Rating: 
Summary: Sophie's World: Yay
Review: I love this book! i've read this book once before, and i'm reading it for the second time now. and i'm only 13! Sophie's World got me really interested in philosophy, and now i'm reading other books on philosophy. The book may not give a lot of information about each philosopher, but enough so it makes you interested to read more about them. At least that's what I think. It's also not just pure philosophy, There's a story along with it. Though according to some people I know, some of the facts are wrong about the philosophers. But other than that, I think it's a really good book.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I really enjoyed the highly imaginative treatment Jostein Gaarder gave to a complex subject. I so very much liked how the plot moved the reader through Sophies introduction to the history of thought and its various evolutions thru out the ages. In reading this book one should control the temptation to speed through it as its ideas are cumlative. It has a deceptively simple allure to it. That the reader can easily be overwhelmed by as the history unfolds. I would highly recomend this to any student of the "History of Philosphy" as a fun and informative primer.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty darn good (basically)
Review: This book does a good job at acquainting the reader with the basic trends of philosophy (even if Nietzsche is briefly mentioned in only one nonsensical paragraph). The plot -- which is not what I bought the book for in the first place -- is contrived and lame-o for the first 200 pages, and after that just turns bizaare but readable. Some minor annoyances: the author clearly believes in Jesus, which was a turnoff for me. Then after several informative pages on Darwin, the author shows a complete misunderstanding of Darwin, by saying first that there "obviously" must be a creator, since there has been a trend to complexity in life since its primordial beginnings, and then says that the eye's delicate structure is proof of a creator. The philosophy is what I wanted, though, and philosophy's what I got.
Rating:
Summary: An Incomplete Fantasia of Character
Review: I have read through half the book, and I think it has its positive and negative points. It is highly imaginative (although the fairy tale references may go a bit too far), and brings the central questions of philosophy in view with a certain degree of vivacity. Of course, this occurs only through the first 150 pages. After that, the book becomes quite bizarre, not least of which will describe Alberto's crawling growth as a mentor (is growth even really the word I'm looking for?!?!) Yes, this book can be entrancing and gorgeous, but it will nonetheless require a LOT of sifting through. I do appreciate Sophie's growth as a character, but it seems as though it is almost as halting as Alberto's character. She could do far more to display her appreciation for him (by the obvious conveyance of Platonic friendship, perhaps). Indeed, Alberto is a bit cold, but appears to slowly demonstrate a warming effect (although more artificial than not). That is what irritates me so much about the book. His character seems to be teetering between formal kindness for Sophie and a teasing urge to relate to her, if at all. Sadly, the truth of his ways lies in the former more so than the latter! Come on, why can't he reduce that stone-like objectivity towards her? Is he afraid of tarnishing his stone- wall code of ethics or what!! One starts to think that he and she are playing each other for the mere acquisition of information. They're using each other as the means alone, rather than the end as well (remember Kant, people?) Folks, Alberto needs to be more human towards her, and Sophie needs to stop acting like a split-brain patient when it comes to her opinion towards Alberto!!
P.S. Perhaps the sequel will improve upon their relation towards each other- and if there is a sequel, it had better!!
Rating:
Summary: thoughtful
Review: This is a story about a little girl who was taking secret classes with a mysterious philosopher. The story made me think a lot, it led me enter the door of philosopher or thinking and wondering of life. There were also many other issues involved in this story such as: science, religion, and mythology. After I read this book I discovered that those things are not as hard to understand as what I had expected. They are really based on very simple thoughts
Rating:
Summary: Adequately interesting
Review: I wish this book had been out there when I was 14. Hm. I have mixed reactions. If you're not familiar with the book, it is about a young girl who is getting mail from someone she doesn't know and the mail is basically a philosophy course. The mail challenges her to think about her own life, etc. The book seems easily broken down into two parts. There are parts about what is going on with Sophie and then much of the book is the philosophy lesson in the form of the letters she's getting. The letters read somewhat like you'd expect a letter to read - it sounds like a philosophy teacher breaking down a class lesson and reformatting it from "lecture" mode to "conversation" mode. I guess because I studied philosophy, it just seems like...reading a very basic philosophy book. What puzzles me is the number of people who are willing to read some basic philosophy as long as it's couched in a storyline - even though the book goes for pages without touching on the storyline. The storyline is basically a medium through which someone can learn some basic philosophy in a written format that is colloquial instead of formal. I guess I can't help wondering, "This? This is all it took for someone to read some philosophy?" I mean, I guess I can see how reading about ancient philosophy might not be up everybody's alley but it strikes me as sort of funny that if you pad it with a storyline, it becomes interesting to folks. As for the story part...well, hm. The storyline doesn't seem to be the heart of the book (I suppose that might be obvious) but I do think that thus far, the characters are a little two dimensional. However! I don't think the author necessarily set out to write War and Peace here. I think the purpose was to teach philosophy and quite frankly, if the thin/flimsy storyline is enough to do that, well, he achieved his purpose. The storyline does read a little like this: "Sophie wanted an apple. She went to the kitchen. There was a banana. Sophie did not want a banana, she wanted an apple." It make me cringe a few times. For the most part, though, if you'd like to ponder of some life's questions and have it presented in a straightforward and understandable way, this is a decent book for achieving that end.
Rating:
Summary: Philosophy for Beginners, Bitesize
Review: Sophie's World is an easy-to-understand history of philosophy wrapped in a novel wrapped in a novel (whew!). How many books can you say that about? Basically, our heroine, Sophie Amundsen, comes home one day to discover that a mysterious philosopher has contacted her. They embark on a sort of philosophy by mail course; soon they meet, and the philosophy courses are given in dialogues (probably not a coincidence, considering some of the first ever philosophical writings were written in the form of dialogues). Simultaneously, Sophie starts recieving mysterious postcards addressed to someone named Hilde....Hilde becomes a mystery that Sophie must unravel if she is to determine the nature of her own existence. Sophe's World is enjoyable and informative. At first, though, some readers may be tempted to skip over the philosophy and rush right into the novel; however, as the book progesses, the plot(s) become pretty contrived --it becomes more tempting to skip through the novel and jump right into the philosophy. Sophie herself can get a little annoying at times, and her plot portions may become exasperating, but it's worth reading. Despite this book's size, it is an easy read, but still it should be read with care and thoughtfulness. The most attention in this compact little 'history' is given to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Marx, Darwin, Freud, and Sartre. Also mentioned are historical shifts and trends--the Enlightenment, the Renaissance, etc--in order to give a little more perspective. What is included is very informative and interesting, however, it should be known that many important philosophers are either mentioned in passing or given little attention, and a few are omitted entirely. But all and all it is a good book, presenting information and explaining, making it easily accessible to anyone who'd like it. The point of the book, and of philosophy in general, is to get readers thinking, and it accomplishes that well. It is a good starting point for anyone with an interest in the subject, providing a nice overview so that after reading and digesting it, readers can then begin to pursue works mentioned with relative ease.
Rating:
Summary: Best Introduction to the History of Philosophy
Review: Jostien Gaarder's "Sophies World" is in my opinion the best introduction to Western philosophy. It begins with an introduction to the study of philosophy giving a brief overview of the most general and comnmon philosophic questions such as "Who am I?", "Where do I come from?", "Why am I here". The novel follows Sophie Amundsen and her mysterious philosophy as they race to discover who "Hilde" is. Each chapter generally covers one specific philosopher or one philosophic school of thought and gives a brief overview ~10 pages detailing their beliefs about the world. Some here have argued that the novel stretches itself thin by covering so many different philosophies however, this is where I think that it succeeds. This novel provides the most interesting and most encompassing introduction to the philosophy of reality that I have ever encountered. Its breadth allows it to cover topics such as existentialism, marxism, and some cosmological philosophies that are largely ignored in the general literature. Note that this book only concerns itself with the philosophy of reality as well as some ethics but does not touch upon too much the philosophy of science, mathematics, or to a lesser amount, morals. However, if you desire to better understand the nature of the universe and our place in it or simply wish to brush up on your philosophy history, I would recommend that you buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Philosophy's History in an instant
Review: Jostein Gaardner have come up with an original novel which makes a rundown of history's facets on philosophical thoughts through a story about a girl who recieves mysterious letters from an anonymous correspondent. Each philosophical thoughts are presented in a very clear and concise manner, while at the same time intruiging the reader about the mystery that envelops the main character. This book have got to be read to be believed. It's Alice in Wonderland for the 20th century's final decade, with a twist that is equivalent to the proportions of the Twilight Zone and so much more. However, in my little opinion- Gaardner seems to wane out a bit by the ending parts; and have indeed succumb to the traditional norm of beliefs about Philosophy, which is pardonable as it is an educational book after all. Rate: on the level scale of 9 notches out of 10 (4 1/2 out of 5).
Rating:
Summary: Deep without being too Heavy..
Review: My little brother, who loves reading philosophy and other deep subjects, passed this book my way. I began it not knowing at all what to expect. I was not prepared for the amazing journey I would go on with Sophie, as her life is affected by a corresponding "philisophy teacher" who askes her the questions of life and explains to her how philosophers of old responded to these questions. You will read some great summaries of philiosophical beliefs as they were passed down from one society to the next. As Sophie tries to sort what she agress with and disagrees with you will do the same. I found myself having to take time to read this book, to think about the views, and re-read some of these summaries. You will also be taught how philosophy evolved into science, and then eventually into religion. All in all, the book is a true simple summary of the history of philosophy, with an underlying plot that will surprize you, and even have you scratching your head now and then trying to figure out exactly wht IS going on. One nice thing about this book is that I believe it could be enjoyed by adults and teens alike. I think for high school students of philosophy this book should be a must, because the discussions it will invoke will be amazing! The material is deep, seeing how it is philosophy and mans questions of existence, but the book is a light read, and won't leave you to shaken, like some soul searching books might do. it is a fun read, especially if you enjoy pondering philosophies of life. Remember, it is more philosophy then story, and if that is what you are looking for, you will love this. I noticed new editions of this book recently in reprint at the book store, and I was excited to see it making a come back. You will be glad you read it !
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