Just Jennifer

A Brief History of Thought: A Philosophical Guide to Living by Luc Ferry (Harper Perennial, 2012)

Luc Ferry is a French philosopher at the University of Paris.  In this easily accessible book he takes on five major areas in the history of philosophy, the wisdom of the ancient Greeks, the Christian thinkers, existentialists and modern and post-modern philosophers, synthesizing it in a way that allows us to think about modern daily life and how the wisdom of old can help us live a more enlightened journey, and perhaps have a happier outlook on life.  Ferry first tackles the question of “What is Philosophy?” framing it not as the antithesis of religion, but perhaps as its corollary.  He then spends a chapter on each of the five areas he has chosen to highlight, explaining how one leads into the next and how they are interdependent, building upon each other, yet can be seen as individual schools of thought.  Ferry’s love for his subject matter, and his reverence for it, show; he includes socio-political climates surround each major school and guides the reader to see how each philosophy might fit in to his or her life rather than assuming every thought is for everyone at all times.  While the chapters chronologically lay out the history of thought, once the book has been read the first time, it is easy to pick up and find the sections that appeal to us most at any given time.  Ferry gives relevance to the great thinkers we studied in school and makes us want to understand them and apply their thoughts to our lives.