The Story of Philosophy

I bought this book several years ago but only ever read a few chapters. I found it an unpleasant read as it seemed to be printed on cheap paper. There also seemed to be huge gaps between the Classical world at one end and the Early Modern period and later at the other. This is like jumping from Beowulf to Shakespeare and missing out Chaucer & Langland in a history of English literature or jumping from C P Bach to Beethoven and missing out Haydn and Mozart in a history of music.

What's the point of calling it a 'history' as opposed to the 'group of philosophers that this author is willing to include since they don't contradict his prejudices too much'? Is that meant to be objective scholarship?

Despite all the other reviews here, I bought this to enlighten myself as to what philosophy was all about and what the philosophers actually said. I ended up struggling through this book very much none the wiser.

The style I found to be haphazard and fawning in places (particularly on Voltaire). The logic (if any) behind who got picked, the overall structure and the individual stories eluded me completely.

As someone who once studied science this only came to life in the parts that talked about Darwin and the impact on / of philosophy, but generally the whole contribution of these 'great' people to western civilisation escaped me completely - I clearly need a simpler guide!

Will Durant was one of the great historians -- and great popularizers of history -- this century has seen. This book was first written in the twenties yet it is still as readable, relevant, informative and engaging as ever. Those who liked the Story of Civilization series will love this book. Those who are interested in philosophy will find this an invaluable introduction to the great philosophers.

This great introduction to western philosophy is easy to read and includes colorful biographies of the philosophers. These help in understanding how certain ideas of the various thinkers evolved.

Will Durant has the ability to make a dry subject (though this isn't really dry) into a compelling story. For those who are often confused about the various winds of philosophical fancy that have gripped secular society over the centuries, this is a great introduction. From the Pre-Platonics to Neitzche, Mr. Durant presents a simple and effective survey of thought. He is hobbled by his aversion to Biblical truth, but this is a much better introduction to philosophy then Sophie's World (which is significantly unimpressive).-Kelly Whiting