Philosophy can be hard to get into, especially for people who never studied it in school to know how to read it. Maybe that’s why it’s so popular on social media — easier to have someone else explain and interpret it for you. 

And people like knowing philosophy, they like having a favorite philosopher and being able to quote them. 

But philosophy can be hard. It’s not always easy to read. It can be quite dense. Some philosophers even do it on purpose because they like being difficult to read. Looking at you, Jacques Derrida. And for no reason. 

It wasn’t meant to be this way. The word philosophy comes from the Greek philos-sophos. The love of wisdom. It was meant for anyone who loved it. You didn’t even need to be able to read or write. Just think, ponder, question. Socrates, as this book points out, never wrote anything down. He believed a thought died when put to paper (papyrus?). His philosophy was for anyone there, and he shared with all. 

This book reminds me of what philosophy was meant to be. It’s enjoyable, engaging, at times quite funny, and makes you pause and think about what was just said. 

Eric Weiner does something not a lot of people in today’s culture do — he brings philosophy to the masses. He makes it accessible and interesting. He takes us on his journey of self-discovery by looking through the eyes of these philosophers and shares what he learned. 

He simply introduces the philosophers. Some you have likely heard of. Some will be brand new. Some lived thousands of years ago. Others died not long ago at all, just a few years really. 

That’s the wonderful thing about philosophy. It’s always compelling. It stands the test of time. No matter who wrote it, no matter when, there’s always wisdom to gain from it. 

I think that’s what sets this book apart. Weiner isn’t only trying to explain the philosophy to us. He’s trying to understand it himself. We go on the journey with him. We are trying to understand together. 

Academia likes to keep a hold over philosophy these days. They make it seem too complicated for the everyday, non-PhD person to understand. They make their analysis convoluted so have no way to speak with them about it. 

I’d argue they do this just to feel important, to feel better than those around them. It’s always made me mad — especially the ones who talk about changing the world, yet the world can’t read any of their work. How does that make sense? Makes me think they don’t actually want to do anything but feed their own ego. 

There’s a difference between smart and wise. That’s where philosophy comes in. Many academics I’ve known just regurgitate what’s been fed to them. No thoughts of their own. The worst part is they don’t even realize it. They’ve complicated the language so much they can’t see that it’s all the same. 

That’s why philosophers, true philosophers, stand out. Whether they said a lot or a little. Sometimes a large idea takes a long time to explain. That’s okay. If it’s good, people will get through it. 

The Socrates Express taught me of so many new philosophers. It reawakened the love of wisdom in me, the desire to go search for it. I’d recommend this book to anyone — those deep in philosophy, those just a bit curious to learn more, even those who just want to look at the word in a different way, those who are at all curious. 

This book was a true joy to read.