The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers Kindle Edition

This is the most approachable book of philosophy you are bound to find. Weiner’s writing is simple, to the point, and often humorous. He covers many of history’s most notable philosophers and schools of philosophy without resorting to the language of modern academic philosophy. There is no need to stare at your navel.Weiner notes that few schools today teach philosophy. At best they teach about philosophers. But although there are differences, philosophy and science are essentially the same thing. The words, in fact, centuries ago were used concurrently and many of the greatest philosophers in history would be considered both scientists and philosophers today. Newton’s most famous paper, which is often assigned a prominent role in kicking off the Scientific Revolution, actually had the word philosophy in its title.We are today enamored with science. ‘What the science says’ is the journalistic phrase of the day. The suggestion, of course, is that if this is what the science says, it must be true. This is the source of many of our current social, political, and cultural ills, however. Science is not a body of knowledge. It is a methodology for collecting data. But data are dumb. They can tell us virtually nothing without further questioning. As the author notes, “We confuse data with information, information with knowledge, and knowledge with wisdom.”“Philosophy, unlike science, is prescriptive.” It is the study of questions. But without the questions we have no idea if the reality the science gives us is true or not. Which is why so many scientific “discoveries” turn out to be false. There weren’t enough questions asked.At the core of the LEAN management system, the most advanced operations management system currently in use, one of the core concepts is the 5 Whys. When you confront a problem you can’t resolve it until you know why the problem exists. Your first answer to the question of why, however, will seldom be the root cause and root causes are what you need to fix. You must ask why at least five times before you even get close to the root cause.That is essentially what Socrates told us a long, long time ago. These subsequent questions are what I think of as discovering the context. We can’t understand the answers until we understand the context. And that’s why there is such a strong need for prescriptive thinking. That is where the context resides.This, in my opinion, is why technology is currently doing us far more harm than good. It ignores context, which is why AI will never replace the human mind. However complex it becomes it is still binary. No number of algorithms can ever replace the questions of philosophy. The algorithms can destroy us, of course, but that does not require understanding. We’re doing just fine on that front without the understanding that philosophy can provide.This is a great book by a very skillful writer. I highly recommend it. I guarantee you will feel better for having read it.

As I try to write this review, for a book that is a bit too long, I find that it's not easy to recapitulate all of the wisdom, the insight, and the profound use of language. You just have to read this book for yourself. The book gets an A+ from me, for Eric Weiner as a writer.This is what he says about the purpose of writing the book, "...a sense of urgency propels my pen. It is the urgency of someone who does not want to die having not lived." P. XVIIIWe all have this sense of wanting to contribute, probably, as the legacy of our own once happened life.So from now I'm going to state some things about his book and his writing together with quotes from him.First, I find it very useful to know the backgrounds of all philosophers he mentions to "savor" the book. I use short YouTube videos (bios and philosophies) before reading the various sections of selected philosophers.Weiner's philosophy seems to be influenced somewhat by the Buddha and the Eastern thoughts. For example, he goes into details to describe the doctrine of suffering in a lot of places especially on Schopenhauer.For all of us, life is not the bed of roses full of fragrance and exquisite beauty. For Socrates, he seems to think that the cause of it is ignorance. I personally think that it's sin, as a Christian.Weiner extols the highest character of Socrates by quoting him:"And now it is time to go, I to die, and you to live, but which of us goes to a better thing is unknown to all but God." P. 36 I think the majority of the world disagrees with this Socratic statement.Weiner shows his clear insight when talking about the technology, of the train and its speed in the following quote:"The speed - faster than humans has ever traveled on land _ transformed the hallowed countryside into an ungodly blur." P. 39I like that Weiner uses natural process and objects to compare the technology of train development to nature, as also in:"Transportation... a survival of the fastest." P. 39"This acceleration didn't just happen, any more than our outsize brain and opposable thumbs just happened." P. 39Weiner uses walking and meditating to compare and contrast each other:"Walking the slowest form of travel, is the quickest route to our more authentic selves." P. 50""The phrase "competitive walking" makes about as much sense as "competitive meditation."" P. 51Weiner's quote:"If I've learned any thing from my philosophical investigations, it's that first impressions are often wrong." P. 55Many times, my first impressions are usually right but after some time, they are diverted from their true meanings, I then lose my way. What do you think is the answer to those two opposite thoughts on first impressions?"Wildness resides inside us. Wildness is strong and willful." P. 58It seems like Weiner is struggling with something like self-concept or self-analysis.""Glancing... reveals unexpected wonders. The word "surface" and "surprise" share a linguistic root."" P. 71Weiner is such a good writer here to explain the "wonders.""We must experience it (music - s.c.) from a disinterested perspective." P. 90"True listening demand we postpone judgement." P. 90This is hard for me to understand. Does he mean be spontaneous in listening to anything?"We travel to escape the tyranny of habit." P. 101 - Very good sentence. Correctly expressive."...a child's easy joy." P. 103 Excellent wording."People seeking pleasure, just as they did in Epicurus's, time, and long before." P. 104 True statement.""...what I crave most is not fame or wealth but peace of mind, the "pure pleasure of existing." It's nearly impossible to describe such a state in terms other than that of absence."" P. 107It's the via negativa (by negative) means to describe the highest of mystical experience or God."How can a dead Greek dude, prone to cursing and spitting, who lived in a garden and preached a life of radical simplicity, possibly be relevant in today's complex high-tech world? " P. 112 Good question!"The caviar will never taste as good as the craving hurts. What began as pleasure ends in pain. The only solution is to minimize those desires." P. 115That's a good logical way to explain the Buddha's idea of suffering and how to eliminate it."...this is India, a country that invented the concept of zero and is on speaking terms with infinity. What is a number? It is Maya, illusion." P.143 That's funny to me."Maybe Gandhi's law of love is less like gravity and more like a rainbow: a natural phenomenon that only manifests sometimes, under certain circumstance, but when it does, there's nothing more beautiful." P. 160 Weiner's good idea!"It is the sadness of a late autumn day, when a wind gust stirs a pile of fallen leaves, and they dance." P. 198 He's such a good writer."Eternal Recurrence demands we ruthlessly audit our lives and ask: What is worthy of Eternity?" P. 215Eternal recurrence is the recurring of a piece, episode, time of life over and over again, there's no end or finality, always on and on repeating. Is our life worth it to live till eternity? That's what Weiner is saying.(Old age - s.c.) "It can be a time of great joy and creative output. And the best person to make this case? Simone de Beauvoir." P. 254I personally think Weiner is a great critic of Beauvoir when I read them."Dear Sonya: (Sonya is Weiner's daughter of 13 years old at that time. - s.c.)Question everything, especially your questions. Gaze at the world with wonder. Speak to it with reverence. Listen to it with love. Never stop learning. Do everything, but make time for nothing, too. Cross bridges on any damn level you want. Don't curse your Sisyphean rock. Own it. Love it. Oh, and cut back on the McDonald's. Or not. It is your choice." P. 267The proof that he's an A+ writer."Death is not life's failure, but its natural outcome." P. 278 This sentence is great, really great.Overall, even though it's not a really deep and ancient philosophical textbook, it's excellent to read the mind of Weiner in this 21st century.

An easy yet informative read.Learnt a lot.

Weiner in a reasonably breezy fashion explores the ideas of philosophers dead and gone gone. I find it a great read. My only issue with the book is Weiner’s cliched ideas about India, it’s babudom, inefficient railways and so on. Come on man, move on!

A travel book, a history book and a philosophy book all rolled into one. A great way to learn about philosophy and how it applies to our real lives.

Really enjoyed this book and wish it were longer. Fun, informative, and great writing. There is much to engage in and the author presents it in a questioning style which encourages the reader to delve deeper into their own perceptions.

I really did not enjoy the first chapters.When i read an article about this book, i was really hopeful to get transported, to learn from the wise... instead, we are given philosophy bumper stickers from the daughter of the writer.I ll do my best to finish it. But so far a disappointment.2nd book i buy after reading an article which in fine was clearly promotional... (weapon of math destruction was also a hard one to finish...)