What do you think?
Rate this book
Talking Philosophy: A Wordbook
Paperback in very good condition. Slight shelfwear to the leading corners and spine ends. Minor foxing on the page block. Pages are clean; all text is clear. CM
- GenresPhilosophy
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 2, 2025
This book can sometimes feel like reading the Oxford dictionary as it aims to break down the very basics of the technical languages used in Philosophical discourse from the very basic to the more advanced. It repeatedly reinforces the differences between ordinary talk and technical use of words which is so crucial when applying philosophy to ideas, theories or dogmas.
In parts were it feels like reading a dictionary you should stay determined to get past these boring sections as the book is mostly very rewarding.
Let's take some innocuous looking words like 'real', 'universe' or 'existence' and think about whether we really know what they mean. You will be challenged to think again and again about their meaning and use. The book really emphasises the difference between ordinary and philosophical talk i.e. we should really be careful when analysing ideas philosophically.
My personal opinion is that the use of words is more important and fundamental to how we understand the natural world around us; it is both a window to the world and a limit to understanding our world. I suspect that how far we can understand the world is bound by language.
The book touches on all kinds of logic such as propositional, traditional, formal, informal, symbolic which are really good for clear no biased thinking. The book also highlights pretentious talk and muddle (an attempt of the talker to seem more clever than he is).
Overall, this is a fundamental book in Philosophy (IMO) (rather like foundational topics in mathematics like algebra). It is a solid reference for those new to Philosophy with plenty of references if one wishes to dig deeper.
It's really fascinating!
In parts were it feels like reading a dictionary you should stay determined to get past these boring sections as the book is mostly very rewarding.
Let's take some innocuous looking words like 'real', 'universe' or 'existence' and think about whether we really know what they mean. You will be challenged to think again and again about their meaning and use. The book really emphasises the difference between ordinary and philosophical talk i.e. we should really be careful when analysing ideas philosophically.
My personal opinion is that the use of words is more important and fundamental to how we understand the natural world around us; it is both a window to the world and a limit to understanding our world. I suspect that how far we can understand the world is bound by language.
The book touches on all kinds of logic such as propositional, traditional, formal, informal, symbolic which are really good for clear no biased thinking. The book also highlights pretentious talk and muddle (an attempt of the talker to seem more clever than he is).
Overall, this is a fundamental book in Philosophy (IMO) (rather like foundational topics in mathematics like algebra). It is a solid reference for those new to Philosophy with plenty of references if one wishes to dig deeper.
It's really fascinating!
Displaying 1 of 1 review