The only necessary quality for a person to become a good philosopher is the power of wonder. It is not exactly the question of "to be or not to be?" but rather we must wonder about what we are. Are we real human beings of flesh and blood? Is our world composed of real things? Or are we just enclosed in the mind? How can we be sure that life is not a dream?

*
Justine Gardner*


My personal opinion:
Has anyone of you ever feared that one day you were just a fictional character in a story or just an imaginary being in someone's imagination? Has anyone of you thought that your paper creations would come to life and take revenge on you because you played with them in your imagination and gave them a strange or exciting life? For the first time, I spent almost two weeks reading one book. It's not because my passion for reading is weak but rather in the height of its power. But at some point, I stopped because I started to think about what I had read.

The author's way of narration took on a lot of the characteristics of a philosophy and thought professor. Therefore, he adopted the teaching method from a teacher to a student, which is Sophie Amundsen. I was flipping from chapter to chapter, amazed and eager to know more about the history of philosophy. And in each chapter, I would stop and say "aha, Sophie and Alberto are the imagination in this story." Then I would move on to another chapter to make sure that Hilde was an angel as Alberto said and that the Major was a sorcerer. I entered a new chapter and discovered that all my previous attempts had failed and the story was still mysterious. In the end, I was shocked to find out that all of this was Justine Gardner's imagination and that I had fallen victim to this author's amazing reading plot. I tried many times to shorten some of what I had read about the history of philosophy here, but philosophy cannot be shortened. I started...

The book discusses the ideas of previous philosophers in the pre-Christian eras and some of the philosophical groups that emerged at different times. It does not integrate as well with the chapters on philosophers of nature and Plato, Democritus, and Socrates as it does with the modern ones about myths and about scientists and philosophers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Darwin, and especially the discussion about Freud and the unconscious mind. I understood Newton's law of gravity to a greater extent.

Some remarks:
*I was amazed by the book and Justine Gardner's ability to simplify the meanings and philosophical concepts. This does not deny my rejection of those ideas that spoke of the existence of God or fate or any idea that is considered among our Muslim beliefs as we Muslims. Also, when some of the philosopher-artists compared God to creating something out of nothing, God is exalted above what is said here.*
*It is noted that when talking about European scientists, it is fair to some extent to mention Muslim and Arab scientists when they are brought up in modern times, such as Ibn Khaldun as the founder of the first social science and others.*

As it is written on the back cover of the book, "Gardner" is a simple writer and permissive.

I recommend reading this book especially to those who have some philosophical studies. The simple explanation of philosophical problems along with examples that are given for Sufi helps the reader to get a general view of the subject. But it should be noted that summarizing is the deletion of details. So don't expect that after reading this book you will be called a philosopher! But I hope you will learn how to think philosophically.

This book offers a unique perspective on philosophy, presenting complex ideas in an accessible way. The author's simple writing style makes it easy for readers to understand and engage with the material. Through the use of examples and illustrations, the book brings philosophical concepts to life and shows how they can be applied in real life.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced philosopher, "Gardner" has something to offer. It provides a valuable introduction to the world of philosophy and encourages readers to think deeply about the big questions of life. So, if you are interested in philosophy and want to expand your knowledge, I highly recommend this book.

There is no doubt that up to now, no one has been able to do what "Justine Carder" did in this book regarding the introduction of "Western philosophy" for the entire history of philosophy.

The book, in all aspects, including the type of writing and the presentation of history, is a unique sample.

However, it also had weaknesses, and the biggest one was ignoring the history of philosophy in the East; that is, it would have been better if, just as Mohammad Ali Foroughi wrote a book on the same topics and named it "The History of Wisdom in Europe", Carder also wrote "A Story about the History of Western Philosophy" because in the East (both the Middle East and West Asia), we also have great philosophers.

The second point that deserved to be mentioned is the description of the circumstances of the philosophers. In my opinion, Carder was a bit too lenient in the case of some philosophers, especially the existentialists. For example, he didn't mention that perhaps the reason for the differences and conflicts between famous people like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus was not a difference in intellectual-philosophical issues but something like the number and type of relationships of freedom that each of them had with the daughter or woman of interest to that one!

In any case, I hope that just as Carder was brave enough to present the history of Western philosophy very beautifully in the form of a story, a brave writer will also be found to present the history of Eastern philosophy in a story form.

I truly had a great liking for the concept of this book.

It contains such wonderful and comprehensive information about various aspects.

However, to my disappointment, it was extremely boring.

The same information kept repeating itself over and over again.

It felt as if I was reading the same paragraphs multiple times.

This made the reading experience quite tiresome and uninteresting.

Despite the potentially valuable content, the lack of variety and the repetitive nature really killed my enthusiasm for the book.

I had high hopes initially, but unfortunately, it failed to meet my expectations.

I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction and a sense that the book could have been much better if the information had been presented in a more engaging and diverse manner.

The Sufi World - Justine Garder

It is a strange and charming novel, and a smooth and astonishing introduction to the world of philosophy.

I think everyone should read it before the world is consumed by lust and vanity, and the entire planet turns

into a den of lazy cowards, or those afflicted with melancholy, complainers, and scoffers who think there is no meaning in life.

This novel takes us on a journey through the Sufi world, a world full of mystery and wisdom. It shows us the different ways in which people seek spiritual enlightenment and how they deal with the challenges and difficulties of life. The characters in the novel are well-developed and their stories are engaging and thought-provoking. It makes us question our own beliefs and values and encourages us to look for a deeper meaning in life. Overall, "The Sufi World" is a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy, spirituality, or just a good story.

This score is low, and it's not because the book is bad!!

I came to it with the feeling and atmosphere of a novel, but the book presented something else...

The book is extremely good, but if you are looking for a novel, don't go towards this book at all.

If you are looking for philosophy, it has one of the best and simplest pens...

In fact, this book has its own unique charm. It may not meet the expectations of those who are simply looking for a traditional novel. However, for those who have a passion for philosophy and are willing to explore deep thoughts, this book can be a treasure trove. The author's writing style is simple yet profound, making it accessible to a wide range of readers. Although it may not have the exciting plot and vivid characters that a typical novel has, it compensates with its in-depth exploration of philosophical concepts.

So, don't be misled by the low score. Give this book a chance and you may be surprised by what you discover.

I used to dream of living in a wooden cabin by a river, looking at the moon and reading a book until I fell asleep. My dream came true, but the moon is no longer my favorite friend.

Yes, the friends of this era have become hidden behind devices. The friends of this era no longer come back behind the windows. The friends of this era have become those who enter our lives through Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! And each of them enters our lives with their talents, disappointments, natures, sincerity, and falsehoods.

Then there are also the friends of Goodreads, the app I am on now. These friends are the closest to me intellectually and in thought. Although I have never seen their real faces, nor their real papers, nor their real names. Friends with whom I have not shared my school books, who have not given me an eraser to correct words in the spelling section, nor a box of colors in the drawing section, who have not helped me with a ruler or a compass in the geometry section, who have not accompanied me in reading Majid in childhood, nor the passion for Nizar's pen in adolescence, nor the addiction to comics in youth.

But they share my love of reading! They opened the doors of my mind in a stage when it was in all its glory and beauty. They entered my world from my mobile phone and laptop. They chatted with me from behind the electronic screen. They knew my hobbies from my letters. They shared my astonishment at the beautiful endings, the pursuit of successful novels, and the news of upcoming books. The friends of the Internet defended me electronically, loved me electronically, discussed with me electronically, astonished me electronically, and revealed to me real worlds... also electronically!

Yes! Because most of the beautiful worlds that were poured into our ears in childhood were fairy tales and fables. So the world of Oz was a fable, the world of Sesame Street was a fable, the world of Sindbad was a fable. Only one world presents us with the facts with its strength since the beginning of creation. Only one world tells us the stories of the giants of philosophy from birth to death. Only one world takes us back to the first minute of the first hour of the first day. It is a Sufi world, ladies and gentlemen. The only world that you enter with few expectations and come out of with a lot of knowledge.

In the beginning, the story was written to be magical and fictional through the eyes of a naive and somewhat ignorant teenage girl. This girl is fourteen years old and is called Sophie. Sophie gets to know philosophy in the beginning from a mailbox, just as I got to know this wonderful novel from an electronic mailbox too.

A fictional story, the plot was somewhat lacking, and I felt that it was completely thrown between two characters, each of whom played the game of pulling and pushing (Alberto, Sophie). And although the story started with a charming beginning between Sophie and the philosopher, it soon became somewhat burdensome when the heavy characters of Hilde's parents were introduced. And although I was somewhat annoyed by his presence as an essential element in the plot later, I think his presence added beauty to the lofty conversations and merged two worlds that were on top of each other.

This book follows the long history of Western philosophy from the pre-Socratic period to the present day. Jostein Gaarder weaves this history for us with elegance and brevity in the voice of a philosopher named Alberto. The novel is drawn with broad strokes, broad enough to give the reader a partial understanding of the main ideas of each philosopher mentioned in the chapters of the novel. I expect that the most beautiful achievement of this book is the fictional integration that Gaarder drew between fiction and philosophy, which I have never encountered before.

The novel is written with an easy-to-digest introduction and a fast-to-understand language, which means it is perfect for anyone interested in finding a broad and simple introduction to philosophy.

Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza, all are names of philosophy giants mentioned in this book. Giants who never repeated. I wonder why? Yes, I wonder now in vain! Why does the century stingy with us in repeating a modern philosopher? Is the philosopher a temporal coincidence that does not accept repetition? Or is his appearance rare... happened out of time? Or is it the astonishment that does not accept the repetition of the event?

Below are some of the quotes that I liked:

My blog: Eighty books searched for an author


https://saudomar.wordpress.com

***

In this review, I will only talk about the Arabic translation of the novel "Sophie's World". I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read a large part of the novel in the Arabic translation (350 pages) and then read it again in its entirety in the English translation.

The translator (Haya al-Huweik) managed to a certain extent to translate the novel until the Descartes chapter. After that, the level of translation clearly declined. The problem with Arabic translations in general, and this translation in particular, is that they are not subject to verification or review after completion.

In a round in the Arabic forums, you will notice that most readers read the novel until after the (Descartes) chapter with a few chapters and then stopped.

This is an example of a reading club established in the Eqla3 forum..

http://vb.eqla3.com/showthread.php?t=...

Although the number of replies reached 182 posts, you will not find any member at all talking about the strange ending of the novel.. Why?.. Because they could not finish it.. And you will only find one member (Georgina) who spoke, and in a hurry, about the biggest surprise in the novel (the surprise in the Berkeley chapter).. This surprise is a very central event in the novel.. However, no one mentioned it..

And here is another topic, where (Youssef) and (Hadeel) - who are two excellent and avid readers - quote from the novel with some added comments and explanations (in 187 replies).

http://vb.eqla3.com/showthread.php?t=...

We find that Youssef uses external sources to explain the topics of the novel starting from the (Once Upon a Time) chapter, and we find that they did not quote anything at all from the last three chapters, nor do we find any comment from them on the plot of the novel or the surprise in the (Berkeley) chapter or the strange ending.

Why?..

Because the translator did not succeed in translating the entire novel.. The translation only succeeded in translating the first half of the novel (and this is the reason for its popularity).. During my reading of the work in English, the Arabic version was beside me most of the time, and from time to time I would open the Arabic version to compare the two translations. The truth is that I did not feel sorry when I stopped reading the Arabic version, and in fact I cannot imagine that I would understand what is after the (Descartes) chapter or be able to follow the plot of the novel if I completed reading it in Arabic.

Sometimes you cannot blame the translator, for translation is a difficult and tiring task, but sometimes you encounter failure and God protect from some unjust mistakes..

I will now mention two examples of these mistakes.

In the English version on page 364 it is written:

Here is another example for you: the Danish nuclear physicist Niels Bohr is said to have told a story about Newton’s having a horseshoe over his front door.

In the Arabic version on page 386 it is written:

Take an example: It is said that the famous nuclear physics researcher Niels Bohr used to put a horseshoe over his door.

Can you forgive this mistake?.. Any high school student can translate this sentence without any problems.. But the Arabic translation (which costs 85 riyals) made Niels Bohr the one who puts the horseshoe, not Newton.

Another example of a different kind of mistake:

On page 146, the story was about (the new plutonium) and suddenly, without any prior warning, the author says in the fourth paragraph (Imagine the truth now, beside the camp).. The strange thing is that no camp has been mentioned at all until now.. And the Arab reader will have no idea what the author is talking about.. But the mystery is solved after several pages.. Specifically on page 149 in the fourth paragraph when the author says (Imagine, dear Sophie, a fire burning in a camp).. What happened is that the third and fourth paragraphs of page 149 are actually part of page 146 but for a reason known only to God, these paragraphs were moved three pages back in the Arabic translation.

These are quick examples of some of the unjust mistakes that are spread throughout the novel.

The language of this work is very simple and does not require much effort in translation, but nevertheless its translation into Arabic was never successful.

The thing that I liked about the Arabic translation is that the translator did not delete anything. It is common for Arab translators to delete what conflicts with their culture, but although "Sophie's World" talked about some sensitive topics (the theory of evolution, Freud's ideas, the evolution of religions), the translator did not exceed or delete anything.. Regardless of my position or the position of any other person on these issues, but literary and scientific integrity requires that the translator translate the work in its entirety and not allow himself to determine what is suitable for the readers and what is not.

The very strange (and at the same time sad) thing is that the translator allowed herself to add more than half a page of her own. I have seen many translators who delete what they do not like in the text, but as previously noted for Haya al-Huweik, for the first time I see a translator adding words from her own; for example, on page 184, the first half of the first paragraph is what is in the English translation, but the second half (starting with the story about the Hindu) and the second, third, and fourth paragraphs are not there. At that point, the philosopher Bertrand was talking about the influence of the Arabs on European civilization and it seems that the translator was so inspired that she added three paragraphs as a gift on top of the cake.. (It was something indigestible when I read that Bertrand Russell said that Ibn Rushd is the one with the greatest influence in European philosophy, and here I knew that the translator's hand had intervened, and I was not wrong when I started).

The strangest of all this is that the Arab reader classifies the translation of "Sophie's World" as a good translation, and I don't blame them for that, for they see the wonders of translation every day, and what is "Sophie's World" but blind in the city of the blind.

The book was extraordinary. Among the various philosophical views and perspectives, Spinoza, Hume, Sartre, Marx, Freud, Darwin, and Heidegger had the greatest influence. Even the great philosopher Plato was interesting to me. The last part of the book, which was about space, was also extraordinary. It also had a relatively good ending.

This book seems to be a comprehensive exploration of different philosophical thoughts and ideas. It not only introduces the well-known philosophers and their contributions but also delves into specific topics such as space. The author's writing style is engaging and makes the complex philosophical concepts accessible to the readers.

Overall, it is a remarkable book that provides valuable insights into the world of philosophy and helps the readers expand their intellectual horizons. It is definitely worth reading for those who are interested in philosophy or want to gain a deeper understanding of different thinkers and their ideas.

Six months ago, I purchased a new copy of "Sophie's World" because the copy I had owned for years was in a rather bad condition.

At the end of last year, my daughter informed me that she had selected philosophy as an elective subject in high school for this year.

Since she is the same age as Sophie in the book, I thought this might be precisely the thing to introduce my daughter to the greats of Western philosophy.

Jostein Gaarder truly deserves due recognition for this remarkable book. It has the power to engage and educate readers of all ages, opening up a world of philosophical thought and exploration.

The story of Sophie and her journey of discovery through philosophy is both captivating and enlightening. It allows readers to gain a deeper understanding of the various philosophical ideas and thinkers that have shaped Western civilization.

I am excited to share this book with my daughter and hope that it will spark her interest in philosophy and encourage her to think critically and explore the big questions of life.

Overall, "Sophie's World" is a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy or simply looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read.

The one who doesn't know how to learn the lessons of the past three thousand years remains in darkness.

Ghouta..

With these words, the book begins..

Despite its length, I find it very unique in discussing philosophy in a non-philosophical style..

For a while now, I have been reading it and haven't finished it yet..

I feel that it is that kind of book that stays by your side and when you are ready to let your thoughts fly very far with complete freedom, it becomes suitable for reading..

Perhaps it will be waited for a long time!!

This book seems to offer a different perspective on philosophy, presenting it in a way that is accessible and engaging. It makes you think about the lessons of history and how they can shape our present and future.

As I continue to read, I am constantly uncovering new insights and ideas that challenge my own beliefs and assumptions.

It is a book that requires patience and reflection, but the rewards are well worth it.

I look forward to seeing where this journey of reading takes me and how it will further expand my understanding of the world and myself.

Maybe others will also discover the value of this book and be inspired by its words.

Only time will tell.

**"Sophie's World": A Captivating Journey Through Philosophy and Life**

"Sophie's World" is a remarkable book that combines elements of a novel and a philosophical treatise. It takes the reader on a profound exploration of the history of human thought, covering various aspects such as philosophy, religion, natural sciences, and cosmology.

The story begins with Sophie, a fifteen-year-old girl, who starts receiving mysterious letters from an unknown philosopher. These letters pose thought-provoking questions and introduce her to the world of philosophy. As Sophie delves deeper into the teachings, she discovers the rich and diverse history of philosophical ideas, from the ancient Greeks to modern existentialism.

The author, Jostein Gaarder, presents the information in an engaging and accessible manner. The philosophical concepts are explained through dialogues, examples, and analogies, making it easy for readers of all ages to understand. The novel also weaves in real historical events and figures, adding a layer of authenticity to the narrative.

One of the strengths of "Sophie's World" is its ability to make philosophy relevant and interesting. It shows how philosophical questions have shaped our understanding of the world and ourselves. The book encourages readers to think critically, question their assumptions, and explore different perspectives. It also highlights the importance of curiosity, imagination, and the pursuit of knowledge.

Another aspect that makes this book stand out is its unique structure. The story alternates between Sophie's experiences and the philosophical teachings, creating a seamless integration of the two. This structure keeps the reader engaged and provides a fresh perspective on both the fictional and the philosophical aspects of the book.

"Sophie's World" is not just a book about philosophy; it is also a story about self-discovery and personal growth. As Sophie learns about the different philosophical ideas, she also begins to question her own identity, her place in the world, and her purpose in life. The book shows how philosophy can help us make sense of our experiences and find meaning in a complex and often confusing world.

In conclusion, "Sophie's World" is a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy, history, or literature. It is a thought-provoking and engaging book that will leave you with a deeper understanding of the world and yourself. Whether you are a student, a teacher, or simply a curious reader, this book is sure to inspire you and spark your imagination.