What to Read Next: Philosophy, in Fiction and Non-Fiction
Issue #346, featuring Thornton Wilder and Eric Weiner
Happy Friday, readers!
I’ve always been rather existentially inclined. The idea of meaning is always on my mind and I love reading books that explore the question of why we’re here. What’s the point of it all?
Humans are forgetful creatures, so even when the answers are simple—it’s all about love and relationships, really—we need regular reminding.
Today’s featured books get to the heart of that very big question. The Bridge of San Luis Rey won 1928’s Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; The Socrates Express is a recent non-fiction book that provides an approachable and entertaining introduction to several philosophical ideas.
Let’s jump in.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
Published in 1927 to instant acclaim, The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a slim novel that manages to explore some of the deepest questions we ask ourselves: Why do bad things happen? What’s the meaning of it all? How and why do we keep going?
The premise and structure immediately drew me in—as it has millions of readers in the last century. We learn right away about a famed pedestrian rope bridge has collapsed and killed five people.
A Franciscan friar, Brother Juniper, witnessed the event and spent years interviewing everyone who knew the victims in an attempt to explain why these particular people were “chosen” by God to perish that day.
As you can probably imagine, he doesn’t arrive at any easy answers. The scope of humanity is just too complex to assign simple explanations to anything, let alone a heart-wrenching tragedy.
With that setup, you’d perhaps think the story would be rather bleak. But Wilder deftly kept the focus on the characters’ lives rather than their deaths. Through Brother Juniper, the reader gets a peek into everyone’s psychology, and we all come away with some stirring ideas about love and meaning. The final paragraph, in particular, is one of the most memorable and powerful endings I’ve ever come across.
Interestingly, The Bridge of San Luis Rey changed the rules for the Pulitzer Prize. A novel set in Peru, about Peruvian people, upended the “rule” about wholesome books set in America. That’s how moving Wilder’s story was and continues to be.
I gave it 5 stars and can definitely see myself re-reading it someday. The Bridge of San Luis Rey contains layers that I know I’ve not yet uncovered in just a single reading.
The Socrates Express by Eric Weiner
Eric Weiner has found a particular niche as an author who travels the world in search of wisdom and happiness through different lenses. The Geography of Bliss (2008) seeks to connect the dots among the world’s happiest places, while The Geography of Genius (2016) explores creativity throughout history. In The Socrates Express (2020), Weiner travels the world in search of the life philosophy that will truly, finally cure our ills.
Thoreau, Gandhi, Beauvoir, Epicurus—you’re likely familiar with most of the names (and places) Weiner mines in his quest for Truth. He adds plenty of personal anecdotes and minor crises to make it interesting, but the real strength of the narrative lies in how he handles each school of thought.
As a guy in his 60s, Weiner has enough wisdom and life experience to not blindly accept any sort of ultimate claim on happiness and well-being. As he applies tenets of each philosopher’s ideas, he accepts what works and disregards what’s dated or unhelpful for his own life struggles.
Ultimately, Weiner forges ahead without being paralyzed by the mental gymnastics of finding life’s meaning—something that’s all too easy to succumb to for those of us who are existentially inclined.
The Socrates Express wasn’t a life-changing book, but I rather enjoyed it and am happy to recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in philosophy and meaning.
Thanks so much for reading. I deeply appreciate your time and inbox space.
-Jeremy
Great review Jeremy and thanks for the embedded link on the Pulitzer history. One of the rare triple Pulitzer winners (2 for Drama), Wilder's also earned ~40 years later, at the twilight of his career, a National Book Award for Fiction (1968) for The Eighth Day, in which the themes you highlight also punctuate this latter novel. I'm more than halfway through and while enjoying the story, feel, so far, his earlier work bests it.
Had an audiobook credit I needed to use and I have a hard time listening to fiction. Your pitch for The Socrates Express was solid enough that I pulled the trigger. Thanks for the rec!