Western Philosophy in Simple French: Learn French the Fun Way with Topics that Matter

by Olly Richards

***FOR LOW- TO HIGH-INTERMEDIATE LEARNERS***

***Black and White Interior Edition****

Improve your French and expand your vocabulary with topics that matter.

When it comes to mastering a foreign language, reading around your interests makes all the difference. But finding books designed for language learners can be hard! This book fixes that. For the first time, you’ll learn to improve your French while reading about the main concepts and key figures of Western philosophy.

“I love Olly’s work - and you will too!” - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers

Told through short, manageable chapters in intermediate French, you’ll become confident in the words, phrases and expressions you need to speak about the topics you care about.

Written in a conversational, easy-to-follow format that makes the concepts easy to understand, Western Philosophy in Simple French explores the main traditions of Western philosophers from Aristotle to Descartes, and from Kant to Nietzsche.

But that’s not all! Philosophy has many real-life uses, and this book explores the way in which you can implement them in your life while improving your vocabulary, comprehension and fluency in French.

Here’s what you’ll 25 chapters written in conversation format, so you can learn about Western philosophy without the struggle of reading an academic text.Helpful chapter summaries at the end of each chapter to help you understand the text.Chapters that are carefully written to be accessible for intermediate learners (CEFR B1-B2), so you can read purposively, at your level.Word lists with English definitions in every chapter, so you can get instant translations of any difficult words. This means you can focus on enjoying the history rather than wasting time in a dictionary.(Kindle and Paperback only).
Created by Olly Richards, language teacher and author, Western Philosophy in Simple French gives you an experience in real French that you won’t find anywhere else. You’ll be better prepared for using French in the real world, speak with more confidence, and take a giant leap towards fluency in French!

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“[Olly’s] techniques have made a world of difference. I was able to learn more in 9 months with his techniques than I did in the 6+ years in school” - Courtney Baird, successful language learner

Genres: France, Philosophy

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2023

Reviews

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cela fait longtemps ce que je n’ai pas lu de livre en français… mais ce roman était super. On a discuté les idées philosophiques des Grecs jusqu’à nos jours— les idées comme l’épicurisme, le cynisme, le scepticisme, le stoïcisme, le rationalisme, l’empirisme, et aussi les styles de la philosophie comme la tradition continentale et le style du analytique.

Pour un petit roman— il avait une plus grande ampleur, mais les idées sont très bien expliquées et on peut comprendre le matériel plus facilement.

Il est écrit comme un script de trois étudiants qui sont en train de suivre un cours de philosophie à l’université. Grâce à cela, le dialogue et matériel sont très facile et les idées ne sont pas trop abstraites.

À la fin de chaque chapitre, il y a aussi des mots de vocabulaire et un petit paragraphe avec des points clés pour les lecteurs. La structure du livre est bonne et je le recommanderais sans hésiter aux personnes qui étudient le français.

[Wazza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is solid for an intermediate French learner who is already somewhat familiar with the big names/ideas in western philosophy. I think the recommended B1-B2 level is appropriate. In comparison with some of Olly’s other intermediate French books: this is more difficult than the short stories and the history of World War II books.

I quite like the style this book is written in: a series of conversations taking place during and just after a university lecture about a major topic in the history of western philosophy. Very philosophy book haha. But beyond it being something that didn’t surprise me given that this is a philosophy book, I think it’s a good way to approach a philosophy book written for intermediate French learners.

I can only imagine how difficult it must be to write a philosophy book written in a language intended for intermediate learners… it’s hard enough to write a philosophy book aimed for university undergraduates. Given that, I think this book does a good job at explaining the target ideas in a manner that is approachable to an intermediate learners… if the learner is already familiar with the subject matter. I was fairly familiar with all the subject matter prior to reading this book, and I found it rather difficult to make sense of the text at the beginning. By the end of the first read through I was certainly understanding much more. I don’t think this book is particularly interesting, but it’s hard for me to be judge here because I was already familiar with most of the content. I was really just here for the language. I also don’t think this book could have been interesting without sacrificing the B1-B2 level. Interesting philosophy may not be all that feasible if it must be written at an intermediate level of a language… I don’t know haha.

I would recommend this book to any intermediate French learner who is already somewhat familiar with many of the major people/ideas in the history of western philosophy. I don’t think I’d recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t meet that description. I think this book would feel unapproachable to someone unfamiliar with the subject matter.

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can't finish this. Such a nice idea, so badly done. Three philosophy students talk about their classes. Really? I went and found Sophie's World in French after starting this. It may be more difficult and the French may be more complex, but I don't want to bore myself to death.

[Daryl Beckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un bon livre

C’est un excellent livre, tu dois lire je vous pense aller le livre. C’est très intéressant et ton français amélioras aussi ! Bon lecteur tout le monde !

[sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent learning material. Appropriate for A1-B2 IMO.

[Erick Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est un des meilleurs romans d'Olly Richards, très agréable comprendre des livres entiers dans un autre lange, j'ai beaucoup aimé le contenu !