Brief Guide to Ideas, A

by William Raeper, Linda Edwards

Philosophy -- dry and remote? Think again. It's as relevant as tonight's news, as immediate as the choices you make in a career. If you want to interact wisely with the world you live in, you need to understand the ideas that shape its commerce, launch its humanitarian efforts, trigger its wars, and profoundly impact the way you yourself approach God, life, and relationships. Postmodernism, Platonism, Humanism, Existentialism, Feminism, Rationalism, Fundamentalism, New Age . . . They're more than just terms. They're structures of thought you encounter constantly. This book gives you a fundamental grasp of what they are and how they influence your dealings with the world . . . and its dealings with you. You'll gain essential insights into over 40 of the world's major thinkers. Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Descartes, Kant, Locke, Marx, Nietsche, Freud, Wittgenstein . . . A Brief Guide to Ideas introduces to you these and many more of the great philosophers. You'll develop a working knowledge of numerous key ideas and movements. And you'll learn how philosophers and religions through the ages have grappled with critical questions that influence your life today.

Genres: Philosophy

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/peo...

Reviews

[David Withun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a good introduction to some of the most important concepts in Western thought. Unfortunately, the good is occasionally broken by a single profoundly off-the-mark statement. If the reader can get past these by spotting and ignoring them, the introductory material is otherwise excellent in its inclusion of very succinct summaries of difficult material and fascinating, insightful quotes by related authors. The discussion questions included at the end of the book are great prompts for classroom discussion and activities that any teacher would benefit from taking a look at. This book is in serious need of a bibliography. I recommend this book for those who are already familiar with the material but wish to find ways to convey the information to a wider audience meaningfully and engagingly.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to have this handy resource as a part of my library. Beginning with epistemology, and an examination of the foundational ideas of Plato and Aristotle for Western thought, the authors move through the history of philosophical thought. Their guide through history examines not only Christian thought, but also the development of Humanism, and the construct of society.

In the end, the authors ask their readers to consider their own biases, and perspectives, encouraging the idea of God to continue to be a part of the field of philosophy and modern dialogue.