"A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." — Madeleine L'Engle

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy

Title: Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy
Series Editor: William Irwin
Edited By: Richard Brian Davis
Published: 2010
Pages: 211
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has fascinated children and adults alike for generations. Why does Lewis Carroll introduce us to such oddities as a blue caterpillar who smokes a hookah, a cat whose grin remains after its head has faded away, and a White Queen  who lives backward and remembers forward? Is it all just nonsense? Was Carroll under the influence? This book probes the deeper underlying meaning in the Alice books and reveals a world rich with philosophical life lessons. Tapping into some of the greatest philosophical minds that ever lived--Arstotle, Hume, Hobbes, and Nietzsche--Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy explores life's ultimate questions through the eyes of perhaps the most endearing heroine in all of literature.

Review: I hadn't read anything like this so I was excited when I got the chance to read it!

It was very interesting to see how others took the story of Alice and thought of it in so many different ways. At some times they got me thinking in ways that I hadn't before and made me realize so many things. At times I had thought of the things that they said but at others they made me think of a whole different possibility.

Throughout the book many of the writers used terms that I may not have understood but then they explained what it was and how they took that and related it to Alice. Some times they made comparisons which I found helped a lot with understanding what they were thinking and trying to write.

Overall, I think this would be a great book to read if you are trying to read something different for a change. I enjoyed some of the sections more than others simply because at times it may seem as if that's the way that I sometimes think. I think it was an interesting read that I would recommend.

3 comments:

  1. Wow..this is interesting. I've read twilight and philosophy from the same author and i love it even though i'm not a twilight die hard fan. =)

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  2. This book is still sitting on my bed stand half read-my brain can only take so much philosophy at one time. I have really enjoyed reading little sections at a time though. It is very thought provoking!

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  3. i read this one too and really liked it!! I'm glad you liked it too :) Great review, Diana!!

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