Looking in her mailbox one afternoon, a fourteen- year- old Norwegian schoolgirl named Sophie Amundsen finds a surprising white envelope containing a piece of paper. On it are written two questions: “Who are you?” and “Where did the world comefrom?”. And at the same time she is also receiving letters for a girl named Hilde MollerKang and Sophie also finds a silk red scarf in her bedroom, not belonging to her, but tothis girl Hilde.The writer is an enigmatic philosopher named Albert Knox and his messenger is hisdog Hermes. Albert Knox’s two teasing questions are the beginning of an extraordinaryjourney through philosophy from philosophers such as what I have read so far: Thales, Anaximenes, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Empedocles, Anaxgoras, Democritus, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Albert Knox, whom Sophie has not met in person or even seen forthat matter, has been inquiring Sophie’s mind to fundamental questions that philosophershave been asking since the dawn of civilization.Sophie is soon enough enrolled in this correspondence course. Everyday she getseither a white envelope containing puzzling questions or a brown envelope containing typewritten papers teaching her about what philosophy is and explaining to her all thesephilosophers and their theories.Sophie’s first lesson in philosophy was, “What is philosophy?”. How Iunderstood what was being said was that philosophy is the examination for beliefs and ananalysis of the basic concepts said in the expression of such beliefs. Philosophy is oftenused to mean a set of values and attitudes toward life, nature, and society. Next Sophielearned about was Thalas. According to Thalas, the original principle of all things iswater, from which everything proceeds and into which everything is again resolved. Myanalysis on that is how can he come to that conclusion? Yes, all living things containwater within th...
