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Sophie's World: A Novel about the History of Philosophy [Mass Market Paperback]

Jostein Gaarder
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (666 customer reviews)


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Book Description

March 1, 1996
Discovering two thought-provoking philosophical questions in her mailbox, Sophie enrolls in a correspondence course with a mysterious philosopher and begins to receive some equally unusual letters. Reprint.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Wanting to understand the most fundamental questions of the universe isn't the province of ivory-tower intellectuals alone, as this book's enormous popularity has demonstrated. A young girl, Sophie, becomes embroiled in a discussion of philosophy with a faceless correspondent. At the same time, she must unravel a mystery involving another young girl, Hilde, by using everything she's learning. The truth is far more complicated than she could ever have imagined.

From Publishers Weekly

This long, dense novel, a bestseller in the author's native Norway, offers a summary history of philosophy embedded in a philosophical mystery disguised as a children's book--but only sophisticated young adults would be remotely interested. Sophie Amundsen is about to turn 15 when she receives a letter from one Alberto Knox, a philosopher who undertakes to educate her in his craft. Sections in which we read the text of Knox's lessons to Sophie about the pre-Socratics, Plato and St. Augustine alternate with those in which we find out about Sophie's life with her well-meaning mother. Soon, though, Sophie begins receiving other, stranger missives addressed to one Hilde Moller Knag from her absent father, Albert. [...] Norwegian philosophy professor Gaarder's notion of making a history of philosophy accessible is a good one. Unfortunately, it's occasionally undermined by the dry language he uses to describe the works of various thinkers and by an idiosyncratic bias that gives one paragraph to Nietzsche but dozens to Sartre, breezing right by Wittgenstein and the most influential philosophy of this century, logical positivism. Many readers, regardless of their age, may be tempted to skip over the lessons, which aren't well integrated with the more interesting and unusual metafictional story line. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley (March 1, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0425152251
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425152256
  • Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 1.4 x 7.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (666 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jostein Gaarder is the author of SOPHIE'S WORLD, a huge bestseller in over 40 countries. He was born in Oslo in 1952 and lives there now with his wife and two sons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
194 of 205 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Idea for the Right Person March 13, 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sophie's World has an interesting concept, but it is certainly not for everyone. I have some criticism of the book, but also some praise. First the criticism. This is really a philosophy text pretending to be a novel. (Which, I believe is ultimately a good thing). The characters are not that believable and are really just devices Gaarder uses to get his point across. The dialog is not believable either. Another potential problem for certain readers is that the philosophy lessons contained in this book are, in the novel, aimed at a 15 year old girl. If you have studied philosophy at some point in your life, this will probably be far too simplistic for you.

I still would recommend this book and here's why. Sophie's World will be an excellent read for anyone with a curiosity about philosophy, but who finds the whole thing a bit intimidating. I think it's a wonderful introduction to philosophy because it is aimed at that 15 year old character. Even if you have studied philosophy, this book will be thought provoking, if only because it makes you think about what you once studied. I think this would be a wonderful book for parents of teenage children to read with their children. It would certainly make for some excellent discussions. The true strength of this book is the material it covers. Philosophy is a fascinating subject and Sophie's World is the perfect choice for anyone who would like to gently ease themselves into that subject.

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233 of 248 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect intro to philosophy November 29, 1998
By Corey
Format:Paperback
I read through quite a few of the reviews here before writing my own, and was kind of surprised at what I read. I think I read Sophie's World through far different eyes than most of the people who posted reviews. I'm a 16 year old high school sophmore who's familiarity to philosophy is limited to what material I can borrow from my school library, not what I was taught at an expensive college. Sophie's World is delightful for it's purpose: to introduce people to the basics of philosophy and apply it to a fictional situation. Gaarder suceeds wonderfully in doing that. What the world needs is a clear concise history of philosophy that helps HUMAN BEINGS understand philosophy without having to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. Sophie's World is that book, not just another overanalysis of Kierkegaard or Sartre which might as well be written in Latin, because God knows most people wouldn't understand a word of it. Sophie's World is a book for PEOPLE who want to understand the world of philosophy, not a bunch of stuck-up intellectuals who think that only a select few should be able to enjoy such information. Yes, for people who know everything, this book would probably be a bore, but for your 99% percent of the country; this book would be a gem, and it is.
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68 of 76 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Review of the History of Philosophy September 2, 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Gaardner, a Norwegian high school teacher, has created a wonderful and readable history of philosophy. The book is weakly constructed as a philosophy course taught to 14-year old Sophie by a mysterious stranger. But it is this "novel" side of the book that is the thinnest, for Sophie and the other characters in the novel are mere cardboard cutouts tacked on to the margins of the chapters to provide context for the the real book: the philosophy course.

The course chronologically covers thirty major periods, schools of thought, and philosophers from the pre-Socratics through Aristotle, Aquinas, and Hegel to the Big Bang. Each is presented in an accessible chapter of a dozen pages, with the philosophy teacher simplifying and clarifying points for Sophie. With the philosophers presented in chronological order, readers can track the trends of thought as each builds on those who came before. "Sophie's World" is not a great novel, but it is an excellent review of philosophy, and a quick 500 pages.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book and Product, Absolutely No Complaints
On the quality of the product:

Ok, so I was assigned to read a hard copy of this book for english class in high school. Read more
Published 22 hours ago by Sam
3.0 out of 5 stars Read Glenn Sunshine
If you want the philosophy, read Glenn Sunshine (faith based) or Richard Tarnas (Intellectual History). Read more
Published 1 day ago by Jeff Thomas
4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction or review of western history and philosophy
Bought this book to help my daughter prepare for the AP World History exam. Written as a novel, it is rich with content and is an enjoyable read for older children or adults. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Noelle DeCan
5.0 out of 5 stars Intro to Philosophy
This book is an excellent intro to philosophy, even difficult concepts are explained and easily understandable. Read more
Published 1 month ago by KeysC1
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Important read for both adults and children. I couldn't put this one down, and I feel like this should be mandatory reading at high schools.
Published 1 month ago by Adam Joosub
5.0 out of 5 stars The history of philosophy wrapped in a mind bending story
Would it be possible to outline to outline the great philosophers of the century in a novel that you actually captured your attention and made you think. Yes Yes and this is it.
Published 1 month ago by Dr. Paul A. Rhoads
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent way to learn some philosophy with a minimum of suffering.
If you remember all those readings they threw at you in your basic, college philosophy class, you know what I am talking about. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Suzanne Cane y Olvera
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and life changing
I first read Sophie's World in 1996. A friend suggested I read it. I bought a copy at Auckland Interntional Airport and took it with to New Caledonia. I could not put it down. Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. Genet
2.0 out of 5 stars A decent novel, but an inadequate history of philosophy.
***2.5 Stars****

As far as the literary quality of the novel goes, it's fairly decent. The author uses characters and the plot to create a dialogue that explains... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Philonous
4.0 out of 5 stars Teaching tool for philosophy
This is a great book for introducing kids to philosophy. As the book mentions, philosophy isn't something we can learn- but we can learn to think philosophically (something lost in... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mahdi Domitrovich
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