Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy

About the Author Jostein Gaarder was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1952. He taught high-school philosophy for several years before publishing a collection of short stories in 1986 and, shortly thereafter, his first two novels, The Solitaire Mystery and Sophie’s World, and several others since then. He lives in Oslo with his family. Product Description This elegant CD-ROM will take you on an interactive journey through the history of Western philosophy, from its beginnings in ancient astronomy and myth up to twentieth-century existentialism. The philosophical adventure is built around a series of exchanges between a naturally curious young girl and her anonymous teacher, in which the user must participate. The pedagogical value of this interaction is complimented by the CD-ROM’s Reference Band, a philosophical map providing eight film summaries of particular historical epochs and 28 text summaries of the work of major philosophers. The CD-ROM is available on its own, or can be combined with the #1 international bestselling novel, Sophie’s World, by Jostein Gaarder–an excellent and affordable combination for introductory classes. 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 AudioFile Thank goodness for fabulous British narrator Simon Vance. Sophies World works well as a brief journey through Western philosophy, told in terms of a correspondence between an unknown philosopher named Alberto and a bright, inquisitive 14-year-old named Sophie. However, about the time she starts to wonder if shes a character in someone elses novel, written for a mysterious girl named Hilde, things start to go off the rails. Heres where the great narration comes in. Simon Vance manages to pull listeners along through the dense, dull parts, if only for the pure joy of hearing his articulate voice. Its what gets us through to the next engaging bits. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine– Copyright (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine Review “First, think a beginner’s guide to philosophy . . . Next, imagine a fantasy novel–something like a modern-day version of Through the Looking Glass. Meld these disparate genres, and what do you get? Well, what you get is an improbable international bestseller . . . [A] tour de force.” –Time “This book contains a novel mantra for those days when the world gets in your face.”–Entertainment Weekly “Extraordinary…read it for yourself.”–Newsweek “A simply wonderful, irresistible book…a cross between Bertrand Russell’s History of Western Philosophy and Alice in Wonderland.”–Daily Telegraph “Sophie’s World is sheer delight. How I wish I’d had it during my college freshman survey of philosophy!”–Madeleine L’Engle 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 g