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Durant countered that academics had made philosophy useless by burying it in jargon. He argued that it is better to give the public a vital, flawed understanding of philosophy than to leave them in total ignorance. Thinkers like John Dewey and H.L. Mencken vigorously defended Durant, praising his ability to vitalize public intellect. The Lasting Legacy of Durant's Work story of philosophy by will durant
Published in 1926, The Story of Philosophy isn’t a dry encyclopedia of “who said what.” It’s a dramatic, deeply human narrative. Durant treats philosophers less as abstract name-dropping devices and more as living, flawed, passionate adventurers who risked everything to ask: How should we live? What can we know? What may we hope for? This public link is valid for 7 days
Modern readers often note that Durant almost entirely ignores Eastern philosophy and non-Western traditions. It is specifically a story of Western thought. Can’t copy the link right now
This is perhaps the most crucial lesson of the book. For Durant, intellectual growth requires the courage to question everything, especially the comfortable lies we tell ourselves.