Filosofia

by Esa Saarinen

"Olen pyrkinyt luomaan teoksen, jossa filosofiaa lähestytään omakohtaisen innostuksen kautta." Filosofiaa Sokrateksesta Marxiin ja Wittgensteiniin.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Finnish Literature

300 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Epos Opus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the book, Esa, a brilliant philosopher and thinker himself, takes us on a comprehensive journey through philosophy by exploring the ideas of various influential thinkers. Esa emphasizes that philosophy's purpose is to organize, critique, and create ideas. However, he warns against letting philosophy become stagnant; it must remain dynamic, inspiring, and provide keys to understanding the world we live in. Below are some key figures and ideas discussed on the book (There are better, longer and deeper descriptions in the book). The book is written in a way that allows the reader to explore philosophy by examining the ideas of various philosophers and schools of thought.

Socrates

Socrates embodies the pursuit of truth, independence of thought, and the courage to question. Despite his significant influence, he left no written records and ultimately met his end by drinking a hemlock potion.

Ten Ways to Win an Argument

The book offers practical advice on debating, such as identifying circular reasoning, exposing contradictions, and addressing ambiguous statements. These techniques are designed to help readers effectively navigate and win arguments.

Plato's Life and Ideas

Plato, a sensitive and introverted artist at heart, did not present a unified system of thought. His writings are in the form of dialogues, reflecting his deep interest in politics and society. Key concepts include the allegory of the cave, the weakness of the senses, and the theory of forms.

Plato's Republic

Plato's "Republic" is renowned and highly regarded. It is anti-democratic, arguing that citizens should be governed by an elite group of philosopher-kings who love knowledge and truth.

Aristotle

Aristotle, who joined Plato's Academy at 17, was a prolific thinker and innovator across many fields. His teleological worldview emphasized purpose and goal-oriented explanations. He believed that a happy life is the ultimate human goal, achieved through rational actions and philosophical inquiry.

Stoicism

Stoicism, with figures like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, teaches that individuals are connected to the universe and must accept their fate. Inner peace and personal strength come from being free of external and internal worries.

Epicureanism

Epicureanism advocates for the pursuit of wisely chosen pleasures as the ultimate goal of life.

Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas subordinated philosophy and reason to the needs of religion, viewing science as a vestibule to the temple of faith.

Descartes

Descartes, known for works like "Discourse on Method" and "Meditations on First Philosophy," emphasized personal reflection and investigation free from preconceived notions. His famous assertion, "I think, therefore I am," highlights his dualism of mind and body and his epistemological focus.

Skepticism

Skepticism promotes doubting and challenging everything as a philosophical stance.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Rousseau led a colorful life and became famous at 37 for his critique of the corrupting influence of art. He advocated a return to nature and criticized the pretensions of the upper class, despite abandoning his own children.

Hume

Hume's empiricism stressed that knowledge must be based on experience. He questioned the validity of our assumptions about the world and emphasized the principle of induction, which suggests that what has happened in the past will continue to happen in the future.

Immanuel Kant

Kant believed that knowledge requires the interplay of concepts, perception, reason, and experience. He explored metaphysics and the limits of human understanding, asserting that morality should be followed for its own sake.

G.W.F. Hegel

Hegel, one of the most complex and imaginative philosophers, believed in the supremacy of reason and the idea of the absolute, where everything is part of a greater whole.

Karl Marx

Marx focused on social injustice and introduced a materialist perspective on humanity. He critiqued capitalism for creating class disparities and viewed religion as a tool of deception.

Soren Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard, an intensely sensitive and volatile writer, was not widely recognized during his lifetime. He emphasized personal, individualistic philosophy and praised Christianity.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche, known for his bold and provocative writing, rejected mass culture and mediocrity. He famously declared that "God is dead," advocating for the creation of personal values and the rejection of slave morality.

Jean-Paul Sartre

Sartre's philosophy centered on the concept of freedom. He believed that humans are free to make choices and are responsible for defining themselves through these choices.

Feminist Philosophy

Simone de Beauvoir, a key figure in feminist philosophy, critiqued the long-standing subordinate status of women and highlighted societal biases that limit women's achievements.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Wittgenstein, a brilliant and eccentric philosopher, focused on the logical analysis of language. He rejected academic life in favor of physical labor and believed that philosophy should critique the logical structure of language.

[Juho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to have a birds-eye-view of philosophy and for that this book did fine. Although not everything was presented in scientific manner I still became reasonably familiar with the most important ideas.

[Pinja · Rating 1 out of 5]

full disclosure en lukenut viimesiä n. 20 sivua ja skimmasin noin puolet koska tää oli sen verran naurettavaa hevonpaskaa että ei kärsivällisyys riittäny. visuaalisesti kiinnostavaksi suunniteltu mutta valitettavasti siällöllisesti täynnä turhaa liibaalaabaa mikä ei liity mihinkään.

[Matias Heino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miellyttävän helppotajuinen johdatus länsimaisen filosofian suurten nimien ajatteluun, tämän lukeakseen ei tarvitse juurikaan hallita jargonia.

[PL83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

E. Saarisen Filosofia! on aika hyvä peruskirja filosofian historiaan ja suuntauksiin ja ehkä systeemiajatteluunkin sikäli kun se avaa näkökulmia monipuoliseen ja joustavaan ajatteluun.

[Jalmari Kinnunen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jotensakin erikoinen oppikirja, kannattaa tutustua jos saa käsiinsä

[Martti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esa Saarinen lähestyy länsimaista filosofiaa historian valovoimaisten ajattelijoiden henkilökuvien kautta. Mainio keino lisätä lukijan mielenkiintoa ja saada elävyyttä filosofian muuten niin puuduttavaan käsitteillä voimisteluun!

Kirjan sankareina ovat muun muassa väittelytaidon mestari Sokrates, filosofian jättiläinen Platon, intohimoinen tutkija Aristoteles, epäilijä Descartes, vastuuton Rousseau, induktion murskaaja Hume, kategorisen imperatiivin Kant, järjen ylistäjä Hegel, luokkataistelun historian Marx, yli-ihmisyyden Nietzsche, feminismin filosofian de Beauvior ja merkillinen ajattelijanero Wittgenstein. Mielestäni hyvin koostettu ja esitetty kokonaisuus.

Kirjan ulkoasu on kummallinen. Tekstikoko vaihtelee rajusti, samoin tekstien taustaväri ja tyhjän tilan käyttö. Kummallinen ulkoasu tekee lukemisen turhan hankalaksi.

[Hanna Douaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avasin vanhan filosofian kirjan 10 vuoden tauon jälkeen. Täytyy sanoa, että se on aika hyvä, jäin koukkuun ja rupesin lukemaan. Vuonna 2006 olin eri mieltä.