A world of philosophy broken into 50 easy-to-understand, approachable moments, and organised in a chronological timeline. If philosophy is all Greek to you then look no further, this is the book for you! This lively, accessible, and thought-provoking introduction to philosophy and its history is not your average text book, more a comprehensive guide to philosophy from around the world and through the ages. Be guided through history, learning about landmark events while tracking the historical evolution of the discipline of philosophy. Each landmark event is explored in detail with concise and straightforward explanations, using simple diagrams to demonstrate key philosophical concepts and theories. The broader historical context provides unique insights into how the concepts have developed over the centuries, making even the most advance philosophical concepts easier to understand.
I really was amazed at how much I have enjoyed dipping into this book over the past several years. A gimmicky concept and an idiosyncratic tour through the years of philosophy to be sure, but I found myself reflecting numerous times - "Oh yeah - that's why I liked person X so much in college" or "Oh, I definitely need to go back and read more about XYZ". The fact that there are holes and odd choices, just made me like it all the more for it is clearly not the work of a committee of historians or philosophers but one person's take on it. The bite size independent chunks for each milestone (usually people but sometimes an event or a movement) made for easily accessible 5 minute reads months apart which is how I wound up reading the book.
I was looking for a brief introduction to Philosophy, and this book fulfilled that purpose beautifully! It highlights many documents of significance through much of our written history, without becoming to obtuse for the layman reader. I will likely reread this book as some of the concepts are challenging to grasp, but overall it was an enjoyable and educational read. I particularly liked the timeline at the top of each page which helped me to understand the historical context and significance of each individual to particular time periods.
I have ordered this book because I have enjoyed before some books published by Quarto publishing. This book is a great light introduction to philosophy that gives a taste about the richness of philosophers ideas, how everyone of them viewed the world differently and how it evolved through the ages. I find the book however quite biased towards the western philosophers. Still, this is a very enjoyable and stimulating read
Fantastic. Interesting, clear, concise, well-written descriptions of major philosophers and philosophies from the past few millennia, told in a chronological timeline that shows how major historical events affected philosophy and vice versa. This book is EXACTLY what I wanted, and it works perfectly to dip in and out of over a few months, reading about a philosopher or two at a time. I love it.
Great introductory book and most succinct summary of the timeline and major players of philosophy throughout history. It is a pretty enjoyable read and I (admittedly a novice here) learned a great deal.
Really enjoyed the style of the book. Gives ideas as to what to read next. Need to remember to try and also read/consider the opposing views. Will probably buy this