Durant focuses on the "greater philosophers," dedicating substantial chapters to: Plato and Aristotle (The Foundations)
When Simon & Schuster decided to compile these essays into a single, comprehensive volume, critics were deeply skeptical. At the time, philosophy was viewed as a dry, impenetrable academic discipline reserved strictly for university elites. The publisher initially ordered a tiny print run of just 1,500 copies.
Durant shifts gears here. Voltaire is not a systematic philosopher but a crusader. This chapter is a roaring fire of wit, fighting against religious intolerance, fanaticism, and the "infamous thing" (the Catholic Church). Durant shows how Voltaire used laughter as a weapon.
The Story of Philosophy is not a complete history of all philosophy, nor does it extensively cover Eastern or Islamic traditions, as noted in a 2023 book review (SSRN) . Instead, it is a brilliantly curated, biographical narrative of the titans of Western philosophy. 1. The Approach: Philosophy as Biography story of philosophy by will durant
In the 1920s, publisher Emanuel Haldeman-Julius produced "Little Blue Books"—cheaply printed monographs aimed at working-class Americans who wanted to educate themselves. Durant, who had received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University but found traditional academia stifling, began writing short biographies of major thinkers for this series. He sold them for five cents a piece.
Durant’s prose is romantic, energetic, and engaging, transforming complex dialogues into compelling drama.
The Story of Philosophy won’t make you a professional philosopher. But it might make you a more deliberate human. Durant once wrote that philosophy begins in wonder—and this book rekindles wonder on every page. Durant shifts gears here
The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant: The Book That Brought Philosophy to the Masses
In choosing a biographical approach, Durant bypassed centuries of thought. The most notable omission is the entire Medieval Scholastic period; thinkers like St. Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham are largely skipped.
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 shows how Voltaire used laughter as a weapon
Provide a list of based on his work.
Compare Durant's perspective with (like Bertrand Russell's).
Durant’s prose is lyrical. He writes with the rhythm of a preacher and the precision of a lawyer. You will find yourself underlining sentences not just for their truth, but for their beauty.
Durant begins with a critical distinction between science and philosophy: science provides (analysis of parts), while philosophy provides wisdom (synthesis of the whole). He posits that science gives us power, but only philosophy can give us the perspective and "total perspective" necessary to use that power for human good. Core Themes and Structure
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.