Oh how I wish I had used these books more.
During my twenties and thirties I had all sorts of aspirational reading and intellectual plans. I wanted to be the kind of person who read and understood lots about different philosophies. In 1998 I finally read and enjoyed Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World (1991). I loved learning about the history of philosophy and wanted to know more.
Wisest is she who knows she does not know.
World Philosophies (1999) came into my library on the 5th April 1999, while The Oxford Companion to Philosophy (1995) was purchased on the 20th March 2000. The first book has been highlighted up until about the halfway mark, while the second has certain sections highlighted (ie existentialism, atheism, abandonment & metaphysics) which says a lot about 32yr old me!
Now, of course, I simply google!
Sophie’s World is another book that has also been let go.
For all these years I kept it on my bookshelf hoping I would reread it one day. In recent years I have become more realistic and pragmatic about knowing what I will and will not reread. I now know I will not reread Sophie’s World (a part of this is acknowledging that I am far less enamoured of young protagonists than I used to be). I loved it, I learnt a lot (judging by the amount of underlining), but I’m done.
Life is both sad and solemn. We are let into a wonderful world, we meet one another here, greet each other—and wander together for a brief moment. Then we lose each other and disappear as suddenly and unreasonably as we arrived.
(This) Authentic Life 