Discipline and Punish vs The Story of Philosophy: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Philosophy, History
Discipline and Punish
“On 2 March 1757 Damiens the regicide condemmed 'to make the amende honorable before the main door of the Church of Paris', where he was to be 'taken and conveyed in a cart, wearing nothing but a a shirt, holding a torch of burning wax weighing two pounds'; then, 'in the said cart, to the place de Greve, where, on a scaffold that will be erected there, the flesh will be torn from his breasts, arms,”
English version of "Surveiller et punir: naissance de la prison"
vs
The Story of Philosophy
Includes chapters on Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, and Nietzsche.
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Discipline and Punish is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 10 for The Story of Philosophy.
- Discipline and Punish has the widest readership — 62 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Discipline and Punish | The Story of Philosophy | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 4.2 (62) | 4.2 (33) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (24) | 4.0 (38) |
Reception
| Discipline and Punish | The Story of Philosophy | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 62 | 38 |
| Editions | 30 | 150 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 6210 | 1534 |
| Pages | 333 | 578 |