The Socrates Express

by Eric Weiner

First published 2021

Eric Weiner boards trains across the globe to chase down the wisdom of history's greatest thinkers. The bestselling author behind The Geography of Bliss makes stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and other destinations where philosophical giants once walked. At each location, he digs into how figures like Socrates, Epicurus, Gandhi, Thoreau, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Confucius, and Simone de Beauvoir can teach us to navigate modern chaos. Weiner combines his love of philosophy and travel into a practical quest for answers to life's biggest questions. He explores how these thinkers can help us embrace wonder, face regrets, sustain hope, and find new ways of being. The journey reveals surprising life lessons that show us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives in unsettled times.

Genres: philosophy, travel, adventure, biography-memoir, 21st-century, academic

Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: quest, self-discovery

Setting: Athens, Coney Island, Delhi, Frankfurt, Wyoming

Period: 21st-century

352 pages · Paperback · Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster

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