The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All T..., Will Durant
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All T..., Will Durant
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The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time

Author: Will Durant, John Little

Narrator: John Little

Unabridged: 3 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/21/2013

Synopsis

A wise and witty compendium of the greatest thoughts, greatest minds, and greatest books of all time—listed in accessible and succinct form—by one of the world's greatest scholars. From the "Hundred Best Books" to the "Ten Greatest Thinkers" to the "Ten Greatest Poets," here is a concise collection of the world's most significant knowledge. For the better part of a century, Will Durant dwelled upon—and wrote about—the most significant eras, individuals, and achievements of human history. His selections have finally been brought together in a single, compact volume. Durant eloquently defends his choices of the greatest minds and ideas, but he also stimulates readers into forming their own opinions, encouraging them to shed their surroundings and biases and enter "The Country of the Mind," a timeless realm where the heroes of our species dwell. From a thinker who always chose to exalt the positive in the human species, The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time stays true to Durant's optimism. This is a book containing the absolute best of our heritage, passed on for the benefit of future generations. Filled with Durant's renowned wit, knowledge, and unique ability to explain events and ideas in simple and exciting terms, this is a pocket-size liberal arts and humanist curriculum in one volume.

About Will Durant

Will Durant (1885–1981) was an award-winning American writer, historian, and philosopher. He and his wife were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 for Rousseau and Revolution, and he was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Durant spent over forty years writing the critically acclaimed eleven-volume Story of Civilization, the later volumes with the help of his wife, Ariel. He sought to revitalize history by unifying and humanizing the great body of historical knowledge, which had become voluminous and fragmented into esoteric subcategories. He also strove to bring philosophy to the common man. Durant was a champion of human rights, social reform, and the brotherhood of man long before they became well-known issues.

About John Little

John Little is considered to be one of the world’s foremost authorities on Bruce Lee and Will Durant. He’s the only person who has ever been authorized to review the entirety of Lee’s personal notes, sketches, and reading annotations, giving him an insider’s look at Lee’s training methods and philosophies.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Roy on November 16, 2015

I am, apparently, slowly but surely paying Durant the compliment of reading his entire oeuvre. And it is quite a compliment, considering how massive a collection of writings he left behind. Thankfully, this little volume, a posthumously published collection, was very slim. Much can be forgiven of a......more

Goodreads review by Arkskier on August 10, 2016

In college it was Durant’s “The Story of Philosophy” that got me into reading more philosophy. Ever since, I’ve been trying to get his now-rare eleven-volume “The Story of Civilization,” which took him 50 years to write. Due to his encyclopedic mind, Durant has been asked by many people who he consi......more

Goodreads review by Ruth on July 03, 2012

First, the idea that anyone can attempt to support a thesis such as this in less than 150 pages is laughable. Second, the author more than once, when faced with a staggering array of "greats" to whittle down to the ones that he thinks are the best of the best, cops out by encouraging the reader to "......more

Goodreads review by Schehani on December 27, 2017

The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time by Will Durant, was really a great read for me. I liked the organization of books; however, the sections dealing with 100 Best Books to read for an Education, Ten peaks of human progress and 12 vital dates of world history I liked the most. Just reading the l......more

Goodreads review by John on May 20, 2018

Excuse the blog post. I liked the way the 100 books to read was presented. Sort of like 'if you spend 1 hour a night reading from this, you can finish the list in a few years and you will be "well-read." While you get no $100,000 check from the Big Brain Association or certificate of completion at th......more

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