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Ponderables: 100 Discoveries that Changed History, Who Did What When
Philosophy: An Illustrated History of Thought
Here is the essential guide to philosophy. An Illustrated History of Thought is an authoritative yet fun reference book and timeline on the compilation of human knowledge. Both art and science attempt answers to the big questions -- what is truth, how to be good, and where did we come from? -- but philosophy is the interpreter we use to verify it all. We need it to make sense of the simplest math and the most esoteric poetry, and it has even created a science of information itself. We begin our journey at the boundary of myth and reason, and along the way we visit the thoughts of the most high-flying of minds who could see that nothing, not ever-changing words, limitless numbers, or mystical visions, were beyond examination. Philosophy contains 100 chronological articles that recount the inspirations of great thinkers, Philosophy, far from being the work of dead geniuses, is today at the heart of our battle to make sense of the quantum Universe. Philosophy embraces the paradox, and we present the most mind-boggling conundrums the last 3,000 years has to Philosophy also contains a 12-page Timeline History of Philosophy
139 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2010
23 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Tom Jackson
647 books58 followers"I'm a non-fiction author and project editor (plus I do a bit of journalism). I'm available for project development, writing, project management and I also work as a packager. Click on the links above to see examples of my work.
But first some background: Over the last 20 years, I've written books, magazine and newspaper articles, for online and for television. I get to write about a wide range of subjects, everything from axolotls to zoroastrianism. However, my specialties are natural history, technology and all things scientific. I've worked on projects with Brian May, Patrick Moore, Marcus de Sautoy and Carol Vorderman and for major international publishers, such as Dorling Kindersley, National Geographic, Scholastic, Hachette, Facts on File and BBC Magazines.
I spend my days finding fun ways of communicating all kinds of facts, new and old, to every age group and reading ability. I live in Bristol, England, with my wife and three children. I studied zoology at Bristol University and have had spells working at the zoos in Jersey and Surrey. I used to be something of a conservationist, which included planting trees in Somerset, surveying Vietnamese jungle and rescuing buffaloes from drought-ridden Zimbabwe. Writing jobs have also taken me to the Galápagos Islands, the Amazon rainforest, the coral reefs of Indonesia and the Sahara Desert. Nowadays, I can be found mainly in the attic."
~http://tomjackson.weebly.com/
But first some background: Over the last 20 years, I've written books, magazine and newspaper articles, for online and for television. I get to write about a wide range of subjects, everything from axolotls to zoroastrianism. However, my specialties are natural history, technology and all things scientific. I've worked on projects with Brian May, Patrick Moore, Marcus de Sautoy and Carol Vorderman and for major international publishers, such as Dorling Kindersley, National Geographic, Scholastic, Hachette, Facts on File and BBC Magazines.
I spend my days finding fun ways of communicating all kinds of facts, new and old, to every age group and reading ability. I live in Bristol, England, with my wife and three children. I studied zoology at Bristol University and have had spells working at the zoos in Jersey and Surrey. I used to be something of a conservationist, which included planting trees in Somerset, surveying Vietnamese jungle and rescuing buffaloes from drought-ridden Zimbabwe. Writing jobs have also taken me to the Galápagos Islands, the Amazon rainforest, the coral reefs of Indonesia and the Sahara Desert. Nowadays, I can be found mainly in the attic."
~http://tomjackson.weebly.com/
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 4, 2016
This is a good introductory book on philosophy. It doesn't go as far into detail as I would have liked (I'm a philosophy major so it's a subject that interests me a lot).
The best part of this book is the 12 page timeline it comes with.
Overall it's a good book for people looking to get acquainted with philosophy.
The best part of this book is the 12 page timeline it comes with.
Overall it's a good book for people looking to get acquainted with philosophy.
January 6, 2019
4/5
This is a great introductory book to philosophy; it has a vast selection of topics that have easy-to-digest explanations, though not as in-depth as some may prefer. Would recommend for newcomers like myself interested in learning about philosophy!
This is a great introductory book to philosophy; it has a vast selection of topics that have easy-to-digest explanations, though not as in-depth as some may prefer. Would recommend for newcomers like myself interested in learning about philosophy!
March 5, 2021
More of a history textbook for philosophy, the book was interesting and informative and a good introduction for those who would like to learn about philosophy.
Titled Philosophy An illustrated History of Thought, this book written by Tom Jackson is more of a history textbook that goes over 100 ideas that have had a significant impact on the world. In its setting we start in 600 BCE and work our way to the current day (at least of when this book was written) and are in the essence of thoughts/ideas/theories. Some characters that repeatedly appear in the text, or at least their ideas, are Plato, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. The main conflict of this book is to find an answer to questions or better understand existence, society, choice or nature.
(Read page 110 and 111) By time this theory was proposed humans had already landed people on the moon. Before this point there doesn’t seem to be the thought that nature on the scale of Earth was conscious, knowing how to regulate its “body.” This theory is relevant to the current day with such controversy over how climate works and what is best for the Earth; Gaia theory would suggest that the world itself can regulate it all only to such a point until it becomes aggravated deciding to regulate humans like it does nature. This idea can be correlated to the thought that the human species is in endangerment and must work for and with the world to set us off back on the right path.
What is authentic about this book is easily its telling of ideas/concepts throughout history, but what is also right is the opposition of views, development of knowledge, spread of where questions are asked and the change of what is considered correct over time, it can be viewed that these details within the pages are accurate; the knowledge that is used currently and has been in use, how it develops toward more and a greater understanding of “what is”, then the conflict of how these are all only experimental solutions and never 100% correct, an always changing and developing field of expertise.
Titled Philosophy An illustrated History of Thought, this book written by Tom Jackson is more of a history textbook that goes over 100 ideas that have had a significant impact on the world. In its setting we start in 600 BCE and work our way to the current day (at least of when this book was written) and are in the essence of thoughts/ideas/theories. Some characters that repeatedly appear in the text, or at least their ideas, are Plato, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. The main conflict of this book is to find an answer to questions or better understand existence, society, choice or nature.
(Read page 110 and 111) By time this theory was proposed humans had already landed people on the moon. Before this point there doesn’t seem to be the thought that nature on the scale of Earth was conscious, knowing how to regulate its “body.” This theory is relevant to the current day with such controversy over how climate works and what is best for the Earth; Gaia theory would suggest that the world itself can regulate it all only to such a point until it becomes aggravated deciding to regulate humans like it does nature. This idea can be correlated to the thought that the human species is in endangerment and must work for and with the world to set us off back on the right path.
What is authentic about this book is easily its telling of ideas/concepts throughout history, but what is also right is the opposition of views, development of knowledge, spread of where questions are asked and the change of what is considered correct over time, it can be viewed that these details within the pages are accurate; the knowledge that is used currently and has been in use, how it develops toward more and a greater understanding of “what is”, then the conflict of how these are all only experimental solutions and never 100% correct, an always changing and developing field of expertise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2017
Philosophy an illustrated history of thought is a must for educators! It includes philosophies such as rationalism, idealism , stoicism , theory of mind , ethics ,existentialism ,metaphysics ,pragmatism aesthetics and utilitarianism. Also includes a fold out timeline with over 1000 milestone facts (great for classroom wall!)
December 16, 2014
Shelter Harbor Press has been publishing these gorgeous hardcover coffee-table-y books on STEM topics. Now there's a philosophy one. It's a beautiful coffee table book; for kids who have deep thoughts about the meaning of life, societal living and human consciousness, it would be an unusual and thoughtful gift.
April 28, 2015
The invitation for us to write a review on Goodreads of any book is this: "What did you think?" I have written dozens of reviews on Goodreads without ever really noticing or pondering that question that's been in bold text every single time. Perhaps the merits of this book have just been revealed: what do you think, indeed.
July 19, 2019
A complete overview book, but if you are a beginner, looking for somewhere to start, this is a good place. It looks at the historical development of philosophy by placing 100 key ideas in chronological order. It also gives you a brief overview of each discussed philosopher's life. Easy to read and easy to grasp concepts.
July 6, 2018
A good book for kids, and depending on what you are trying to accomplish.
It has an encyclopedic format, explaining most ideas and trends.
Works well with a debate or philosophy club, used as a research tool mostly for terms.
It has an encyclopedic format, explaining most ideas and trends.
Works well with a debate or philosophy club, used as a research tool mostly for terms.
June 27, 2021
The book seems to be strictly intended for a vague overview of 100 ideas that changed Philosophy and the world. Considering the fact that I am the layman's layman... I was not challenged nor bored by the book. I like it.
March 8, 2019
173 - 2019
January 27, 2021
Covers a wide range of philosophical and religious ideas, but it could really do with longer articles.
May 11, 2021
A great primer into the study of philosophy.
November 23, 2014
The study of philosophy has the reputation of being dry or boring, but nothing could be further from the case. In fact, almost every question you have asked yourself or argue about at parties has been thoroughly considered by philosophers: Has the universe always existed? Is human nature to blame for aggression and greed? Is there such a thing as “natural law” governing morality, or must we have an overlay of religion to keep us decent? Is the female mind the same as the male mind? Do our brains operate like computers, or is there a soul? How do our ways of seeing affect our realities?
Many of you will remember the scene in The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in which the narrator explains that, as a young boy, he once drew a picture of a boa constrictor with an elephant digesting in its stomach. To his surprise, every adult who saw the picture mistakenly interpreted it as a drawing of a hat. Readers were delighted, but in fact the nature of this illusion had already been explored in depth by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who used the “duckrabbit” to show how different perspectives could identify the creature as either a duck or a rabbit.
In fact, you will learn the origin of many popular cultural memes in this book (as well as the origin of the idea of “memetics”).
Readers are bound to find much of interest in this colorful guide to 100 of the greatest ideas in the history of thought.
Philosophy: An Illustrated History reviews, in a chronological progression, significant developments in thinking about ethics, religion, politics, justice, pleasure, friendship, language, perceptual frameworks, and how we make decisions, among other ideas.
The author does an excellent job in explaining complex doctrines succinctly and understandably. Obviously he can’t be totally comprehensive, but for those wondering about ideas you hear about in conversation or see on t-shirts, like “Schrödinger's cat,” “The Liar’s Paradox” or “paradigm shifts,” this book will give you a well-written summary.
After the author reviews his selection of the top 100 philosophical concepts - explained with the help of photos and sidebars, he then explores the field of philosophy itself, appending a section on schools of philosophy. For each school, he provides a short synopsis of its main thrust, as well as a list of the school's leading figures, major works, notable quotes, and relevant questions for discussion (e.g., Do ends justify the means? Does everything happen for a reason?)
He extends his list of top ideas explored in the past with a glimpse at new issues being debated by philosophers, such as whether or not it is fair that justice is distributed unequally among rich and poor.
A short biography of some of the greatest philosophers follows. The author does a nice job here too, managing to convey the gist of their discoveries along with some of their quirks and “fun stuff” about them. (For example, Plato’s real name was Aristocles, but (as some stories claim) his wrestling teacher gave him the name of "Plato" meaning “broad” in reference to Aristocles' wide figure and wrestling stance.)
Finally, a large foldout included with the book gives over 1,000 milestone facts. This poster includes a timeline showing important events corresponding to the expression of philosophical ideas in the areas of Culture, World Events, and Science & Invention.
Evaluation: This book would make an excellent gift, either as a coffee table book for intermittent perusal and a goad to discussion; as a book for students to help them in school; or as an introduction to the most important things we know about what we are, where we came from, and where we might be heading.
Shelter Harbor Press is producing a series of these graphical books on breakthroughs that changed history. Previous topics have been about the elements, mathematics, physics, and the universe.
Many of you will remember the scene in The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in which the narrator explains that, as a young boy, he once drew a picture of a boa constrictor with an elephant digesting in its stomach. To his surprise, every adult who saw the picture mistakenly interpreted it as a drawing of a hat. Readers were delighted, but in fact the nature of this illusion had already been explored in depth by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who used the “duckrabbit” to show how different perspectives could identify the creature as either a duck or a rabbit.
In fact, you will learn the origin of many popular cultural memes in this book (as well as the origin of the idea of “memetics”).
Readers are bound to find much of interest in this colorful guide to 100 of the greatest ideas in the history of thought.
Philosophy: An Illustrated History reviews, in a chronological progression, significant developments in thinking about ethics, religion, politics, justice, pleasure, friendship, language, perceptual frameworks, and how we make decisions, among other ideas.
The author does an excellent job in explaining complex doctrines succinctly and understandably. Obviously he can’t be totally comprehensive, but for those wondering about ideas you hear about in conversation or see on t-shirts, like “Schrödinger's cat,” “The Liar’s Paradox” or “paradigm shifts,” this book will give you a well-written summary.
After the author reviews his selection of the top 100 philosophical concepts - explained with the help of photos and sidebars, he then explores the field of philosophy itself, appending a section on schools of philosophy. For each school, he provides a short synopsis of its main thrust, as well as a list of the school's leading figures, major works, notable quotes, and relevant questions for discussion (e.g., Do ends justify the means? Does everything happen for a reason?)
He extends his list of top ideas explored in the past with a glimpse at new issues being debated by philosophers, such as whether or not it is fair that justice is distributed unequally among rich and poor.
A short biography of some of the greatest philosophers follows. The author does a nice job here too, managing to convey the gist of their discoveries along with some of their quirks and “fun stuff” about them. (For example, Plato’s real name was Aristocles, but (as some stories claim) his wrestling teacher gave him the name of "Plato" meaning “broad” in reference to Aristocles' wide figure and wrestling stance.)
Finally, a large foldout included with the book gives over 1,000 milestone facts. This poster includes a timeline showing important events corresponding to the expression of philosophical ideas in the areas of Culture, World Events, and Science & Invention.
Evaluation: This book would make an excellent gift, either as a coffee table book for intermittent perusal and a goad to discussion; as a book for students to help them in school; or as an introduction to the most important things we know about what we are, where we came from, and where we might be heading.
Shelter Harbor Press is producing a series of these graphical books on breakthroughs that changed history. Previous topics have been about the elements, mathematics, physics, and the universe.
July 20, 2023
poorly proof-read
March 17, 2015
Fantastic introduction to philosophy
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews