ChapLer 1

Sophie Amundsen lives with her mother in a suburban house. Her father, an oil
tanker captain, is seldom home. Her mother works outside the home and comes
home late in the afternoon. To make up for being alone some much, she is given
several animals, including a cat called Sherekan.
Coming home from school one day, she looks in the mailbox and finds a letter
(without a return address or stamp) addressed to her. Inside is a note with one
question: "Who are you?" This perplexes Sophie, who takes the letter to her secret
hiding place in the hedge that she calls her "den." She ponders over the question,
coming up with several answers, none of which she thinks is satisfactory.
Thinking that perhaps there might be another letter, Sophie checks the mailbox
again, and indeed does find another letter, this one asking "Where does the world
come from?" Again, Sophie muses of the possible answers, both scientific and
religious. She realizes that the universe must have come from something, but at
what point does something come from nothing?
Checking the mailbox again, she finds a postcard, addressed in care of her to Hilde
Knag Moller. It is a birthday card from Hildes father, apologizing that he could not
be there for her birthday, and also for sending the card through Sophie, because it
was "the easiest way."
Sophie is completely confused at this point. Where did the letters come from? What
were the answers to the questions in the letters? Who is Hilde?
2
Sophie is preoccupied with the questions she has received in the mail. Sophie
returns home to find a large brown envelope in the mailbox. It is addressed to her
and labeled, "Course in Philosophy. Handle with care." She takes it to her "den" and
finds typewritten pages asking, "What Is Philosophy?"
The letter presents her with the idea that the only thing necessary to be a
philosopher is to have a sense of wonder, both about the world and about oneself.
The writer states that most people lose this capacity as they grow older.
The philosopher compares the universe to a white rabbit pulled out of a top hat by
a magician. While we as observers are filled with wonder at the trick, more than
anything we wonder, "How did he do that?" We want to know how and why. That is
the basis of all philosophy.
We as individuals are microscopic insects burrowed deep in the rabbits fur. A
relative few crawl up the hairs. Most are content to remain in the depths of the fur,
or else, having climbed to the top, crawl back down into its safety. The true
philosopher climbs up the hair to look into the eyes of the magician.
Sophie is overwhelmed by this thought. She has never thought so hard in her life.
When her mother comes home from work, Sophie asks her if she has ever
wondered where we came from and why we are here. Mrs. Amundsen is concerned,
not liking the tone Sophie has taken. She asks Sophie if she is taking drugs. Sophie
just laughs.

Sophie finds another packet from the philosopher, this time on the ancient myths.
The philosopher states that, in all cultures, people wanted explanations for why
nature worked the way it did. Rather than coming up with a scientific explanation,
they developed myths, which in turn were either based on religions or gave rise to
religions.
The myths first wanted to explain natural phenomena, such as why it rains. They
invented stories of the gods and goddesses and their fights against evil forces. The
philosopher gives examples from Nordic mythology.
In the same way, ancient Greeks developed myths to explain the seasons, weather,
and so on.Homer and Hesiod were the first to write down the myths around 700
BC, thus enabling people to discuss them. With the coming of slavery, citizens were
freed to concentrate more on politics and culture.
Eventually, ancient Greek philosophers began to question the myths. They began to
think that the gods acted too much like human beings, thus stating that the myths
were simply inventions of humans. These early philosophers began to look for
explanations not found in cultural myths or religious beliefs. They began to question
politics and culture and how man should be governed. Contemplation went from
being founded on myths to being established on reason.
Sophie is intrigued about the myth-makers. She imagines that she knows nothing
about science and creates her own mythological explanation for the changing of the
seasons.

In the next lesson, the philosopher asks Sophie questions concerning the basic
substance of the natural world. He then introduces her to the natural philosophers.
He explains that all philosophers have a "project," a specific question they want
answered. The natural philosophers were focused on the processes of the natural
world. They believed that something cannot come from nothing. They believed that
there was a basic substance from which all things were made. What that substance
was is where they disagreed.
Thales, the first philosopher, thought that all things come from water. Anaximander
believed that there was something called the "boundless" from which all things had
their origin. Anaximenes taught the source of all things to be air.
Around 500 BC, the Eleatics flourished. Parmenides thought that everything that
exists has always existed, and nothing can change. He believed that reason, rather
than senses, are more reliable. On the other hand, Heraclitus believed that
everything changes, and that our senses are reliable.
Empedocles refined the philosophy of both Parmenides and Heraclitus. He taught
that things change, but their basic substance does not. He taught that there are
four basic substances: air, water, earth, and fire. Different combinations of these
made up all of nature.
Anaxagora believed that there was an even more basic substance-"seeds." From
these seeds everything existed, bound together by a force he identified as "love."
3
Sophie receives a new question the next morning: "Why is Lego the most ingenious
toy in the world?" That afternoon the lesson arrives: "The Atom Theory." The
philosopher discusses the last of the natural philosophers, Democritus (c. 460-370
BC), who believed that transformations in nature could not be caused by any
fundamental change, but rather a rearrangement of some type of basic "building
block" (like Legos), which he named "atoms." Democritus believed that these atoms
were indestructible and eternal. He also believed that they were solid and of
varying shapes and can be combined in different forms.
The philosopher points out that scientists have discovered that Democritus was
more or less correct, though we now know that atoms can indeed be broken down
into smaller particles.
Democritus also taught that there was no force or soul that intervenes in the
creating process. All that is, is the material world. Thus he is called a "materialist."
Democritus went on to explain that our sense perceptions were due to the
movement of atoms across space, atoms penetrating our sense organs. He also
believed that the soul is not immortal, but is strictly a product of thought. Thus,
when the brain dies, the "soul atoms" dispersed.
Sophie is intrigued by the similarity of Legos with Democrituss atoms. However,
she is unsure about his premise about the nonexistence of the soul or any spiritual
force.

When Sophie receives the next envelope, she notices that it is wet around the
edges, with two holes in it. Inside are three questions: "Do you believe in Fate? Is
sickness the punishment of the gods? What forces govern the course of history?"
Sophie writes a letter to the philosopher in return, inviting him to her house when
her mother is home. She sneaks out and puts it in the mailbox at night.
In the middle of the night, Sophie looks out the window and spots an old man in a
beret putting a letter in her mailbox and taking the letter Sophie had written him.
She goes to the mailbox to retrieve the letter.
The topic of this lesson is Fate, or fatalism, which the Greeks held in the matters of
sickness and of history. The Greeks believed they could learn their fate by
consulting an oracle, such as the one at Delphi. Over the temple at Delphi was the
inscription "Know thyself." This served as a reminder that man is merely mortal and
cannot escape his destiny.
However, historians like Herodotus and Thucydides were trying to wean people
away from superstition in the matter of historical events. Hippocrates was doing the
same in the field of medicine, showing that sickness is a natural occurrence, rather
than a punishment from the gods.
Sophie awakens the next morning, wondering if she had really seen the philosopher
or dreamed it. When she looks under her bed to retrieve the letter, she finds a red
scarf she has never seen before. It is labeled with the name "Hilde."

Sophie receives a letter from the philosopher, who reveals his name as Alberto
Knox, declining her invitation with regrets. Sophie also learns that the reason some
letters are wet with two holes in them is that they are brought by Knoxs dog,
Hermes.
The next lesson concerns Socrates. Before Socrates, a group called the Sophists
taught philosophy for money. Protagoras taught that "Man is the measure of all
things," meaning that a thing is good or bad only in relation to a persons needs.
They did not believe in absolute norms for what is right or wrong.
Socrates (470-399 BC) was born in Athens of a midwife. Of unattractive
appearance, he is nevertheless an intriguing person. What is known about Socrates
is from the writings of others (mainly his pupil Plato) since he wrote nothing
himself. Socrates taught by the art of discourse, pretending to be ignorant, asking
questions, catching people in the illogic of their arguments.
Socrates believed he had an inner "Divine Voice," namely his conscience. He stated
that he was incapable of doing anything against this Divine Voices instruction,
especially against other people.
Socrates presented himself as not one who is wiser than others, but simply as
someone who loves wisdom. He stated, "One thing only I know, and that is that I
know nothing." He believed that evil is simply the lack of knowledge. People do
wrong because they dont know any better, and no one can be happy if he or she
act against his or her better judgment.

When Sophie next visits her den, she finds not a letter but a videocassette. When
she views it, she sees scenes of Athens, with a short, middle-aged man with a black
beard and blue beret, whom she knows is Alberto Knox.
Knox proceeds to show Sophie the sites in Athens. First, they visit the Acropolis,
where the temple of Athene is. He then shows her the Dionysos Theater, where the
early Greek dramas were performed. He gives her a short lesson on ancient
Greek dramatists such as Sophocles.
Knox then takes Sophie to the Areopagos, where the high court of justice was held.
It was here that Paul preached in the first century AD.
The next site is the agora, the old marketplace. It was here that Socrates did most
of his teaching, stopping passersby to ask them random questions.
With that, Knox magically transports himself back to Athens at the time of
Socrates. Sophie wonders how he was able to do this, or whether it is some kind of
elaborate special effects trick. Knox points out to her two men, one being Socrates
and the other his pupil Plato. Knox speaks to Plato, introducing him to Sophie. Plato
then asks Sophie how cookies can be identical and why all horses are the same. He
then asks her whether man has an immortal soul, and whether men and women are
equally sensible.
At the end of the video, Sophie is overwhelmed by how eccentric her philosophy
teacher is.
9
Sophie awakens the next morning, still incredulous of what she saw in the video.
When she retreats to her den, Hermes arrives with a new lesson, this one on Platos
Academy.
Plato, Socrates pupil, founded a school on Socrates teaching, called The Academy.
Philosophy, mathematics, and gymnastics were the subjects taught.
Plato taught that there were two worlds: the temporary material world and the
eternal world of ideas. The world of ideas contained the ideas, or "Forms," from
which all material things were patterned. Thus, though our senses may deceive us
and give us an incomplete picture of material things, through reason we can
comprehend the ideal world.
Plato also believed that man had an immortal soul, which belonged to the world of
reason. He also taught that mans soul existed in the ideal world prior to birth. At
birth, man forgot the world of ideas and spent his entire life trying to return to that
world.
Plato taught the Myth of the Cave. In this scenario, men dwelt in a cave, seeing
shadows on the wall at the back of the cave. Man must break free and turn toward
the light making the shadows and thus discover that reality that was making the
shadows.
Platos ideal state consisted of three parts: rulers, auxiliaries, and laborers. The
rulers would be philosopher kings. Also, in this ideal state, women would be equal,
although he later modified this view due to political pressure.
10
Sophie decides to travel down the path that Hermes followed to find out where he
goes. She comes to a lake with a rowboat. On the opposite shore she spies a cabin.
She climbs into the rowboat and rows across the lake. After pulling the boat up on
the shore (though not very high up), she goes to the cabin. When she receives no
answer to her knock on the door, she enters the cabin. She realizes that this is the
home of Alberto Knox and Hermes.
On the wall Sophie sees a picture of a house and garden. The picture is labeled
"Bjerkeley." Beside it she sees another picture of an old man. This one is titled
"Berkeley."
Sophie looks into the mirror on the wall and is surprised when the girl reflected in
the mirror winks both eyes at her. Hearing barking, she quickly leaves, but not
before spotting on the table a green wallet belonging to Hilde and an envelope
addressed to herself. Grabbing the envelope she races out of the cabin only to
discover that the boat has floated away. She manages to run around the lake and
reaches home.
In the envelope she finds more questions from the philosopher. She contemplates
the answers to the questions while telling her mother where she has been and the
truth about the "boyfriend" her mother thinks she has. Finally, Sophie and her
mother plan her fifteenth birthday party.
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