Will Durant (1885–1981) was a prolific American writer, Pulitzer Prize winner, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife Ariel, and published between 1935 and 1975. With the publication of his first book, The Story of Philosophy, written in 1926, Durant brought the insights of philosophy to millions of non-academic readers. One observer described the book as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy."One of the most gifted prose stylists of the 20th century, Durant viewed history not as a dreary succession of impersonal dates and reigns, but as taking place through human beings who loved, fought, dreamed and achieved.
"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance."- Will Durant
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An early favorite author of mine. It was while reading Durant that I doscovered a MUCH better way of learning history... by consulting the primary sources instead of reading 2nd-3rd hand "synthetic" accounts, like Durant's.
indeed.
But his work does introduce people who otherwise would never be exposed to the world of ideas and philosophy.
I read The Story of Philosophy when i was 14 and it changed my life.
I read it when I was 40 and it changed my life...
I give the book as a gift to every graduating kid in my extended family - a couple of them have actually read it.
I can tell you're not a Platonist, else you would wit until they were much, MUCH older.
From the Jowett Summary of Plato's "Republic":
There are certain doctrines which he learnt at home and which exercised a parental authority over him. Presently he finds that imputations are cast upon them; a troublesome querist comes and asks, 'What is the just and good?' or proves that virtue is vice and vice virtue, and his mind becomes unsettled, and he ceases to love, honour, and obey them as he has hitherto done. He is seduced into the life of pleasure, and becomes a lawless person and a rogue. The case of such speculators is very pitiable, and, in order that our thirty years' old pupils may not require this pity, let us take every possible care that young persons do not study philosophy too early. For a young man is a sort of puppy who only plays with an argument; and is reasoned into and out of his opinions every day; he soon begins to believe nothing, and brings himself and philosophy into discredit. A man of thirty does not run on in this way; he will argue and not merely contradict, and adds new honour to philosophy by the sobriety of his conduct. What time shall we allow for this second gymnastic training of the soul?—say, twice the time required for the gymnastics of the body; six, or perhaps five years, to commence at thirty, and then for fifteen years let the student go down into the den, and command armies, and gain experience of life. At fifty let him return to the end of all things, and have his eyes uplifted to the idea of good, and order his life after that pattern; if necessary, taking his turn at the helm of State, and training up others to be his successors. When his time comes he shall depart in peace to the islands of the blest. He shall be honoured with sacrifices, and receive such worship as the Pythian oracle approves.
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