
Sophie's World
A Novel About the History of Philosophy
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Narrated by:
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Simon Vance
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By:
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Jostein Gaarder
About this listen
One day, 14-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find two notes in her mailbox, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?"
From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning - but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.
A pause-resisting novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Sophie's World has fired the imagination of listeners all over the world, having been translated into 45 languages and with over 20 million copies in print.
©1991 H. Aschelhoug and Co. (W. Nygaard), Oslo. Translation 1994 Paulette Moller (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Gaarder pulls off the difficult feat of blending philosophy and entertainment in a way that will capture [young adults'] interest and make them eager to explore further." (School Library Journal)
"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)
"Sophie's World is sheer delight. How I wish I'd had it during my college freshman survey of philosophy!" (Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time)
Featured Article: The Best Philosophy Audiobooks for Getting Lost in Thought
Philosophy asks and analyzes the questions that have pressed on humankind for centuries: What does it mean to be human? Why are we here? From ancient to contemporary times, these questions have been answered with varying, and sometimes contradictory, schools of thought. Our picks span centuries and subjects, and draw parallels across time to embolden listeners to dive deep into questions about the fundamental nature of our reality.
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- Abridged
-
Overall
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Performance
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-
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On the 20th anniversary of Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder returns with a spellbinding fable. When 15-year-old Anna begins receiving messages from another time, her parents take her to the doctor. But he can find nothing wrong with Anna; in fact he believes there may be some truth to what she is seeing. Anna is haunted by visions of the desolate world of 2082. She sees her great-granddaughter, Nova, in a wasteland peopled by ragged survivors, after animals and plants have died out.
By: Jostein Gaarder
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The Story of Philosophy (Original Classic Edition)
- The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers
- By: Will Durant
- Narrated by: David Markus
- Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Durant provides an immensely astute, clear, and enjoyable story of philosophy. He focuses not on schools of thought or subdisciplines, but on the most vigorous, powerful, and appealing thinkers in the Western philosophical tradition, starting with the founding figures of Plato and Aristotle, and taking us through Francis Bacon, the prime theorist of present-day scientific thought, and on to Spinoza, whom Durant prizes above all for his earnest effort to live his own philosophy.
By: Will Durant
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A Little History of the World
- By: E. H. Gombrich
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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E. H. Gombrich's world history, an international best seller now available in English for the first time, is a text dominated not by dates and facts but by the sweep of experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity's achievements, and an acute witness to its frailties.
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an enlightening book; very well read
- By A.B.Oxford on 06-03-06
By: E. H. Gombrich
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What Does It All Mean?
- A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy
- By: Thomas Nagel
- Narrated by: Adriel Brandt
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Distinguished author of Mortal Questions and The View from Nowhere sets forth the central problems of philosophical inquiry for the beginning student. Arguing that the best way to learn about philosophy is to think about its questions directly, Thomas Nagel considers possible solutions to nine problems - knowledge of the world beyond our minds, knowledge of other minds, the mind-body problem, free will, the basis of morality, right and wrong, the nature of death, the meaning of life, and the meaning of words.
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Not what I expected
- By James Y on 08-31-23
By: Thomas Nagel
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El mundo de Sofía [Sophie's World]
- Novela sobre la historia de la filosofía [A Novel About the History of Philosophy]
- By: Jostein Gaarder
- Narrated by: Alfons Vallés, Mercè Montalà
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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El libro que ha enseñado a pensar a toda una generación. Esta extraordinaria obra de divulgación que se ha convertido ya en una obra de culto aporta una coherente visión de conjunto sobre aquellos aspectos imprescindibles para comprender la historia de la filosofía occidental. El mundo de Sofía tiene el mérito de haber conjugado, acertadamente, rigor y amenidad en una narración donde una joven irá conociendo su propia identidad mientras descubre la capacidad humana de hacer preguntas.
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Lastima el enfoque Marxista de la obra.
- By Fabrizio on 10-27-20
By: Jostein Gaarder
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Steppenwolf
- By: Hermann Hesse
- Narrated by: Peter Weller
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Harry Haller is a sad and lonely figure, a reclusive intellectual for whom life holds no joy. He struggles to reconcile the wild primeval wolf and the rational man within himself without surrendering to the bourgeois values he despises. His life changes dramatically when he meets a woman who is his opposite, the carefree and elusive Hermine.
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Save this Hesse novel for your midlife crisis.
- By Darwin8u on 03-02-14
By: Hermann Hesse
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The Story of Philosophy (Deluxe Edition with The Age of Faith): The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers
- Includes Bonus Book - The Age of Faith: The Climax of Christianity 1095-1300, From the Crusades through Dante Will Durant, Ph.D.
- By: Will Durant PhD, Richard Smoley
- Narrated by: David Markus, Brian Conover
- Length: 49 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Philosophy has often seemed like the castor oil of the disciplines: healthy, but never pleasurable, and best when swallowed quickly and forgotten. Will Durant’s classic The Story of Philosophy is a welcome remedy for this misconception, and—in view of the fact that it is nearly 100 years old—a remarkably refreshing one. This deluxe edition includes The Age of Faith, the fourth volume in the great series, The Story of Civilization. It covers the years 1095—the launching of the First Crusade—and 1300.
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Most Interesting!
- By Eric on 12-30-24
By: Will Durant PhD, and others
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The Problems of Philosophy
- By: Bertrand Russell
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The Problems of Philosophy discusses Bertrand Russell's views on philosophy and the problems that arise in the field. Russell's views focus on knowledge rather than the metaphysical realm of philosophy. The Problems with Philosophy revolves around the central question that Russell asks in his opening line of Chapter 1 - Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it?
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Either be smart or be not smart
- By Gary on 01-18-18
By: Bertrand Russell
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When Nietzsche Wept
- By: Irvin D. Yalom
- Narrated by: Richard Powers
- Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Josef Breuer, one of the founding fathers of psychoanalysis, is at the height of his career. Friedrich Nietzsche, Europe's greatest philosopher, is on the brink of suicidal despair, unable to find a cure for the headaches and other ailments that plague him. When he agrees to treat Nietzsche with his experimental "talking cure", Breuer never expects that he, too, will find solace in their sessions. Only through facing his own inner demons can the gifted healer begin to help his patient.
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Become who you are!
- By Philip on 09-14-16
By: Irvin D. Yalom
What listeners say about Sophie's World
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- DSS
- 09-30-09
Sophie's World
The side story is kind of lightweight, and I almost put the novel down because of that, however, Sophie's narrative provides the little breaks in the philosphical passages that allow you to digest the ideas presented. Hardcore philosphy scholars will likely dismiss this as merely a broad overview of philosophic thought. However, for readers/listeners who would like to learn a little bit about philosphy without getting mired in Aristotle's lecture notes, this makes the subject seem accessible and maybe even a little engaging.
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16 people found this helpful
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- Alexis Skibinski
- 07-19-19
Alright
I followed along with the book. There were several chapters in which entire paragraphs or pages weren’t in the Audible recording. But over all this was good. Not a book I’d read for personal enjoyment. I had to read it for school.
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4 people found this helpful
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- R. Saylors
- 01-14-19
Philosophy for the new philosopher
Are you new to being a philosopher? What do you mean you aren’t a philosopher, I seriously doubt that you are looking at this review and are anything but a lover of knowledge. But are you interested in understanding the question “what is it to live a good life?” This book won’t give you the answer, nor will it disclose to you new truth, but it will help you see that you’ve always been a philosopher, and help illuminate a long history of people seriously interested in finding truth.
This book is short history of philosophy bound in a bag of tales.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Melinda Thatcher Lofland
- 06-29-16
Overall a great survey of philosophy!
Loved the way the different philosophies were explained but not some of the the strange actions at the end.
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- Dave
- 10-13-18
loved the story book. great find, great read.
loved the story. after a few chapters it got a lot more interesting. ending was great.
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- KyB
- 08-15-17
captivating book aside from the Marxist lean
very captivating way to write about the history of philosophy. excellent book, with exception to the marxist/socialist/Communism worship and feminist preachings. but can be easily taken with a grain of thought. do recommend
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- sheila avila
- 02-04-17
Love it!
Love it! I love how they made it into a story. Young readers would love to read it and learn at the same time. Love the twist at the end of the story. I had a hardcopy of this book but I did not have enough time to read it so bought the audible version.
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- Douglas h
- 01-11-17
Loved it! Excellent narrator.
This book was recommended reading as part of a philosophy of nursing science and practice course. Although I listened to it many months after the completion of the course, it helped lay a foundation for understanding the timeline and rationale of philosophical thought. Excellent narrator. The story of was a bit long winded at times but still enjoyable.
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-16-24
Chapter 7 Skips
Great story, well done, and extremely informative. The only problem is Chapter 7 as shown on the playback (it really isn't Chapter 7) skips towards the end. It isn't egregious. If you have been paying attention you should be fine.
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- Alexander L.
- 09-15-17
Avoid this particular recording
While the book itself is wonderful, it should be mentioned that this recording has missing sections (not abridged, but actual dropped audio) and some areas where chapters or sections seem to have been swapped.
For the most part, you'll be able in infer what has happened in the story, but it really is enough to take you out of the experience.
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35 people found this helpful