I've always been quite the reader. Since a year or so I just stopped reading in my native language, being offcourse dutch, and switched to English. The book I've recently read is Sophie's World and seriously I can hardly imagine a better book for a person like me. Well why is that, one would wonder. Well I'll come around to that now because the rest I want to dedicate to the book itself. I always had questions, I always wanted to know how the world worked and was constructed and life the universe and everything. And though I've always had doubts about religion and stuff I felt attracted to mystifying the world as in Pagan beliefs. My first contacts with philosophy were rather enlightening.
Well this book is not an ordinary fantasy book. This book explains to us the history of philosophy. Now this is no easy task I can tell you. Philosophy has developped in my opinion according to a dialectic system of thesis, antithesis and finally in some occasions a synthesis. 
The dialectic system can be seen on this picture here, but probably doesnt fully explain it. Believe me, that is a pretty simple thing if you get it in your head. Its derived from Hegel's philosophy and I'm sure I got it in a way totally wrong but still I'd like to keep up the expectations that I know what I'm doing. If you don't get this, just use the magic of google. Basically what happens is that one statement, for example a totalist regime, is not accepted by others. Therefor an opposing force comes into existance, for example Communism. Well both are quite extreme and start debating (or fighting, whatever they prefer). Then they come to some peace negotiations, because both are similar in strenght (unless we look at Marx his view of this thing, but remember this is my example of Hegel). They come to an agreement of a constitutional monarchy because its in interest of both partys. This again could be reduced to some sort of utilitarism but lets not do so today. Thats all for Hegel now. Oh! One thing, lets not forget that Hegel has a superb vision on woman. I don't agree or anything, but check it out.
The dialectic system can be seen on this picture here, but probably doesnt fully explain it. Believe me, that is a pretty simple thing if you get it in your head. Its derived from Hegel's philosophy and I'm sure I got it in a way totally wrong but still I'd like to keep up the expectations that I know what I'm doing. If you don't get this, just use the magic of google. Basically what happens is that one statement, for example a totalist regime, is not accepted by others. Therefor an opposing force comes into existance, for example Communism. Well both are quite extreme and start debating (or fighting, whatever they prefer). Then they come to some peace negotiations, because both are similar in strenght (unless we look at Marx his view of this thing, but remember this is my example of Hegel). They come to an agreement of a constitutional monarchy because its in interest of both partys. This again could be reduced to some sort of utilitarism but lets not do so today. Thats all for Hegel now. Oh! One thing, lets not forget that Hegel has a superb vision on woman. I don't agree or anything, but check it out. After studying philosophy as a minor and really delving deeper into it, I still usually felt a stranger in a strange land there. Its so huge and complicated and the ideas and thoughts of the likes of Immanuel Kant, Socrates, Martin Heidegger or GWF Hegel are so all envelopping that one really has to know where his towel is (smart reference to the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, a book that explains everything as well). The idea of having your towel with you means that you've sure got your wits about you.
Now, Gaarder, the writer of Sophie's world, really must have had his towel at hand when he wrote this. I cannot imagine a better initiation into the world of philosophy. I'm not going to write any spoilers, just suffice to let me say some things on it. Sophie Amundsen is a girl, 14 years of age. She starts receiving a mysterious philosophy course from Alberto Knox, a weird man that seems to know everything about history and philosophy. During these courses strange things start happening and nothing seems to be exactly what it seems to be. Someone is playing with them and its a dangerous game. Talking dogs, fairy tale figures and a huge pile of postcards adressed at Hilde Moller Knag /co Sophie Amundsen. Who is this Hilde? Why all the mystery and what is happening? Nothing is what it seems, suffice to know: Berkeley ... or is it Bjerkeley?
If you are curious about philosophy, or just want to read a nice book, this is your choice. It's translated in many languages and apparently a movie is coming out soon. I'm not to sure if it will be a good one since they pitch it between Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter... I'm curious about that, though I think it will lack the knowledge the book has. There also has been a TV series and another Norwegian movie, the most expensive one to date apparently.
Hope to have informed you well.
PS if anyone has a clue where I can get that Norwegian movie with some subtitles I'd be so over the moon, please let me know. Any clearer news on the upcoming movie would be welcome too.
