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Pooh and the Philosophers : In Which It Is Shown That All of Western Philosophy Is Merely a Preamble to Winnie-The-Pooh Hardcover – August 1, 1996

4.5 out of 5 stars 96 ratings

Discusses the idea that the ideas of all the great philosophers of the West, such as Aristotle, Plato, and Camus, can be found in the tales of Pooh, demonstrating that their philosophies can be seen throughout the varied collection of Pooh tales.
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Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Pooh And The Philosophers ($17.99; June 1996; 214 pp.; 0-525-45520-5): Contending that Pooh, all his protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, is in fact a Bear of Great Brain Indeed, Williams drives an already frayed conceit deeply, deeply into the ground, proposing Pythagorean precepts that presage Poohvian pronouncements, spinning more parallels from Spinoza, digging up Heideggerian dogma, giving new meaning to ``exegesis'' by pointing out all the x's in the ``expotition'' passage, etc. Adorned by the subtitle ``In Which It Is Shown That All of Western Philosophy Is Merely a Preamble to Winnie-the-Pooh,'' and plainly intended to be a painless primer of the major western schools of philosophy, this tedious, undiverting analysis doesn't come close to Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh (1982), not to mention its great progenitor, Frederick C. Crew's The Pooh Perplex (1962). Enough, already. (Humor/novelty. 12+) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

All the wisdom of Western philosophy may be found in A. A. Milne's Pooh-bear creation: here the bear sage illuminates the ideas of great philosophical thinkers in an entertaining, fun account which combines numerous Milne quotes with enlightening reflections on philosophy. -- Midwest Book Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dutton Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 1996
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525455205
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525455202
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 years and up
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.56 x 1 x 7.56 inches
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ Winnie-the-Pooh
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 96 ratings

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4.5 out of 5 stars
96 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019
    This one if the strangest things i have read. The intro alone is so packed with "information " i had to bang my head on the wall and take a nap halfway through reading.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2013
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I have read, re read, and re re read this book. It's really not that big of a book, but I enjoyed every bit of it. It kind of explains how Pooh is actually smarter than the rest of the characters. Warning: This big is very deep in thought.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2016
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Everything Winne is wonderful. Kept it for myself
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2018
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Love this book!
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2016
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    All around great experience!
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2011
    Having read The Tao of Pooh and Te of Piglet (Wisdom of Pooh), I came across this book by accident in a bookshop and bought it on impulse. The premise of the book is that the stories of Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner contain the whole of western philosophy.

    The book examines how key ideas from the thinking of Plato through to the existentialists are described through these two stories. Indeed given that these stories were published in 1926 and 1928 a number of more recent philosophers are shown to have provided either footnotes to the Pooh stories or have expounded on them.

    The first thing to say is that this is an enjoyable, fun and eminently readable book. I initially approached it with some scepticism and for the first part of the book harboured the fear that I may be the subject of a joke on the basis that given enough analysis the London tube timetable can probably be shown to have the key thoughts of Karl Marx or be shown to predict the date of the apocalypse. As I read through the book however I became more and more drawn into the underpinning ideas of what I had previously seen as children's stories and to my surprise found that through them I was adding considerably to my understanding of the philosophers thinking.

    As I began to accept the argument of a philosophical basis to the stories my intrigue switched to the nature of communicating ideas. A.A. Milne it appears had taken the extremely dry and largely inaccessible topic of philosophy and packaged it up in the most accessible of children's stories. If this is what he has done, then maybe he was just too clever since most readers of Winnie the Pooh have no idea that they are reading about philosophy. Of course this is probably a virtue since many readers would run a mile if they thought they were invited to read a philosophy book. For other readers who want to have the philosophy pointed out to them perhaps Milne set out to sow a seed which has taken 75 years to germinate and now be revealed in this book.

    The book establishes a convincing case that the thinking of western philosophy is contained in these apparently simple stories. Interesting though this is, more importantly it has revealed a great deal of insight about the nature of communicating ideas.

    This book provides an insightful glimpse into the use of stories to communicate complex ideas. More importantly just as the Winnie the Pooh stories do, it does so in a way that you learn almost by accident without feeling you had to try.

    If you want to learn about thinking without having to feel that you have to think, or would like to understand philosophy without the need to read a philosophy book then this is the book for you.
    21 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2015
    Format: Hardcover
    All in all this book was an average book - it is a brief introduction to the classical world of Winnie-the-Pooh (not that Disney recreation) and western philosophy. What it does not do is go into any great detail on either area. It's tone is also extremely sarcastic and at time hostile towards the philosophers (the section on Sartre should be viewed as a direct attack, not an unbiased analysis). The book does one thing, however, which redeems it for all of its many short comings - it shows the reader that the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh are inherently philosophical. While this may seem obvious to some readers, many people cannot see the philosophic overtones in popular culture. It is not their fault, it is simply a skill which takes training.

    Reading this book can help people open their eyes to philosophies presence in the great works of fiction which define our culture. It is something that proves philosophy to be useful and important. The book also points the reader to a number of philosophers and books written by them and their school which can lead them to learning more. It can be a gateway for the love of wisdom, with a love of "The Great Bear" and the guide to that first discovery. And that is what makes this book worth reading.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I had hoped that some serious thought-provoking ideas would have been explored. Instead, what I got was a lot of silly stuff. Did I just misunderstand the purpose of the book? Possibly.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • J. W. Platt
    5.0 out of 5 stars drawing the reader into the world of the great philosophers with wit
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2014
    A genuine tour de force, drawing the reader into the world of the great philosophers with wit, dry humour, incisiveness and insight in a way that, from what at first may seem an unlikely relationship of characters, brings, readability, clarity, and a great sense of wonder from those of us brought up on Pooh as to what a champion of the common man this bear was. Pooh's claim to be "a bear of little brain" falls into the happy fields of self-effacement. The author, a former much revered teacher and latter a scholar of distinction, is to be congratulated for this lovely book.
  • kb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tolles Buch
    Reviewed in Germany on May 3, 2023
    Meine Tochter hat das Buch lange gesucht und ist sehr zufrieden
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  • Paul Ashby
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Perfect childlike introduction to the subject of Philosophy.
  • Ivan Sayer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Fun and informative read
  • john woodward
    5.0 out of 5 stars Suprisingly good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    an excellent read for young and old interested in ideas