Book review on pleasure of philosophy

BOOK REVIEW ON “PLEASURES OF PHILOSOPHY” BY WILL DURANT 1

ABOUT AUTHER

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST BENEFICENT THE MOST KIND


BOOK REVIEW

On

BY

WILL DURANT

Prepared by

Makhdoom Hussain Hashmi


There is a pleasure in philosophy, and a lure even in the mirages of metaphysics, which every student feels until the coarse necessities of physical existence drag him from the heights of thought into the mart of economic strife and gain

PLEASURES OF PHILOSOPHY


Born : November 5, 1885): North Adams, Massachusetts

Died : November 7, 1981 (aged 96): Los Angeles, California

Occupation : Historian, writer, philosopher, teacher

Nationality : American Subjects : History, philosophy, religion Spouse : Ariel Durant Children : (01)Ethel Durant

ABOUT AUTHOR


William James Durant (November 5, 1885– November 7, 1981) A prolific American writer, historian, and philosopher Best known for The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife Ariel and published between 1935 and 1975

ABOUT AUTHOR


Earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy, written in 1926

Will and Ariel Durant were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977

ABOUT AUTHOR


Author : Will Durant

Publisher : Simon and Schuster

New York USA

Publishing Year : 1953

Pages : 446

Price : $ 12

Parts : 09

Chapters : 24

Cover : Soft

ABOUT THE BOOK


Twenty six pages of index and note about the achievements of writer

Almost one hundred and twenty books and writers have been referred to accomplish the task

ABOUT THE BOOK


CHAPTER WISE SUMMARY

The book has been divided in nine parts and twenty four chapters

Part IChapter No 01 The lure of philosophy

Epistemologist Theologians


Chapter No 02

What is Truth

Sensation vs Reason The Mystery of Knowledge Reason vs Instinct

PART TWO


Chapter 03 Matter Life and Mind

Agnostic Materialism Idealism What is Matter Life The Idealist Replies Synthesis

PART THREE


Chapter 04 Is Man a Machine

Perspective Mechanism Determinism The age of Biology

PART THREE


PROBLEMS OF MORALITY

Chapter No 05 Our Changing Morals

The Relativity of Morals The Agricultural Code The Industrial Code Our Immoral Elders The family

PART FOUR


PROBLEMS OF MORALITY

Chapter No 06 Morality and Immorality

Morality as Intelligence Natural Morality The Larger Morality Sex and Morality

PART FOUR

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Chapter No 07 Love

Why Do We Love A Biological

Approach The Psychological

Foundation The Spiritual

Development

PART FOUR


Chapter 08

Men and Women The War of Love Differences of Character Intellectual Differences Woman and Genius Are these Differences Innate

PART FOUR


Chapter No 09 The Modern Woman

The Great Change Causes Our Daughters

PART FOUR

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Chapter No 10 The Breakdown of Marriages

The Evolution of Marriages The Dissolution of Marriage The Reconstruction of Marriage On Having Babies

PART FOUR


Chapter No 11

About Children : A Confession Personal Physical Moral Erotic Mental

PART FOUR


Chapter No 12

The Reconstruction of Character The Element of Character The Negative Character The Positive Character Remaking Character

PART FOUR


Chapter No 13

What is Beauty? The Sense of Beauty among Philosopher The Sense of Beauty in Animals Primary Beauty Secondary Beauty Tertiary Beauty

PART FIVE

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Chapter No 14

The Meaning of History: A Symposium

The theological Interpretation of History The Geographical Interpretation of History The Racial Interpretation of History The Economic Interpretation of History The psychological Interpretation of History Composite History

PART SIX


Chapter No 15

Is Progress A Delusion The Youth of Progress Progress in Excelsis ( height) The Case against Progress Minor Considerations

PART SIX


Chapter No 16

The Destiny of Civilization Post Bellum Neurosis The Morality of Nation Economics and Civilization Biology/Sociology and civilization The Future in America

PART SIX


Chapter No 17

In Praise of Freedom Liquor and Liberty The Religion of Liberty Anarchism The Difficulties of Freedom

PART SEVEN


Chapter No 18

Is Democracy A Failure? The origins of Democracy The Decay of Democracy The Mechanism of Democracy

PART SEVEN


Chapter No 19

Aristocracy Salvaging Aristocracy Forms of Government Statesmanship Conservatism Govt and Culture The Faults of Aristocracy

PART SEVEN


Chapter No 20

How We Made Utopia On the Uses of Utopia The Mayor Rises Government by Education Socialism by Millionaires Financing Utopia

PART SEVEN


Chapter No 21

The Making of Religion Animism Magic Totems and Taboos Ancestor-worship Paganism

PART EIGHT


Chapter No 22

From Confucius to Christ Confucius Mysticism Judaism Christianity Catholicism and Protestantism

PART EIGHT


Chapter No 23 God and Immortality

Immortality The Dead God The Function of Religion The New God

PART EIGHT


Chapter No 24 On Life and Death

Childhood Youth Middle Age Death

PART NINE


It is said that once a mind is open, it never returns to it original size, books like this add and hasten that expansion

The reader is able to make the subject enjoyable and attractive, although the subject philosophy is considered as dry and dull

COMMENTS


The overall impact of the book is quite powerful The book is an anthology of different philosophical ideas and theories of almost one hundred and twenty philosophers and writer, so without sufficient background knowledge of philosophy, one cannot understand most of the ideas presented in the book

COMMENTS


The style of writer is convincing and encouraging for readers but he does not explain difficult terminologies for beginners The core text draws upon the author's lifelong wisdom, alternating between overviews of philosophy of life to concept of immortality to cultivate in oneself a palpable dimension to feel and enjoy pleasures of philosophy

COMMENTS


“History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice”. “I am not against hasty marriages, where a mutual flame is fanned by an adequate income”. “Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art”. “Every form of government tends to perish by excess of its basic principle”.

QUOTES FROM BOOK


“Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty and dies with chaos”. “Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance”. “It may be true that you can't fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country”. “Moral codes adjust themselves to environmental conditions”.

QUOTES FROM BOOK



Book review on pleasure of philosophy

Education

problems of morality

chapter wise summary

meaning of history

reconstruction of character

sense of beauty

ariel durant children

negative character

element of character