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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy
A revised edition to a solid performing book, with expanded content on various philosophers and ideas.
-- The current edition has sold over 61,000 since its release in November of 1997.
-- Existing content is great, but needs to be added to in order to more effectively compete with Philosophy for Dummies, which, at 360 pages, is 100 pages over our current edition.
-- By its very nature, philosophy is not subject to a great deal of change over time, and therefore can be expected to continue to perform at or above current levels.
Philosophy is all about being, knowing, and acting. It poses daring questions such as what exists, what counts as knowledge, and how do we know things? And, as life becomes more and more complicated, people turn to philosophy to help themselves better understand the world around them-politics, religion, family, the environment, and more. The Complete Idiot's Guide "RM" to Philosophy, Second Edition will continue the first edition's success in exposing beginners to the world of philosophy, its ideas, and its philosophers. It will contain expanded content on existing ideas and philosophers covered in the first edition, but it will also introduce new philosophers whose ideas were not included in the first edition, but whose contributions to the world of philosophy are perhaps now less obscure.
-- The current edition has sold over 61,000 since its release in November of 1997.
-- Existing content is great, but needs to be added to in order to more effectively compete with Philosophy for Dummies, which, at 360 pages, is 100 pages over our current edition.
-- By its very nature, philosophy is not subject to a great deal of change over time, and therefore can be expected to continue to perform at or above current levels.
Philosophy is all about being, knowing, and acting. It poses daring questions such as what exists, what counts as knowledge, and how do we know things? And, as life becomes more and more complicated, people turn to philosophy to help themselves better understand the world around them-politics, religion, family, the environment, and more. The Complete Idiot's Guide "RM" to Philosophy, Second Edition will continue the first edition's success in exposing beginners to the world of philosophy, its ideas, and its philosophers. It will contain expanded content on existing ideas and philosophers covered in the first edition, but it will also introduce new philosophers whose ideas were not included in the first edition, but whose contributions to the world of philosophy are perhaps now less obscure.
336 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2002
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355 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 2, 2011
It starts out being easy enough to read, telling us about the three main principals of philosophy, the study of being, knowing, and acting. As the book progresses about halfway through, it becomes more complicated and harder to retain. A lot of things just start to sound like the same exact thing as an earlier philosophy just using different terms and language. I give the author credit for taking the time to compile all this information and covering such a wide range of information in one neat package.
I loved reading about people whose names I had heard my whole life but knew very little about, such as Aristotle, John Locke, Friedrich Nietzsche, Descartes, St. Aquinas, etc.
For the most part, the author was not biased and just described different philosophies and allowed the reader to make up their own mind about them without injecting his own opinion. However the few times he did inject his opinion into the subject matter, it is about as blatant as you can get. The section that deals with individualism (the view that individual rights and freedoms should be the basis of society) as opposed to collectivism(the view that the stability of society is more important than individual rights and freedoms), he makes very clear which view he endorses, and is very unapologetic about it.
He also devotes a entire chapter to neo-Marxist critical theory, which the table of contents describes as exposing everything wrong with capitalist society. I literally laughed out loud when the author concedes at one point in the book that before there was capitalism (buying and selling in a free open market), that people filled pre-established roles in a feudal society, which means every person did what their parents did, and there was no social mobility. He says this with no enthusiasm whatsoever, almost as if this fact disappoints him.
This is still a very neatly organized history of philosophy, I walked away from it feeling like I knew a lot more about the subject than I had before.
I loved reading about people whose names I had heard my whole life but knew very little about, such as Aristotle, John Locke, Friedrich Nietzsche, Descartes, St. Aquinas, etc.
For the most part, the author was not biased and just described different philosophies and allowed the reader to make up their own mind about them without injecting his own opinion. However the few times he did inject his opinion into the subject matter, it is about as blatant as you can get. The section that deals with individualism (the view that individual rights and freedoms should be the basis of society) as opposed to collectivism(the view that the stability of society is more important than individual rights and freedoms), he makes very clear which view he endorses, and is very unapologetic about it.
He also devotes a entire chapter to neo-Marxist critical theory, which the table of contents describes as exposing everything wrong with capitalist society. I literally laughed out loud when the author concedes at one point in the book that before there was capitalism (buying and selling in a free open market), that people filled pre-established roles in a feudal society, which means every person did what their parents did, and there was no social mobility. He says this with no enthusiasm whatsoever, almost as if this fact disappoints him.
This is still a very neatly organized history of philosophy, I walked away from it feeling like I knew a lot more about the subject than I had before.
February 16, 2009
Maybe I'm more an idiot than I thought. I thought this was for idiots and it still went way over my head. Whoever wrote it needs to adjust for the really really slow learners. Maybe it was also that it was so dry and boring. The only chapter I really liked was on Critical theory and how and why consumerism is such a part of our lifestyle.
June 19, 2014
The books semi served it's purpose which is to pass a test on Philosphy however I had to buy additional texts.
August 13, 2016
Ugh.
This was my first exposure to The Complete Idiot's brand and I found it to be quite bad. Quite appalling, actually. Sort of like what I think Stephen Jay Gould would sound like if he'd smoked a bunch of pot before composing this book.
I know philosophy is tough; in fact, the reason I chose this book as an introduction is because I didn't read much philosophy in college and I found myself somewhat intimidated by it. However, even I don't think this rich, complex subject needs to be dumbed down to this level of simplicity to be understood by novices. There are parts of this book which also struck me as entirely offensive, mostly because the author chose to 'simplify' things in such a way as to promote stereotypes (ex: 'Because Jews consider themselves to be God's 'chosen people,' they have a strong sense of social identity and responsibility.') Yikes.
So: not a good read. There have to be better quick-and-dirty ways to learn about philosophy.
This was my first exposure to The Complete Idiot's brand and I found it to be quite bad. Quite appalling, actually. Sort of like what I think Stephen Jay Gould would sound like if he'd smoked a bunch of pot before composing this book.
I know philosophy is tough; in fact, the reason I chose this book as an introduction is because I didn't read much philosophy in college and I found myself somewhat intimidated by it. However, even I don't think this rich, complex subject needs to be dumbed down to this level of simplicity to be understood by novices. There are parts of this book which also struck me as entirely offensive, mostly because the author chose to 'simplify' things in such a way as to promote stereotypes (ex: 'Because Jews consider themselves to be God's 'chosen people,' they have a strong sense of social identity and responsibility.') Yikes.
So: not a good read. There have to be better quick-and-dirty ways to learn about philosophy.
March 6, 2008
A fantastic book for people who want back ground before learnig more about philosophy. The author does a good job describing trends, history, and developement. He does insert his view on the matter (something I could do without) but I would still recommend it highly.
October 26, 2011
A brief overview of all types of philosophy ranging from Buddhism to Sartre. Existentialism and Descartes is still over my head. No surprise there. But I was mildly taken aback to learn that feminism is a philosophy.
March 2, 2015
Enlightening and interesting. Seemed like I was getting a good introduction to all the major philosophies and philosophers. Several sections still went over my head, though. Is there a level below complete idiot? Maybe I should have started there.
August 13, 2010
I grabbed this book when I had my philosophy class and it SO helped me out.
May 22, 2015
Very good! Now i'm waiting for the complete idiot's guide to neurosurgery.
August 7, 2014
Very limited, but many years ago, I suppose it helped me a little. Basically, the premise is impossible: You can't do Philosophy for complete idiots.
May 8, 2020
The book does the justice to its name. Anyone who wants to start reading philosophy need an initiation point where things does not get that dicey or complicated but provides a brief picture of the ideas and their developments. Its definitely not the greatest book on philosophy but that's not even the point of the book. It does not get in to the details of the concepts rather depicts the transition of thought patterns over the millennia. Writing style is easy to follow and difficult ideas are described in digestible way. If anyone wants to know the historical developments of ideas/thinking patterns that lead to the branching like Science, Sociology, Anthropology etc. - The book will do due justice.
August 18, 2017
after this book,i can describe myself as stoic,empiricist, feminist, pro capitalism.
it serves as a great introduction to philosophy. very concise in describing different philosophies and philosophers , however very good as an overview. the philosophies i knew form before like these of Plato , Socrates,Aristote were easy , however , some philosophies were brand new which made them hard to grasp from the very moment and need further research and readings .
it serves as a great introduction to philosophy. very concise in describing different philosophies and philosophers , however very good as an overview. the philosophies i knew form before like these of Plato , Socrates,Aristote were easy , however , some philosophies were brand new which made them hard to grasp from the very moment and need further research and readings .
September 4, 2017
Good coverage of the entire philosophy spectrum, but at the cost of extreme brevity and oversimplification. Very good for a first brush with philosophy or even for the initiated. The list of philosophers and schools is comprehensive.
So after reading this book, start learning more in depth about the philosopher or school of thought that most intrigues you, then who knows what remote islands and lands of thought you'll end up visiting.
So after reading this book, start learning more in depth about the philosopher or school of thought that most intrigues you, then who knows what remote islands and lands of thought you'll end up visiting.
April 13, 2019
Good to review concepts and learn new ones
It is a good book to review college concepts on philosophy and learn new ones with humour. Special usefull the two appendix. I recommend It!
It is a good book to review college concepts on philosophy and learn new ones with humour. Special usefull the two appendix. I recommend It!
June 29, 2020
Leaves a lot of important critical ideas out and mules over some very important people. Seems like they didn't have enough time to get into everyone and what they contributed. Otherwise an okay book. A very smooth read.
January 29, 2018
Not bad, just basic. I suppose that is all you can expect from the "complete idiot's guide" to any subject.
September 30, 2019
4.5
As a noob in philosophy, I've got attached to this book a lot. A good introduction in philosophy. But yeah, it is a tough subject. Still lose my focus when reading this book.
As a noob in philosophy, I've got attached to this book a lot. A good introduction in philosophy. But yeah, it is a tough subject. Still lose my focus when reading this book.
January 28, 2020
This is a good introduction to philosophy, it is accessible with rich synthesis of concepts and thoughts from various philosophers. A chapter on African philosophy should be included.
April 23, 2023
Aptly named.
March 30, 2012
I thought this genre would suit me, and sure enough, it didn’t disappoint. If I wasn’t a Complete Idiot when I started, I was by the time I finished. I wanted a general overview of philosophy throughout Man’s history, and this book is painted with a very broad brush. I liked the casual, tongue-in-cheek, humorous anecdotes I saw while browsing at the bookstore. (We mustn’t take these subjects tooo seriously.) Sub-titles such as “Socrates, a Pain in the Protagoras”, “Philosophy for the Well En-Tao’d”, and “Hegel Can do What Immanuel Kant” give you an idea. I also liked that, though it covers God and theism, it doesn’t dwell on them exclusively as a perusal of Dummies Guide to Philosophy appeared to.
The book does seem to hit the main points of philosophy throughout the ages, however briefly, but how would I know anyway! And it has piqued my interest enough to pursue further research. I found an incredible website, which can even be downloaded to your hard drive for free, here: http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/ind... .
I thought the final chapters seemed a bit superfluous, covering New Age thinking (spirituality, crystals, etc, which I see as a throwback to unfounded mysticism), Artificial Intelligence, and Systems Theory (attempts to replicate brain functioning). I was particularly disappointed to find the chapter on modern women philosophers was all about feminism, and Ayn Rand (a REAL thinker and philosopher) is not mentioned even once in the entire book. Ah well, the book was an easy read, will make a great spot-reference, and has pointed me towards certain philosophers I would like to know more about. I liked John Locke’s ideas on empiricism (that knowledge comes from observation and experience) and natural rights to property and ownership (both shades of Ayn Rand several centuries later). Despite her omission in this book, Ayn Rand is still one of the most down-to-earth philosophers, who I’ve found highly applicable to our current life and times.
As an aside, I found the Idiot’s Guide author’s resume’ interesting. He has a Ph.D. in English literature and has written The Complete Idiot’s Guide to: …Vampires, …Angels, …Dinosaurs (as well as …Eastern Philosophy, …American Heroes, and …The Titanic). Quite a CV! (Curriculum Vitae.)
The book does seem to hit the main points of philosophy throughout the ages, however briefly, but how would I know anyway! And it has piqued my interest enough to pursue further research. I found an incredible website, which can even be downloaded to your hard drive for free, here: http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/ind... .
I thought the final chapters seemed a bit superfluous, covering New Age thinking (spirituality, crystals, etc, which I see as a throwback to unfounded mysticism), Artificial Intelligence, and Systems Theory (attempts to replicate brain functioning). I was particularly disappointed to find the chapter on modern women philosophers was all about feminism, and Ayn Rand (a REAL thinker and philosopher) is not mentioned even once in the entire book. Ah well, the book was an easy read, will make a great spot-reference, and has pointed me towards certain philosophers I would like to know more about. I liked John Locke’s ideas on empiricism (that knowledge comes from observation and experience) and natural rights to property and ownership (both shades of Ayn Rand several centuries later). Despite her omission in this book, Ayn Rand is still one of the most down-to-earth philosophers, who I’ve found highly applicable to our current life and times.
As an aside, I found the Idiot’s Guide author’s resume’ interesting. He has a Ph.D. in English literature and has written The Complete Idiot’s Guide to: …Vampires, …Angels, …Dinosaurs (as well as …Eastern Philosophy, …American Heroes, and …The Titanic). Quite a CV! (Curriculum Vitae.)
October 19, 2023
I read this book because I could no longer tolerate my own ignorance. I am interested in history, geography, and generally why *SOCIETY* is the way it is, however my only education has been Youtube and school and I had learned very little. So I read this book because I wanted to learn about the whole of philosophy as efficiently as possible and it was worth it. I found the book quite interesting for two reasons: one, this book help me understand and put name to the different assumptions that I and other people make and thus better understand myself and others, and 2, to understand how different philosophical ideas have influenced history by determining the world views of people throughout history. I think this book did a good job summarizing philosophy and made me think deeply many times despite being a book for "idiots". I want to learn more about philosophy after reading this.
December 13, 2015
Suka baca buku ini, very informative and humorous. Maklumatnya betul, bukan idiotic. Bagi saya penulisan dalam buku ini jauh lebih jelas berbanding dengan buku A World History tulisan Chris Rohmann yang dibeli di Kino beberapa bulan lalu pada harga RM80++. Buku Guide to Philosophy dalam siri Idiot's Guide ini pula hanya berharga RM12 di Big Bad Wolf 2015.
Ingat, walaupun judul siri ini Idiot's Guide tetapi sangat informatif dan betul maklumatnya, membincangkan tentang idea dari zaman Plato sehingga New Age.
Siri judul ini mengingatkan saya pada kata-kata Rumi: "Joking is teaching. Don't be fooled by the lightness or the vulgarity. Jokes are serious." (p. 83, Delicious Laughter). Begitulah juga cara penulis buku ini.
Ingat, walaupun judul siri ini Idiot's Guide tetapi sangat informatif dan betul maklumatnya, membincangkan tentang idea dari zaman Plato sehingga New Age.
Siri judul ini mengingatkan saya pada kata-kata Rumi: "Joking is teaching. Don't be fooled by the lightness or the vulgarity. Jokes are serious." (p. 83, Delicious Laughter). Begitulah juga cara penulis buku ini.
July 5, 2015
I don't really know how to rate this book.
I wanted an overview of the topic and I guess it was provided. It just felt very hit and miss. I still feel like I don't quite grasp many of the concepts.
The writing wasn't engaging. It shouldn't have taken me three weeks to get through a 300 page book. Despite wanting to understand the topic, I found myself making excuses not to sit down and just read a chapter (and they were really short chapters!)
So I guess I'll be back in the library, opting for another book on the subject.
I wanted an overview of the topic and I guess it was provided. It just felt very hit and miss. I still feel like I don't quite grasp many of the concepts.
The writing wasn't engaging. It shouldn't have taken me three weeks to get through a 300 page book. Despite wanting to understand the topic, I found myself making excuses not to sit down and just read a chapter (and they were really short chapters!)
So I guess I'll be back in the library, opting for another book on the subject.
March 4, 2017
Edition of book that I read was not available as a choice in Goodreads. The copyright was 1998. I believe it was a first edition. I only noticed it because later editions have up to 100 more pages. The reason I thought this to be important was that I found the book to be less & less comprehensive as it went along. A good overview & especially liked the study aids such as a glossary & a Philosophy Reference card.
May 21, 2009
This book was a 4 for me right up until the last chapter where it took a left-turn into New Age philosophy!? (I was expecting maybe a discussion of how Darwin has influenced ideas on the meaning of life, or maybe how chaos theory impacts determinism and free will). It's still a pretty good flyby of the history of philosophy, even if it is from 20,000 feet.
August 25, 2016
I love how Jay has been able to conjugate and dissect such a broad subject into an entertaining and informative bite-sized premise. This book is the perfect starting point for laymen and beginners alike and rightfully, it should be appreciated by such.
..so thank you, Mr.Stevenson! :)
..so thank you, Mr.Stevenson! :)
February 9, 2012
This book makes a great supplement, but not a good source on it's own. I have found it good to read now, some 15 years after getting my B.A. in Philosophy. I think there is too much information too simply stated to give a novice a good knowledge of philosophy.
August 19, 2012
Ok for an overall beginners guide, and pretty comprehensive. I kept on finding great beginners books that stop at around 1900 and don't explain anything after, this book filled me in on not just the older philosophy, but also a great helping of contemporary philosophy.
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October 2, 2007i hate it because it overlaps me on writing it... there goes my dream to write an introduction to philosophy that is understandable to everybody--not exception
July 16, 2008
Good and informative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews