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)

Philosophy 101 review

Do you ever find yourself wanting to join a conversation about philosophy and finding that you just can't remember what Nietzsche or Kant postulated anymore? This book'll fix that.

As with all audiobooks but especially with material like this, a drawback is that sometimes you might find yourself wishing you could re-read a particular line or sit with it a while before moving on..

The only other shortcoming of the book for contemporary readers is that it was written nearly a hundred years ago, so it ends with Bergson, Willam James, Dewey, and Santayana. There are no feminists or postmodernists discussed.

It's not an especially difficult text to follow. You don't need a college degree or experience with philosophy to enjoy this one. It's beautifully written and read very pleasingly.

Good, but has some curious omissions.

Any additional comments?

Any history of philosophy will inevitably be a subjective history of philosophy. Will Durant has a strong grip on the philosopies of various great people and does a good job at simplifying the more complex ideas. However, there are some curious exclusions here; the pre-socratics are omitted, Descartes is only mentioned in relation to others (although it is clear he does not like him too much, which is understandable), Hobbes and Locke are also omitted. Since the book was written in the early 20th century, obviously some more recent philosophers are also missing. Personally, I wish he spent slightly less time detailing the lives of some of these philosophers and instead spent that time analysing more of their works. Still, I understand the need of context and to paint the people from whence the philosophies originated. It's a great, engaging listen.

Welcome to Western Philosophy

This was a delight, (as much as that is possible for Schopenhauer.) There are wide gaps between philosophers, but Durant does such a good job of distilling the lives and thoughts of the ones he includes that it is a very worthwhile listen. The navel gazers come alive as men and Durant includes an abstract of the man's philosophy and then a section of criticism. I found it a very good introduction to the study of Western thought. Also, I'm glad that my opinion of Aristotle is not unique to me.

What a book!

Easily the best summation of 2500 years of Western philosophy and easily the most engrossing food for thought!

the most enlightening book of them all

If you could sum up The Story of Philosophy in three words, what would they be?

open your mind

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Story of Philosophy?

honestly, most of the stories rush you to read, in greater depth, about the lives and philosophies introduced in this book

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

his pacing allows for digestion

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the whole book; I love this book and am listening to it again.

Any additional comments?

don't let your life pass without reading the Story of Philosophy.

What a intro!

'On the usage of philisophy' is real romantic chapter. I appreciate it. thanx Mr. Drant.

Fantastic survey of philosophy

This book is eye opening and educational, especially to someone who is looking for a broad overview of the most important philosophers and their contributions to human wisdom.

I'm more aware and less afraid of death because...

of this book. Get busy living. Our history is rich, and there's good yet to be done after/while learning as much as we can about the hell our ancestors have given their lives to help us avoid. Meaning is in how much of yourself you're willing to give this world.

Excellent overview

This is well written and read. It clarifies the historic stream of western philosophy. I highly recommend it.

I want to read all these geniuses now

Grover Gardener managed to imprint as much charm into his reading as Will Durant did to the book.