Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers

by Philip Stokes

Who am I? What is justice? What does it mean to live a good life? Many of the fundamental questions of philosophy are questions that we begin to ask ourselves as young adults when we look at the world around us, at ourselves, and try to make sense of things. This engaging and accessible book invites the reader to explore the questions and arguments of philosophy through the work of one hundred of the greatest thinkers within the Western intellectual tradition. Covering philosophical, scientific, political and religious thought over a period of 2500 years, Philosophy will serve as an excellent guide for those interested in knowing about individual thinkers--such as Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau and Nietzsche, to name just a few--and the questions and observations that inspired them to write. By presenting individual thinkers, details of their lives and the concerns and circumstances that motivated them, this book makes philosophy come to life as a relevant and meaningful approach to thinking about the contemporary world.

A lucid and engaging book full of thought-provoking quotations, as well as clear explanations and definitions, Philosophy is sure to encourage students and laymen alike to investigate further.

Genres: Philosophy

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jean-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 11-year-old and I did not read this whole book but used it to learn a little bit more about a few Enlightenment thinkers - Galileo Galilei, John Locke, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Denis Diderot, and Thomas Paine. It's actually a good collection of 100 thinkers that I would recommend for middle grade readers. It might even make a good addition to a home library. The paperback edition is less than $14 on amazon.

[Nash Bridges · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a great book to get you started in philosophy. I highly recommend it if you are trying to find a philosopher you like as you can read brief summaries about the ones in this book

[Gabriel Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good book but I feel that it being sorted alphabetically hinders the book. Often when reading about a philosopher early on there was references to other philosophers with names that hadn’t come up yet but were around many years before.

[hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good read, gives a great perspective on how late era philosophers interpret early socratic thinkers.