Philosophy - A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself: Book

by Sharon Kaye

Written by Sharon Kaye, who is Professor of Philosophy at John Carroll University, A Complete Introduction is designed to give you everything you need to succeed, all in one place. It covers the key areas that students are expected to be confident in, outlining the basics in clear jargon-free English, and then providing added-value features like summaries of key books, and even lists of questions you might be asked in your seminar or exam.

The book uses a structure that mirrors many university courses on philosophy - using the work of key philosophers to springboard into a discussion of all the main areas of philosophy.

Teach Yourself titles employ the 'Breakthrough method', which is designed specifically to overcome problems that students face.
- "I find it difficult to remember what I've read."; this book includes end-of-chapter questions and summaries, and flashcards of key points available on-line and as apps
- "Most books mention important other sources, but I can never find them in time."; this book includes key texts and case studies are summarised, complete with fully referenced quotes ready to use in your essay or exam.
- "Lots of introductory books turn out to cover totally different topics than my course."; this book is written by a current university lecturer who understands what students are expected to know.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Self Help, History

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2012

About the author

Sharon M. Kaye, PhD, is a professor of philosophy at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. She’s also the author of Big Thinkers and Ideas: An Introduction to Eastern and Western Philosophy for Kids.

Reviews

[Hannah Gozlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has made me a philosophy addict. I've changed my entire life choices because I now know philosophy is what I want to do. Perfect for beginners and really teaches you a lot. Little tip... Read it slowly.

[Rachael Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a few years since I did philosophy and since I'm going to start studying it again I wanted to remind myself of some of the basics.
This really is a complete beginners guide, it's fairly well constructed and the writing was very clear to understand. There was some points though, particularly looking at Plato's Forms, that I felt were not entirely explained and someone who is starting philosophy for the first time may not understand the full concept of certain theories.
However, as a starting point for people who want to know the basic principles of the more influential philosophers, I would highly recommend this book.

[Veronika Mariienko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the perfect book for someone looking to expand their knowledge of philosophy. The book covers 10 philosophers in a “textbook style” that helps retain information, and link the different philosophers mentioned. I personally took away a lot of new perspectives and understandings of philosophy and what it means to dedicate your life to it. The mix between personal and professional facts provided made this not only an expansive book, but one that I didn’t want to put down. I found that I resonated with half of the philosophers covered and now have a sense of direction to go in my next book, highly recommend.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who are interested in diving into philosophy but not sure quite where to begin. This book provides a great short, but succinct, introduction to a number of important names and theories within the grand subject (and practice). Each chapter is certainly not exhaustive. If they were this book would be impossibly long. What it does well is explain, potentially complex, ideas in relatively simple terms and provides short reference lists to those who want to 'dig deeper' on certain ideas. Definitely worth checking out for anyone wanting to start out in philosophy!

[Greville Seddon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would hesitate to use the word "complete". It is certainly a basic introduction to the whole topic of philosophy from ancient times to the 20th century. For the classic texts there are links to online sources. I was less keen on the exam questions at the end of each chapter. It struck me that this was could be a set of university or secondary school "general studies" lecture notes. That said, I did find it useful and will probably use it as a refresher in due course

[AbdelRahman Nasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone looking to read this book my advice would be don’t read it in a one setting or on a quick skim, instead, take your time and reflect as much as you can after every chapter and even write your thoughts and go back to your daily life and think of the ideas here; This will make all the difference

[Chiamaka Dominic-Udeagbaja]

This book has introduced me to some very interesting philosophers such as Nietzsche, Anselm, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Mill and Sartre and their approaches to friendship, justice, happiness and existence

[Titiaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because Derek Sivers mentioned it in an interview. He said he admired how clearly it was written.

This is a terrific introduction to philosophy. It is a must-read for people who love to learn.

A few things set this book apart from other introductory philosophy books:

(1) It is highly readable. Kaye achieves this by relating old ideas to a new context.
(2) It is concise. It highlights the key concepts from key philosophers* in a few pages each. She covers all major Western philosophers in about 200 pages.
(3) It is designed for understanding. Each chapter includes a thought experiment, jokes, and ten multiple choice questions.

I made copious notes while reading the book. I have started to ask ChatGPT to answer questions taking on the perspective of a given philosopher.

* The book has chapters on Plato, Aristotle, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Sartre, and Dewey.

[Ian Grantham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading ‘Philosophy- A Complete Introduction’ by Sharon Kaye.

I awarded this book four stars because it provided a simple, easy to understand introduction to fourteen important philosophers and their contributions to the discipline of philosophy. It provides what its title suggests.

Each of the fourteen chapters contains an introductory summary of the philosopher’s key ideas, a thought experiment, quotations from their major works, and some detail of their work.

As a newcomer to philosophy I found the book informative and sufficiently challenging to pique interest without being overwhelming.

[Enn En · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good way to enter into the realm of philosophy or arguments.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

[Baz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I needed!! Really helped me grasp a better understanding on philosophy. :)

[David Resendes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good historical introduction to Western Philosophy.

[Joe Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear concise introduction to Philosophy.

[Mar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sharon Kaye's Philosophy- A Complete Introduction, is sub par. The citations are almost nonexistent besides when a direct quote is pulled.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, and broad, ranging intro. Well worth reading.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was fun. As an intro to philosophy and philosophers: was very good. I learnt many things that I didn’t know. It was very good to learn about the philosophers in a chronological order.