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)

It's all been pondered before

I’ve always enjoyed philosophical ideas and discussions, but never knew all that much about the history of philosophy. This book turned out to be a fine corrective, and was a surprisingly accessible, engaging read as well.

Durant covers what he considers the major figures of Western philosophy, starting from the ancient Greeks and working his way up his own time, the 1920s. Some get more attention than others, but you’ll find most of the “household names” here, and Durant follows a formula that works pretty well. He sets up each philosopher’s life and historical context, provides a collage of the philosopher’s ideas, then adds some criticism of his own. Between his dry wit and his lively exploration of biographical details, the examination feels more like a good documentary than a lecture. Grover Gardner’s light, warm audiobook narration helped, too.

Beneath each figure and his ideas, Durant traces the evolution of thought, and shows the way philosophy laid the groundwork for science, ethics, systems of political ideas, and various ways of thinking about the nature of existence. In reading about Plato’s Republic, we see that the problems of government that we wrestle over today are nothing new at all -- indeed, his notion of “philosopher statesmen” expresses a set of ideals all too compromised in our current democratic system. In Spinoza’s determinist rationalism and Voltaire’s sharp, savage wit, we see the currents of reason and enlightenment pushing against previous centuries of superstition and dogma. In Kant and Schopenhauer we see the pendulum swinging the other way again, towards an understanding that rationality does not exist apart from human experience and its limitations, and that any framework of thought or ethics must grapple with this. This reaches full extension in the strident views of Nietchze, who views existence as a Darwinian struggle for mastery. Considering all the things Durant (or anyone else living in 1926) didn’t yet know about how far Nietzsche's philosophy would be twisted ten years hence, his calm analysis of “a few issues” in it is chilling.

Later chapters provide a short overview of early 20th century thinkers, such as Bertrand Russell, George Santayana, and John Dewey, who attempt to steer philosophy away from its 19th century idealism, and back into a more scientifically-grounded, analytical realm.

The Story of Philosophy definitely isn’t a comprehensive overview of Western philosophy (as others have noted, there could be more on Locke, Hobbes, Descartes, and Hume), but it’s a great introduction, written on a higher level than a “For Dummies” guide, but hardly dull or incomprehensible. It's a little humbling to recognize that, for virtually every political, ethical, moral, or religious debate I can imagine getting sucked into, the underlying questions have all long ago been well-pondered by towering intellects.

PS. For an amusing supplement, be sure to search youtube for "Three Minute Philosophy"

Narrator ruined it

I had high hopes for this audiobook because of the reviews. However the narrator has a monotone voice that caused me to space off and miss portions. The story itself is interesting so I might buy a physical copy.

one of the really great overviews through philosop

laden with much content and written in a good, yet sometimes dry fashion, this book walks you through the history of western philosophy from the ancient Greek to modern times. certainly highly recommendable.

informative,well done.

I enjoyed this information im studying History and I got a look at what philosophers were involved at what times and the what,who,and where of there influence.

will Durant is dope

will Durant does a great job bringing philosophy to the layman! thank you for your indelible spirit

Interesting, but biased

This book is worth listening to for the historical facts that it offers, as well as for its comprehensiveness. Durant touches on a good number of important philosophers since ancient Greece, and does so with great depth. However, it's important to take into consideration that this is not a new book, and that it depends on the scholarship of its time. Certain readings of later philosophers seem outdated, e.g. the understanding of Nietzsche's will to power and his superman, who, despite appearing only early in _Zarathustra_ and then being discarded, is given a lot of significance. As long as one is aware that the author is presenting only his understanding of the philosophers and that his take does not represent the absolute truth, this is a decent read.

Wonderful introduction to philosophy

this book provides an excellent introduction to philosophy. each philosopher was chosen for their critical importance in building and advancing the art and science of thought. not only is the philosophy of each presented but the lives and influences of the men who wrote them as well. this wonderful addition of context, paired with well reasoned critiques, provides perspective into the formation of the most influential philosophies of western civilization. this book whets appetites but does not satisfy, allowing readers to identify what resonates and to pursue further upon finishing. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is intrigued by philosophy but unsure of where to even begin. begin here.

A Great Classic ...👍🏿

One of the great books that never ages. You can't expext less from Will Durant.

Informative

Excellent introduction. I now intend to drill down on several of these philosophers and look for the best minds in this generation.

A CLASSIC TO STIMULATE YOUR THOUGHTS

THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST LISTEN OF A CLASSIC. NOT ONLY DO YOU GET A BREIF OF SOME OF THE GREATEST THINKERS, BUT YOU GET IT IN THE MOST SIMPLIFIED MANNER WITHOUT WATERED DOWN OVER SIMPLIFICATION.