Sophie's World, by Jonstein Gaarder, seems straightforward from the outside. It is a novel that seems like an easy introduction course to philosophy for middle and high schoolers. The synopsis does seem simple enough. There is a girl named Sophie who is approaching her fifteenth birthday when she starts to receive mysterious courses from a philosopher. It starts with the basic groundwork of understanding philosophy. Yet, as the course advances deeper, Sophie's world itself becomes more complicated as the philosophical concepts she learns starts to appear around her.
The lectures, and Sophie's interpretation of her new knowledge, was amusing for me. The book itself consists of several chapters of different courses of movements, such as the Renaissance, or more commonly on specific figures, such as Socrates, Hume, and others. As for time period, the chapters range from natural philosophers (those before Socrates), to the Big Bang concept of us in the universe. Personally, I wanted to learn more about the different philosophical concepts, but I did not really have a chance to do so. One of the many things that I learned with struggle was that philosophy concepts are not easy to understand. Although I enjoy thinking complicated thoughts about humans and the world, the concepts that philosophers like Aristotle, Descartes, and Marx thought of involved several aspects in detail to prove their point. The question/concept that intrigued me throughout the book was how we interpret the world around us, through senses, rational thinking, thoughts, and impulses, specifically as human beings and as living creatures. Yet, one thing that surprised me the most was the similarity throughout several philosopher's ideals. Although these were philosophers from several different time periods, the similarities between their philosophies aided me in understanding the trends in thought.
I enjoyed how Gaarder inserted many of the philosophical concepts into Sophie's world and see it play out in a character's life. The garden party scene was a real shocker. Yet, for those who want to read an exciting or light book with several action-packed scenes and a fast moving plot, I would not recommended it. There are several parts in the book with lengthy explanations, seeming somewhat like a textbook. Still, although there is not much information on Eastern philosophy, those who want a deep dive into Western philosophy may enjoy it more.
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