The Story of Philosophy

The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers

By: Will Durant

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 19 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The product of 11 years of research, The Story of Philosophy is an endlessly inspiring and instructive chronicle of the world’s greatest thinkers, from Socrates to Santayana. Written with exacting and scrupulous scholarship, it was designed both to command the respect of educators and to capture the interest of the layman.

Durant lucidly describes the philosophical systems of such world-famous “monarchs of the mind” as Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Kant, Voltaire, and Nietzsche. Along with their ideas, he offers their flesh-and-blood biographies, placing their thoughts within their own time and place and elucidating their influence on our modern intellectual heritage. This book is packed with wisdom and wit.

Will Durant (1885-1981) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He spent over 50 years writing his critically acclaimed 11-volume series The Story of Civilization. A champion of human-rights issues such as social reform and the brotherhood of man long before they were popular, he continues to educate and entertain readers and listeners worldwide through his writings.

©1926 Will Durant (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A delight.” ( New York Times)

“Easily the most engaging writer of Western intellectual history in the English language, Will Durant breathes life into philosophers and their ideas. He is colorful, witty, and above all, informative.” (Amazon.com review)

Introduction to Knowledge wonderful Interesting

Great Indroduction to Wordley Thoughts and ideas.....Must for enquiry in Minds.Young and mature every where.

Great Introduction

This is a introductory story of philosophy. The author reffers to some important philosophers. The book begins with greek philosophy and ends with "contemporary" american philosophy (George Santayana, William James and John Dewey). Some of the greatest thinkers were there. The reader should not expect though an exaustive exposition. The story is straight and give relevant insights about the works of the philosophers examined.The narration is good, specially for a foreig like me.

This was the best use of my time I have ever spent

The most pleasant reading by Mr Grover Gardner of one of the most important timelines of thought.
I'm grateful I was born in such a time to hear this story. Thank great ghosts of the past! Thank you Will Durant and thank you Grover Gardner.

awesome introductory book.

Absolutely a must for students and everyone, enjoyed listening. The book gives a good presentation of the timeline in the history of philosophy.

Philosophy made Enjoyable

Where does The Story of Philosophy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A very enjoyable read- not the subject matter/ type of book that I could really put at the top of my all time best listens- can't fault wither Durant or Gardner for that.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

How surprisingly pleasant it was to follow.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

I found this a nice introduction to philosophy- a history coming from the perspective of a 20th century philosopher.

Impeccable

The book provides a great interpretation of the Western philosophical luminaries starting with Socrates.
The book was a treat. I wish it also covered some other Western philosophers as well as philosophers of the East.

Great Overview

This doesn’t provide the depth but it does hit on the big philosophers. To read them all would take a lifetime. Of course it’s written from one persons point of view, but it still is good. Balance it with other reading and the writings of the philosophers themselves. This is a good source to get started in an area or type of philosophy, then you can choose the schools of thought that speak to you.

Well written, well told, well worth a listen

Where does The Story of Philosophy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Story of Philosophy was written in 1925. It was among the earliest books by Mr. Durant. It is a delight. As the title implies it is a survey of the great philosophers - their lives, their thought, their place in history. For anyone interested in gaining an appreciation of such things it would you would be hard pressed to find a better resource. For those seeking to reacquaint themselves with matters last contemplated years ago in school, it is similarly valuable. The level of detail is just right for either of these purposes, as is the selection of the philosophers Mr. Durant covers. In addition he writes beautifully. I found this book an absolute pleasure.

Mind opening!

The performance of this book brings to life the wealth of ideas Will Durant has set forth. Perfect deep introduction to the writings of founding philosophers.

Fantastic and insightful book

Solid listen and masterly narration! I particularly enjoyed the section on Spinoza.
The SoP gives an overview of the lives and works of the most renowned philosophers, and analyzes their ideas in terms of social, political, religious and psychological contexts.
The book is made up of the following chapters:
1. Plato (as well as analysis of Socrates’ life and teaching)
2. Aristotle
3. Francis Bacon
4. Baruch Spinoza (also reference to Descartes)
5. Voltaire
6. Immanuel Kant (a brief look at Locke, Rousseau and a note on Hegel)
7. Arthur Schopenhauer
8. Herbert Spencer (and Darwinism)
9. Friedrich Nietzsche (N. and Wagner)
10. Henri Bergson
11. Benedetto Croce
12. Bertrand Russell
13. George Santayana
14. William James
15. John Dewey
Here’s an inspiring quotation from the SoP. ‘Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art. It arises in hypothesis and flows into achievement. Philosophy is a hypothetical interpretation of the unknown or of the inexactly known ; it is the front trench in the siege of truth.’