Sophie's World

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What do you think The History of Ideas might refer to? What do you know about the history of ideas and its importance in the advancement of human civilization? From your history classes/books/films, how might this history of ideas have evolved to exist today?

Teaching Suggestion: Some students may have a philosophy background or some knowledge on the topic, while others may have none or have a foundation based mainly in popular culture references. If students struggle with this question, prompt them further by asking if they know of any famous philosophers and the ideas they contributed, as well as how these ideas have shaped the world. Sophie’s journey is one through the history of how humans came to think for themselves and understand themselves, the world, and their place in it. This question builds a foundation for the importance of this history. To help students establish this foundation, consider accessing and/or sharing these or similar resources:

• “Socrates’ Speech from Plato, Symposium” – This text includes the philosopher’s speech on understanding the true beauty of the world.
• “Development of Atomic Theory” – Beginning with Greek philosophers up to the present time, this encyclopedia article examines how ideas built upon each other to form one of science’s most important theories.

Short Activity

In this brief research activity, choose a century between 500 BC and 1910 AD and investigate the prominent ideas of the time period. You will also research any significant philosophers of your chosen century. Determine whether these philosophers’ ideas matched or contradicted the dominant philosophy of the time in which they lived.

Teaching Suggestion: Provide students with an example to bring clarity to this activity. One such example is Darwin, who posited ideas that directly contradicted the dominant Christian narrative during the time in which he lived. While his ideas were accepted by some, it took several decades before evolution became an accepted theory, largely due to societal pushback. Students can work individually or with a partner. This activity is designed to help students understand how philosophical ideas are often ahead of their time, and how it can often take decades or even centuries for ideas to be accepted into common theory. As Knox argues in the novel, philosophical ideas are the reason for humanity’s advancement in all areas of inquiry and challenge us to rethink our assumptions and what we have been taught. To support students' research and thinking, consider accessing or sharing these or similar resources:

• Social Responses to Darwinism – This article examines how society responded to Darwin’s theory of evolution and how the theory clashed with the Church’s ideas of creationism and perfection.
• “Wrongfully Accused: The Political Motivations Behind Socrates’s Execution” – This paper examines the reasons for Socrates’s execution and how philosophy has been viewed as an inherent threat to the status quo.

Differentiation Suggestion: English learners can choose to examine a philosopher with whom they are familiar, perhaps from their own culture/language background, and discuss them; they might choose a written or spoken summary to share this philosopher’s ideas.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Consider an important person throughout history whom you admire. They could be an artist, celebrity, politician, civil rights leader, writer, or anyone else you consider to have made a significant contribution to The History of Ideas. Write about how this person influenced their field, the world, and you personally.

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt allows students to build a personal bridge between the ideas presented in the novel and their own lives, and showcases how philosophy is not necessarily specific to people who deem themselves to be philosophers. Consider mentioning how the story centers around a girl whose life becomes enveloped by philosophical ideas and how these ideas shape her worldview. These or similar resources may help to facilitate student ideas and support reflection:

• “What Is Philosophy?” – This brief article outlines the fields of philosophy as well as how philosophy links to every other field of study.
• “All Nobel Prizes” – This Nobel Prize site provides a hyperlinked list of all Nobel Prizes from 1901 to 2022.
• Influential Artists – This list describes 10 influential artists throughout history.
• “100 Greatest Artists” – This resource from Rolling Stone includes a list of musicians.
• “TIME: 100 Most Influential People 2022” – These categorical lists and articles focus on influential people in today’s society.