The Dead Philosophers' Cafe
An Exchange of Letters for Children and Adults
"Eleven-year-old Nora K. received Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World as a birthday present, and in it she read about Plato's theory of ideas. One problem especially intrigued her: What about the Platonic idea of the dinosaur? Ideas are timeless and cannot die. The dinosaurs, however, became extinct ages ago. Does the idea of the dinosaur still exist all the same? Could it even be that the material world is a dream and time an illusion? Moreover, is there such a thing as free will, or is everything predetermined? Is the soul eternal? Do animals have a consciousness? Is the universe infinite? Is there such a thing as objective truth? Does God exist, and why is there evil in the world?". "These are some of Nora's questions which prompted her correspondence with Vittorio Hosle, a philosopher by profession, who invents a wonderful philosophical fantasy. Taking the film Dead Poets Society as his inspiration, he creates a place where the great philosophers of antiquity and their modern successors can all meet. They gather in the "Cafe of the Dead but Ever Young Philosophers" and discuss Nora's letters - Parmenides and Socrates, Descartes and Hobbes (whom Nora doesn't like at all), "Mac" (Machiavelli) and Kant, Nora's "patron philosopher" Giambattista Vico and Hans Jonas, and many others. The sparks fly from time to time, as the great thinkers squabble quite frequently - no wonder, since conflicting arguments from the entire history of philosophy collide with each other head-on.". "Nora's letters are intelligent, never precocious, and always imaginative. Vittorio Hosle provides answers which are entertaining but still critical, and he is clearly concerned about not setting his expectations of the child too low. In his afterword on children's philosophy and philosophy with children, he sketches what role philosophy could play in raising children. The correspondence with Nora, an authentic exchange of letters between January 1994 and January 1996, is a lovely document of a philosophical friendship between an adult and a child."--BOOK JACKET.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Philosophy, Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Philosophy · Nonfiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
No specific content concerns can be confirmed from the available English catalog information. Consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Warm tone · Measured pace
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-2680-0894-9
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL10283324M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
Begin with its place in Philosophy, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- What question is the author really asking beneath the book’s main argument?
- Which claim challenges one of your familiar assumptions?
- What remains unresolved—and is that uncertainty useful?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
More Philosophy books
These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
Ethics and Religion in a Pluralistic Age
by Brian Hebblethwaite
Why it fits: shares Philosophy and Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Five dialogues
by Plato
Why it fits: shares Philosophy and Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Human Nature in Politics (Dodo Press)
by Graham Wallas
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Philosophy, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Substance and Separation in Aristotle
by Lynne Spellman
Why it fits: shares Philosophy and Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
The Ethical Brain
by Gazzaniga, Michael S.
Why it fits: shares Philosophy and Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
The world of perception
by Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Why it fits: shares Philosophy and Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.