I always wished that I’d been taught philosophy in school. Can you believe that in all the four years that I attended an American curriculum high school I didn’t hear a word about Socrates or Aristotle or existentialism? At least the International Baccalaureate which I took in Denmark has Theory of Knowledge as one of its required courses, but it wasn’t as in depth as I would have liked.
Jostein Gaarder’s book Sophie’s World is brilliant for anyone interested in the subject. It’s like a textbook and a mystery merged into one. It covers everything from the beginnings of philosophy right up to modern day with lots of colourful examples. There are some crazy twists in the plot that will have you reeling, and the dramatic irony is delightful. I really enjoyed it!
Sophie is a typical fourteen year old Norwegian girl. One day she discovers two questions in her mailbox: Who are you? and Where does the world come from? Suddenly she finds herself enrolled in a philosophy correspondence course. At the same time, strange letters keep turning up addressed to a girl named Hilde and even stranger things begin happening all around her. These lessons in philosophy are the key to solving the mystery that is her life.
