--- product_id: 190699965 title: "Sophie's World Paperback – January 1, 1996" brand: "jostein gaarder" price: "฿843" currency: THB in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/190699965-sophies-world-paperback-january-1-1996 store_origin: TH region: Thailand --- # Sophie's World Paperback – January 1, 1996 **Brand:** jostein gaarder **Price:** ฿843 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Sophie's World Paperback – January 1, 1996 by jostein gaarder - **How much does it cost?** ฿843 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.th](https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/190699965-sophies-world-paperback-january-1-1996) ## Best For - jostein gaarder enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted jostein gaarder brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Sophie's World Paperback – January 1, 1996 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41a-2nc7FtL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐ Don't listen to the raves about this book, it is stupid! *by K***N on Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2020* Such a creepy story about an adult man pursuing a 14 year girl trying to teach her philosophy. I realize there is a bigger philosophical meaning here but I was not able to understand it due to how terrible the book is. Then it switches to something like sci-fi, then it switches to another story line and repeats what the first story line was. So then you have to read it all over again. This book is horrible. And I think the whole story line is perverted with the old man and the young girl. I'm sure I missed the point of the whole book but the book was impossible to get through. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very good intro to philosophy; decent novel; a good tool for homeschool *by S***R on Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2020* Sophie’s World is a novel about the history of philosophy. It is also a novel about a young Norwegian girl named Sophie. I can’t give away too much of the structure without spoiling some of the mystery that unfolds over the course of the book, but suffice it to say there are some strange twists to the plot that make the story interesting, if a bit bizarre, and are actually useful in illustrating some of the points of the volume.I am not a philosopher, but I have studied enough philosophy to recognize when a named philosopher is being described accurately. Within the realm of academia, of course, there are heated debates about what Plato really meant and whether the Cynics were always in earnest. However, this book takes the entry level historical discussions of philosophers and presents their perspectives in a recognizable way. Leave it to the college professor to nuance the understanding, and deepen it with more data, but this is Newtonian physics in a quantum world: pretty close to accurate and simple enough to gain a foothold for later exploration.As a Christian theologian, the representations of Christian thinkers was the most distorted. The Christians depicted by Gaarder are flat and lifeless. This is probably the way a philosopher views the explanations of some of the different schools of philosophy. It isn’t debilitating, but it is unimpressive. Some students are likely to gain a little of the famous sophomoric skepticism from reading the book, but a rich immersion in theology afterward is likely to help reinforce sound doctrine.Sophie’s World also has strong preference for the myth of progress. The storyline of philosophy is presented as if each philosopher advanced on the theories of previous philosophers toward some future state when, if Gaarder got his way, everyone would be governed by the United Nations. Considering that this book was originally published by a Norwegian in 1994, that view of things is understandable, but that piece of the story gets a little preachy.Some parents may have concern about a few elements of the story, as well. Throughout the story, the young teenager Sophie lies to her mother (her estranged father is away at sea) and meets up alone with a middle-aged man who becomes her philosophy tutor. Parts of this read like the lead up to a 20/20 episode, but fortunately it doesn’t result in the tragic end that would have made the air. In the chapter on Sigmund Freud there is a reference to a boy dreaming about balloons that are said to represent a girl’s breasts, which is pretty tame as Freud goes.The last couple of chapters dip into the absurd. At Sophie’s philosophy themed birthday party the participants behave bizarrely, with one of Sophie’s friend pouncing on a male classmate with kissing implied and apparent sex in the bushes, off camera. The girl declares that she’s pregnant (absurdly) to reinforce just what’s going on. Of course, what the reader gets from some of these references will depend on what the reader knows, so parents are likely to read more into the stories than an innocent child. In any case, none of these concerns are enough to justify avoiding the book. The questionable content is not extreme, nor is it close to what is available in a lot of young adult literature, but it is easier to know in advance as a parent than to find out after your child points it out.As a vehicle for communicating the history of philosophy, this is an excellent volume. There are points where the text does turn a bit dry and the dialogue does seem more like philosophy notes than conversation, but the novel is a vessel for the content. As a novel, this would not be on my list of top stories, but there is enough story and character to make the drier content more engaging. Taken as a whole, this is a very useful tool for introducing a young student to philosophy in a manageable, reasonably entertaining format.Note: This is an edited version of a review posted at Ethics and Culture. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Take it from a philosophy major *by A***N on Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2018* An enjoyable tour of philosophy that will save you many hours in courses. Everyone should take philosophy in some form. It strengthens the mind. Philosophy courses don't have "answers in the back of the book" and you can't look into the soul of the boy next to you (and risk expulsion like Woody Allen). Understanding philosophy will shake you to your foundations and make you ask "What is right?" "What is real?" "What is true?" Read the many attempts to answer and, if you can, get a friend to read it and argue! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/190699965-sophies-world-paperback-january-1-1996](https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/190699965-sophies-world-paperback-january-1-1996) --- *Product available on Desertcart Thailand* *Store origin: TH* *Last updated: 2026-04-30*