system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
I’m reading Will Durant’s “The Story of Philosophy”. What should I be aware of?

I’m new to philosophy and was recommended lots of starting points. I went with Will Durant’s book. I’ve been told there are flaws and biases in every “history of philosophy” book, be it Russell or Kenny, so I’m wondering if there are any glaring problems with it that I should know of. Or anything it doesn’t cover that I should look into myself?
gpt
The Story of Philosophy is quite an accessible introduction to the discipline. Just know that Durant wrote in the early 20th century, so obviously, a lot of philosophers who came after the book was written are not mentioned. In addition, one can question the philosophers that he picks. There's no mention of the earliest Greek philosophers prior to Socratics, and while the inclusion of Francis Bacon is commendable, he leaves out Descartes, the father of modern philosophy! He also leaves out Hobbes, Locke, Hume, and Rousseau, while Hegel is reduced to a critical footnote at the end of the chapter on Kant. There's an entire chapter on Herbert Spencer (who is neither a good nor an important philosopher), which could have been replaced by one on either John Stuart Mill or on Kierkegaard. 

That said, it's unreasonable to expect an introductory book to have everything on everyone; such a book would be a massive and unreadable tome. Durant's book is as good a starting point as any other. It's good that you are aware of the biases of different authors. The more books you read, the more you will get a better picture of the different philosophers and schools of philosophy, and how they are characterized.