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The Story Of Philosophy: The Lives And Opinions Of The Greater Philosophers is a book that presents a history of several Western philosophers and their ideas. Summary Of The Book The Story Of Philosophy: The Lives And Opinions Of The Greater Philosophers takes a look at various Western philosophers and the development and influences of their ideas. It seeks to demonstrate the strong impact of a philosopher’s ideas on the ideas of his successors. The book has been divided into eleven chapters. The first nine chapters present detailed profiles of nine philosophers, namely Plato, Voltaire, Friedrich Nietzsche, Immanuel Kant, Baruch Spinoza, Herbert Spencer, Francis Bacon, and Arthur Schopenhauer. The last two chapters present short profiles of some twentieth century philosophers - the tenth chapter covers the profiles of Bertrand Russell, Benedetto Croce, and Henri Bergson, while the eleventh chapter covers the profiles of John Dewey, William James, and George Santayana. The book started out as a series of pamphlets. As it received positive reviews and its popularity increased, it was taken up for publication by Simon & Schuster. It was released in 1926. This particular edition of the book is a 1991 reprint. About Will Durant Will Durant was an American author, philosopher, historian, and teacher. His literary works include Adventures In Philosophy, Transition: A Mental Autobiography, The Story Of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers, and The Greatest Minds And Ideas Of All Time. He collaborated with his wife, Ariel Durant, to come up with a 11-volume, highly acclaimed work, The Story Of Civilization. His writing is distinctly witty and lively. Its penetrating insights and colorful quality is in stark contrast to the more formal approaches to writing. Durant was born on November 5, 1885, in North Adams, Massachusetts. He graduated in 1907 from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, New Jersey. He also earned a doctorate in Philosophy from Columbia University. He worked as a teacher, librarian, and reporter at various points of time. Durant made tremendous contributions to the fields of history, philosophy, and teaching, and was also heavily involved in championing several social causes. Durant and his wife Ariel jointly won the Pulitzer Prize For General Non-Fiction (1968) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977). The couple had one child, a daughter named Ethel. Durant passed away on November 7, 1981, in Los Angeles, California.