun, fantastical hybrid of fiction and non-fiction reading, primarily geared towards younger adults. The fiction part of it centers around a 14-year-old Norwegian girl named Sophie and her philosophy teacher Alberto. The non-fiction elements (Alberto’s lessons to his younger pupil, a proxy for the reader) are a lovely journey through the history of philosophy.

Before reading this book, I had only a layman’s understanding of philosophy. Now, I have a general framework for the evolution of ideas from Socrates to Freud. I can confidently say I understand the difference between rationalism and empiricism, and who came to which conclusion about how human beings process the world around them. (Rationalism is the belief that human reason is the primary source of our knowledge of the world, first developed by Plato. Empiricism posits that the world is primarily derived from what we perceive via our senses, most famously written about by the English philosopher John Locke.) I now also understand why Immanuel Kant’s work was so groundbreaking, because he was the first renowned philosopher to argue that both of these ideas are true and need to be considered together. He subsequently pushed humanity’s collective understanding of the world around us one step further forward, as all great philosophers have done.

I learned that Socrates’ mother was a midwife, which helped him to metaphorically give birth to the Socratic Method. “Socrates saw his task as helping people to ‘give birth’ to the correct insight, since real understanding must come from within. It cannot be imparted by someone else. And only the understanding that comes from within can lead to true insight.” If you’ve ever been in a heated argument with someone, especially about issues of real importance to one or both of you, then you know how futile it is to beg, bribe, or force the other person to accept your reasoning. It does happen occasionally, but more often than not arguments end with both parties leaving with a reenforced belief in their own ideas. The reason the Socratic Method has been around for so long is because it derives its usefulness from asking questions and searching for the truth together. Truth and compromise are collective endeavors. (And by truth in this sense, I don’t mean empirical truths like 2+2=4. I mean theoretical truths. For example, if I said life is short, you might agree, but you certainly couldn’t disagree. Likewise, if I said that life is long, again you might agree, but again you couldn’t disagree.) Theoretical truths are slippery things because they are subjective, which make them prime rib for a hungry philosophical discussion.

The most important lesson in this book is that philosophy is a product of its time. Older philosophers had more theological based ideas in addition to stunted opinions about the roles women played in society. As science gave us answers to the mechanics of the universe, and the Age of Enlightenment spread through Europe and the western world, newer philosophers had less to say about the Gods and more to say about the individual—not to mention more favorable opinions about women. Philosophy mirrors any specified field of study (ie. science, law, or medicine) in that our modern day knowledge stands upon the foundations laid by history. As the collective knowledge of humanity progresses, so must our relationship to the ideas proposed by each new generation. For example, Friedrich Nietzsche (a German philosopher who lived from 1844-1900) was the first philosopher to pronounce that “God is dead.” He was not the first to think it or say it, but he was the first independent thinker to popularize the idea in his writing and it subsequently took a cultural hold in Europe at the time. If he had tried the same thing a few centuries earlier, however, he most likely would have been exiled or executed for heresy. His philosophy was the next step in the evolution of popular thinking. Today, western countries inhabit a culture of abundant secularism. This is the realm from which history will record its next great philosopher(s).

Philosophy as a genre concerns itself with the big existential questions; Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? What can we know for certain about our existence? “There are two kinds of philosophers.” Gaarder writes, “One is a person who seeks his own answers to philosophical questions. The other is someone who is an expert on the history of philosophy but does not necessarily construct his own philosophy.” If you’ve gotten to this point in my review, you clearly have an interest in the subject. So, I ask you, which kind of philosopher are you?

We are reading it now and love it! Got one for my daughter. Came new and perfect.

I dont give five stars lightly, but this book deserves them. The only thing I find lacking a little is that the few explanations of physical phenomena to be found in the book, leave something to be desired. But the philosophy is very well explained, without the usual technical jargon that makes it difficult to digest for the beginner. If you have a "love of wisdom" (thats what philosophy means,) and some inclination for abstract thinking, this book can serve a very good short introduction to the subject. At the same time, the story interwoven with the philosophy classes is very very imaginative, and makes you want to keep reading to know how will all end.
Several things are left unresolved. For instance, will Alberto and Sophie be able to go back to the real world? Are her mother and friends also part of the "ghost world"? I got the impression at the end that the author was thinking on a sequel. Id love a sequel on a more detailed treatment of analytical philosophy and logical positivism, including the work of Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russel, Rudolf Carnap , A. J. Ayer and Willard van Orman Quine. He could throw in a little propositional logic for good measure. The story should continue with the same characters of course.
And why stop there? He could have a sequel on the concepts of Math and another on Physics, for example. :-) Just kidding, but I liked the style of the presentation so much, that the idea of the sequels came to me. I might be tempted some day on writing the Math and Physics parts myself, without plagiarizing of course.

I heard about Sophies world from a friend who graduated with a degree in Philosophy. My college work is with the history of ideas, but theres certainly significant overlap. I thought I might see if it would be good to give to my parents and siblings so they might have SOME idea just what I was spending my time at college learning. How could I describe why Id take an entire class of reading Kant? Where to even begin in my discussion of the reception of Kierkegaard, or Western Marxism?

Of course, I couldnt recommend something I hadnt tried myself. I had a bus ride to read it, so I gave it a shot. I found myself quickly wrapped up in it; the drama of intellectual history is wrapped up with the fictional drama splendidly. It means the book is never dull or drags -- as the philosophy gets deeper, the story gets stronger. I plowed right through it.

I couldnt help but wonder, though, if it only went so fast because I was so familiar with the subject. My high-school aged, math-focused younger brother, who hadnt engaged with philosophy at all, picked it up after me. He figured hed read a chapter a day -- instead, he too wound up pulled in it and finished it quickly, and has found himself looking for more and more ways to get into philosophy.

Is the book comprehensive? No. Its a simple work, and those looking for a more in-depth overview might check out Russells or Coplestons histories of Philosophy. But it gives a wonderful overview of the history of thought -- a fantastic framework for those starting off, and a charming review for even those swimming deep in the subject.

really boring book tbh

We used this book as the text for my intro to philosophy class in college. I am an avid reader and having a book as a textbook for an already amazing class put it at the top of my favorites. Sophies story begins like any ordinary book but you soon realize that its going to be anything but. I had never been interested in the historic side of philosophy and my knowledge on the topic stopped with a week long lesson in 6th grade. With the help of my amazing philosophy professor, this book quickly turned into one of my favorites, and I was able to learn about topics bigger than myself. Sophies World is only book that I was excited to write 5 papers on. Due to covid, we werent able to finish it (we did get to the big reveal with the Major and Hilde, which I totally called) but I will be finishing this on my own. Whether for a class or not, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to delve a little deeper into what makes us, us. Just make sure to keep an open mind because Gaarder will definitely throw you for a loop :)

Sophie’s World is a novel about the history of philosophy. It is also a novel about a young Norwegian girl named Sophie. I can’t give away too much of the structure without spoiling some of the mystery that unfolds over the course of the book, but suffice it to say there are some strange twists to the plot that make the story interesting, if a bit bizarre, and are actually useful in illustrating some of the points of the volume.

I am not a philosopher, but I have studied enough philosophy to recognize when a named philosopher is being described accurately. Within the realm of academia, of course, there are heated debates about what Plato really meant and whether the Cynics were always in earnest. However, this book takes the entry level historical discussions of philosophers and presents their perspectives in a recognizable way. Leave it to the college professor to nuance the understanding, and deepen it with more data, but this is Newtonian physics in a quantum world: pretty close to accurate and simple enough to gain a foothold for later exploration.

As a Christian theologian, the representations of Christian thinkers was the most distorted. The Christians depicted by Gaarder are flat and lifeless. This is probably the way a philosopher views the explanations of some of the different schools of philosophy. It isn’t debilitating, but it is unimpressive. Some students are likely to gain a little of the famous sophomoric skepticism from reading the book, but a rich immersion in theology afterward is likely to help reinforce sound doctrine.

Sophie’s World also has strong preference for the myth of progress. The storyline of philosophy is presented as if each philosopher advanced on the theories of previous philosophers toward some future state when, if Gaarder got his way, everyone would be governed by the United Nations. Considering that this book was originally published by a Norwegian in 1994, that view of things is understandable, but that piece of the story gets a little preachy.

Some parents may have concern about a few elements of the story, as well. Throughout the story, the young teenager Sophie lies to her mother (her estranged father is away at sea) and meets up alone with a middle-aged man who becomes her philosophy tutor. Parts of this read like the lead up to a 20/20 episode, but fortunately it doesn’t result in the tragic end that would have made the air. In the chapter on Sigmund Freud there is a reference to a boy dreaming about balloons that are said to represent a girl’s breasts, which is pretty tame as Freud goes.

The last couple of chapters dip into the absurd. At Sophie’s philosophy themed birthday party the participants behave bizarrely, with one of Sophie’s friend pouncing on a male classmate with kissing implied and apparent sex in the bushes, off camera. The girl declares that she’s pregnant (absurdly) to reinforce just what’s going on. Of course, what the reader gets from some of these references will depend on what the reader knows, so parents are likely to read more into the stories than an innocent child. In any case, none of these concerns are enough to justify avoiding the book. The questionable content is not extreme, nor is it close to what is available in a lot of young adult literature, but it is easier to know in advance as a parent than to find out after your child points it out.

As a vehicle for communicating the history of philosophy, this is an excellent volume. There are points where the text does turn a bit dry and the dialogue does seem more like philosophy notes than conversation, but the novel is a vessel for the content. As a novel, this would not be on my list of top stories, but there is enough story and character to make the drier content more engaging. Taken as a whole, this is a very useful tool for introducing a young student to philosophy in a manageable, reasonably entertaining format.

Note: This is an edited version of a review posted at Ethics and Culture.

"Sophies World" by Jostein Gaarder offers a unique blend of fiction and philosophy, taking readers on an intriguing journey through the history of Western thought. The novel follows Sophie Amundsen, a teenager who receives mysterious letters introducing her to the great philosophers and their ideas. While the concept is engaging, the execution leaves much to be desired.

On the positive side, Gaarders attempt to present philosophical ideas through a narrative framework is commendable. The book simplifies complex concepts, making them more accessible to younger readers or those new to philosophy. The mysterious and whimsical plot can captivate the imagination and spark curiosity about philosophical inquiries.

However, better sources are available for those seeking a more rigorous and comprehensive understanding of philosophy. The books narrative can sometimes feel overly simplistic and even a bit silly, detracting from the seriousness of the subject matter. The fictional elements, while creative, may not appeal to readers looking for a more straightforward and scholarly approach to learning about philosophy.

In conclusion, "Sophies World" is a decent introductory read for those curious about philosophy but might not satisfy those seeking in-depth knowledge. It is an interesting blend of story and education but falls short in providing a thorough and serious exploration of philosophical history.