Driving with Plato: The Meaning of Life's Milestones

by Robert Rowland Smith

If life is meaningless as Sartre suggests, what is the point of being born? What does Freud have to say about losing one's virginity or Nietzsche about having a mid-life crisis? From birth to death (and beyond), the best brains in history have thought long and hard about the meaning behind the landmarks that shape our lives - and now acclaimed popular philosopher Robert Rowland Smith brings their genius together for the first time in this smart, witty and accessible journey through life's ups and downs. Drawing on philosophy, art, literature and psychology, Driving with Plato explores the real meaning of the hoops we all have to jump through. You'll hear from Aristotle on starting school, learn from St Paul about falling in love, and get tips from Cicero on becoming wise in your old age. Whether you are learning to drive or about to get married, Driving with Plato is certain to enlighten and entertain.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Robert Rowland Smith was for seven years a Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford and is a consultant, lecturer and writer on philosophy, literature and psychoanalysis. He has written for The Independent and The Evening Standard, been profiled in The Sunday Telegraph, Time Out and The Observer, and contributed to books on philosophy for children. As well as broadcasting for BBC Radio and television, he has contributed to the Philosophy Bites podcast series and currently has a column on everyday dilemmas in the Sunday Times Magazine.

Smith has taught in the UK, France, Norway, and California; he was invited by the British Council to undertake a European lecture tour, and was closely involved with the Oxford Amnesty Lectures.

Smith is a faculty member at The School of Life, where he runs a breakfast Club, teaches courses on Love and Family and practices constellations. He is a founding editor of the award-winning journal, Angelaki, to which he has contributed articles and sits both on the editorial board and that of its associated book series, Angelaki Humanities.

In conjunction with his literary ventures, Smith is also an independent management consultant. He specializes on issues of strategy and change with boards and senior teams as well as coaching chief executives.

Reviews

[Mb · Rating 2 out of 5]

كتاب گشتي با افلاطون را با اميد بسيار به دست گرفتم..
چرا اين كتاب در كتابخانه ام بود و با پيشنهاد چه كسي ان را خريده بودم را نميدانم..
اميدوار به خواندن يك كتاب فلسفي روانشناسانه شيرين و مفيد بودم ولي احتياج به خواندن بيش از چند صفحه نبود تا متوجه شوم كه اين كتابي نيست كه تصورش را ميكردم و با مراجعه به goodreads با اين حقيقت روبرو شدم كه تنها من نبودم كه كتاب را اثر در خوري نميداند..با اينكه كتاب در سال ٢٠١١ به چاپ رسيده تنها ١٦١ مرتبه توسط كاربران گودريدز خوانده شده و و نمره پاييني هم از همانها كسب كرده
همانطور كه از نام كتاب پيداست اسميت قصد داشته با بازشماري نقاط عطف زندگي انسانها و با واكاوي و نشان دادن اهميت ان بر انسانها انها را در پيشبرد زندگيشان ياري كند
اين نقاط عطف شامل متولد شدن،شروع مدرسه،كار پيدا كردن،عاشق شدن و.. است
ترجمه فارسي بخشي به نام "losing your virginity" از دست دادن باكره گي را حذف كرده
خواندن كتاب چيزي در مايه هاي خرحمالي كردن است،زيرا نويسنده،مترجم و ويراستار همه با هم دست به ديت هم داده اند تا شما را مجبور كنند بعضي از جملات را بي جهت چندين بار بخوانيد مانند؛
"طوري كه بلندي سر انسان در حالت ايستاده نماد نقطه وسط اسمان و زمين است"
يا؛
"راه رفتن نه فقط انسان را تعريف ميكند،از نوعي برتري انسان سخن ميگويد كه فراتر از ارتفاع جسمي ست"
در ضمن كتاب پر است از غلطهاي املايي،عدم نشانه گذاري صحيح و.. مانند؛
جيمز دين امريكايي را در نظر بگيريد،تقريبا همعصر كمبل بود و در حال سرعت رفتن در پوشه ٥٥٠ اسپايدر خود كشته شد(صفحه ٩٥)
البته كه در كتاب قسمتهاي خوبي هم وجود دارد كه اسميت به طرزي جالب و از زاويه اي ديگر به مسائل نگاه كرده و همينطور هم بخش هاي زائد و بي محتواي ديگري كه در اثر وجود دارد ولي در اين مقوله فضاي پرداختن بيشتر به اين كتاب را نداريم
به هر حال،با كمال احترام اين كتابي نيست كه من به كسي پيشنهاد كنم

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt like required reading for a freshman level Philosophy or Sociology class. The 19 milestones discussed included learning to ride a bike, first kiss, losing your virginity, getting married, moving house, midlife crisis, and retirement. I had to brush up on my art history a bit to follow him (it's been awhile) and to look up a few vocabulary words: inchoate, impecunious, ineluctable, paracetamol, interregnum, concomitant, paucity, autochthonous, megalomania, and miscegenation to name a few. This book was mostly drudgery to read, but offered a few interesting insights on the larger picture of life. Many philosophers and writers are discussed - ones we've all heard of (Shakespeare, Nietzsche, Kant, Pascal, Hegel, etc) but overall I just couldn't wait to finish it so I could start another far more exciting book. Sorry, but I don't recommend this book, unless the subject matter just happens to be your thing. If you read just one chapter, I liked these three best: riding a bike, taking exams, and moving house.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Driving With Plato offers philosophical outlooks on life's milestones. I found it simplistic and lacking in analysis -- a parade of regurgitated opinions. Since I did a year of philosophy in my BA, I was familiar with a lot of the referenced philosophers, in more detail, so it didn't turn out to be something that interested me.

[Randal Samstag · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to this former Fellow of All Souls speak about this book to a little gathering at our local bookshop. What to say? My mother subscribed to the theory that if you can't say anything good about someone, don't say anything at all; but I have already deviated from that rule by putting these words down here. Let's just say that I found this book of pop philosophy not to my taste.

[Humberto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um livro muito redutor da realidade, uma vez que tenta explicar todas as etapas da vida utilizando o mundo espiritual. Usa a Igreja e o cristianismo para tentar elevar cada etapa da vida, ao invés de usar apenas isso como exemplo. A principal causa para eu ter achado este livro bastante maçador para mim, foi mesmo a falta de exemplos diferentes.
O livro está muito bem escrito e nota-se claramente a cultura que o autor tem, simplesmente não gostei e não veio adicionar o que quer que seja à minha perspetiva.
Mesmo assim recomendo.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simplified guide to philosophy all about the events that make up our lives from birth to death. Chapters include Going to school, learning to walk, retirement, etc.

I wanted there to be more philosophical ideas, and less opining by the author. Also, there are quite a lot of literary works cited which shows that the author has read a lot, but doesn't seem to distill into anything memorable. A diversion at best, but not nearly as satisfying as it could have been.

[Brian Hull · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about key moments in one's life from the perspectives of historical Western philosophers. Some aspects of the book really struck a cord with me, although I felt there was a little too much religiosity among the pages. Overall, not bad.

[Amir · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب کشکولی هست که هیچ هدف خاصی رو دنبال نمی‌کنه. فصل‌بندی جذابش ترغیبم کرد که کتاب رو بخرم و بخونم. اما انتخاب خوبی نبود. بعدش گفتم شاید ترجمه‌ی کتاب خوب نبوده. اما ریویوهای انگلیسی کتاب هم پر دل‌زدگیه
...

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining distraction, but not as illuminating as I had hoped. I don't think philosophy is for me.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy intro to thinking about big questions.

This is a book worth reading, because it exposes you to different points of view -- something that I think is very useful these days. I see that several readers have complained about the "philosophy lite" of this book. Actually, I think that's one of its strengths. I was exposed to a large number of different writers and can now choose to read some of them in more detail.

I especially enjoyed the way the author separated retirement from living the third age. As someone who recently retired, I can confirm that the two are indeed separate milestones! He says: age involves the ruination of memory but the proliferation of memories. Exactly right. And goes on to quote a Dutch author: memory is like a dog that lies down where it pleases.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the smell of philosophy in the morning. And Robert Rowlands Smith does a wonderful job at dissecting a deeper meaning in what would otherwise be a shallow example. By breaking things apart and putting them back together with a philosophical bent it really makes the examination far easier to digest and introduces it to the reader in a much more accessible and memorable way. If you've read his other work "Breakfast with Socrates" then this is a wonderful followup. Recommended to armchair philosophers and those who seek to find a deeper meaning in the mundane. 10/10

[Luca Dell'Oca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il libro nasce con una buona e solida idea, e infatti nel complesso la sua lettura è piacevole. Diversi capitoli però si sviluppano su idee condivisibili ma abbastanza scontate, che non arricchiscono più di tanto. Ci sono comunque alcuni passaggi notevoli che mi sono piaciuti particolarmente: Scuola, Bicicletta, Cambiare casa, la crisi di mezza età. Valore aggiunto del libro: nel citarli suggerisce diversi altri libri da leggere.

[Selma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this pretty much on auto pilot. Nice introduction to a number of philosophers. I liked the structure of the book. My lightbulb moment was in the chapter about Getting Your First Job. This probably resonated with me because I'm reviewing this area of my life. I particularly liked the viewpoint on the three aspects of finding job satisfaction.

[Otilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nežinau kodėl man taip prireikė perskaityti Robert Rowland Smith knygas. Pradėjau skaityti "Pusryčiai su Sokratu" ir tikėjausi kažko wow, bet nieko panašaus nebuvo. Skaičiau šią knygą ir nieko nesitikėjau, bet ir čia nelabai kas stebino ar privertė pagalvoti. Gal koks 1 skyrius iš 19 ir buvo visai nieko. Tačiau tik tiek.

[Jed Manguera · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is interesting in theory, but you need to have some sort of background or foundation in Philosophy to really appreciate this book. I suggest you start with those first before you pick this up! I stopped halfway but i'll probably read it again some other time.

[Nick Marra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yap that has nothing to do with Plato

[Izabela Romańska · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cytat z W. Empson, "Do starej kobiety":
Trzeba dorosnąć; tę, co na swej stygnącej planecie;
Czcij, nie śmiej mniemać, że jest bezużyteczna

[Paulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

O autor disserta sobre 19 temas afetos ao desenrolar de nossa vida.

Demonstra acerba cultura, ao citar diversos autores tais como Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Hume, Proust, ...

Ao final do livro somos brindados com uma seleção de obras para leitura adicional.

Sempre busquei livros de cultura geral, os quais aprofundassem minha formação: "ecce libro". Eis um livro para guardar e reler.

A estrela que falta? Discordei de alguns dos pontos de vista do autor. Na vida e na política, há assuntos que sempre geram divergência :-)

[Cat Noe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a pretty good time reading this piece, but only because the constant flood of misinformation led to some interesting trains of thought it the scramble to set the record straight. The author has virtually no grasp of either Nietzsche or Tolstoy, seems, in fact, to skim shallowly over pretty much everything, missing the points entirely.

That said, he did have a few good things to say, though far between. Not something I would easily recommend reading.

[Jenina Jill Sy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of this book seemed promising, but the content was a bit of a let-down in that the author's tone is too "out-there." He either talked too much about theory or he just mentioned philosophical concepts in passing. I found it lacking in depth & analysis of life's milestones. I liked the chapters on death though.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly good , sort of a gentle ride in a horse drawn buggy with a gentle chat with a philosopher . A bit fluffy, some good insights and trivia at times, a bit to much god blather for my liking, and for a philosopher to mention the paschal wager (error)and not bother to unpack it? Naughty naughty.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eloquent and insightful, but by no means a beach read.

[Dana Purgaru · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid book. Point.

[Dainius Jocas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pirmoji knygos pusė pasirodė solidesnė ir labiau intriguojanti nei antroji. Tačiau, bendrai imant, knyga patiko.

[James Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not impressed with this book, I was duped to believe it was about out-of-the-box critical thinking perspective. However, I will give it two stars for its creative design.

[Einius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puiki knyga supazinimui su praeities filosofu mintimis, tokiu kaip Hegelis, Pascalis, J.Miltonas ir Platonas.

[Ali Alper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adama felsefeyi sevdirir....

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not into philosophy apparently