When 14-year-old Sophie encounters a mysterious mentor who introduces her to philosophy, mysteries deepen in her own life. Why does she keep getting postcards addressed to another girl? Who is the other girl? And who, for that matter, is Sophie herself? To solve the riddle, she uses her new knowledge of philosophy, but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined. A phenomenal worldwide bestseller, SOPHIE'S WORLD sets out to draw teenagers into the world of Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza, Hegel and all the great philosophers. A brilliantly original and fascinating story with many twists and turns, it raises profound questions about the meaning of life and the origin of the universe.
Initial thougths: When I was 9, I had this romantic notion about university that I would spend my days reading, writing and debating about literature and philosophy. Funnily, it wasn't until I picked out Sophie's World at 12 that I was first introduced to philosophical theory and history. Naturally, I didn't grasp all of the concepts yet, but I did enjoy reading the book for it made me feel a great deal smarter. Haha.
Fast forward to today, I've visited and revisited many of these ideas in high school, junior college and university classes in much greater detail. Going back to Sophie's World filled me fondness. Reading about Sophie as well as philosophers ranging from Aristotle to Socrates, to Locke, Descartes Nietzsche, and co. felt like visiting old friends. However, I've come to recognise that philosophy cannot be viewed only from the Western lens, and it's there where Sophie's World falls short.
As for the story surrounding the history of philosophy? I'd nearly forgotten that this one's a story-within-a-story, which aptly explores questions of how do we know what we know? Do we really exist or are we merely figments of someone's imagination, and even so, does it really matter?
