Will Durant (1885-1981) was more than just a popularizer. He was a trained philosopher who earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University, where he studied under the legendary John Dewey. Despite his academic credentials, Durant's mission was to break down the walls between the "ivory tower" and the everyday person. He saw philosophy not as a collection of abstract, dead theories, but as a living, breathing conversation about how to live, a "total perspective" on all of life—what he called seeing things sub specie totius (from the perspective of the whole). He would later co-author the monumental 11-volume The Story of Civilization with his wife, Ariel, winning a Pulitzer Prize for their efforts.
The book is structured into nine main chapters plus two concluding surveys, tracing the evolution of Western thought through specific "greater philosophers": Ancient Greece (and Socrates) and The Renaissance & Enlightenment Francis Bacon Baruch Spinoza (including Descartes), and (including Rousseau). Modern Thought Immanuel Kant (including Hegel), Arthur Schopenhauer Herbert Spencer Friedrich Nietzsche 20th Century : Surveys of European thinkers ( Henri Bergson Benedetto Croce Bertrand Russell ) and American figures ( George Santayana William James John Dewey Central Themes and Legacy The Story of Philosophy (Dover Thrift Editions - Amazon.com
To look "deeply" into this work requires examining its methodology, its specific treatment of major thinkers, its underlying thematic unity, and its limitations. story of philosophy by will durant
While widely celebrated, The Story of Philosophy is not without its flaws. Academic critics often point out that Durant focused almost exclusively on Western thinkers, completely bypassing the rich philosophical traditions of Asia, Africa, and indigenous cultures. Additionally, he omitted several highly influential Western figures, such as Thomas Aquinas and René Descartes, to keep his narrative tight and fast-paced. The Lasting Legacy
The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant : A Timeless Journey Through Thought Will Durant (1885-1981) was more than just a popularizer
Reading Durant is like listening to a brilliant grandfather explain the universe over whiskey. He respects your intelligence but never confuses complexity for depth.
Durant’s philosophy professor background drove his desire to tear down the elitist barriers of academic jargon. He later won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (1968) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977) for his later work, the eleven-volume The Story of Civilization , but his journey to popular acclaim began with the work we are examining today. Despite his academic credentials, Durant's mission was to
Underneath the biographical sketches, Durant had a specific philosophical agenda. He conceived of philosophy as “total perspective” or seeing things sub specie totius (from the perspective of the whole), influenced by Spinoza’s sub specie aeternitatis (from the perspective of the eternal). He was alarmed by the increasing fragmentation of knowledge into esoteric specialties and sought to unify and vitalize it for contemporary use.
A final chapter, "Contemporary European Philosophers," touches on Henri Bergson, Benedetto Croce, and Bertrand Russell, though Durant famously omitted some figures (like Hegel and Kierkegaard) due to space and his own biases.
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