The book was such a hit that it sold 100,000 copies in its first year and single-handedly spiked interest in classical texts by 200% at local libraries. It’s an "invitation" to the world of ideas that still resonates nearly a century later.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” (paraphrasing Aristotle — Durant’s translations are vivid)
"The Story of Philosophy" has had a profound impact on the way philosophy is understood and presented. The book has been widely praised for its engaging narrative style, its accessibility to a broad audience, and its comprehensive coverage of the history of philosophy. Durant's work has inspired generations of philosophers, scholars, and readers, making philosophy more approachable and relevant to everyday life.
Keep a highlighter nearby. You will find yourself underlining something on nearly every page. Durant has a gift for the aphorism. For example:
Throughout the book, Durant weaves together several key themes and insights:
No book is perfect, and a modern reader must approach The Story of Philosophy with a few caveats.
The origin story of The Story of Philosophy is as compelling as any Socratic dialogue. In the early 1920s, Durant was teaching at the Labor Temple School in New York City, a settlement house for working-class immigrants. His students—factory workers, seamstresses, and longshoremen—had no Latin, no Greek, and no patience for academic jargon. Yet they were ravenous to understand the ideas of Plato, Nietzsche, and Kant.
