Big Ideas: The Little Book of Philosophy

by D.K. Publishing

A compact, portable introduction to the history, concepts, and thinking behind philosophy laid out in DK's signature visual style--the ultimate guide to understanding philosophy on the go.

Take Descartes along on your day trip! This compact guide explores the history and concepts of philosophy, and demystifies its often-daunting subject matter. Explore feminism, rationalism, idealism, existentialism, and other influential movements in the world of philosophy. The Little Philosophy Book unpacks the writings and ideas of more than 100 of history's biggest thinkers, including Rene Descartes, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Locke, and Thomas Hobbes, taking you on a journey from Ancient Greece to the modern day.

From Socrates to Confucius to Julia Kristeva, The Little Philosophy Book breaks down difficult concepts using innovating graphics that pop off the page alongside creative typography. Cutting through the haze of academia and untangling complicated theories to show how our social, political, and ethical ideas are formed, The Little Philosophy Book contextualizes the information around time periods, innovative thinkers, method, and philosophical approach.

With graphics and clear writing, The Little Philosophy Book is a compact but comprehensive introduction to a complicated and fascinating subject, and the perfect way to expand your mind as you head out on vacation.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Reference

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2018

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Lysimachos Antonios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best feature of all are the little introductory panels with branch (e.g. Metaphysics), approach (e.g. Rationalism), and then the timelines with influence and impact! Also important work lists and diagrams are awesome! Doesn’t get into much depth but it’s not supposed to, it’s just tracing the lines and making the connections! Even for an amateur and not total beginner it’s pretty amazing!

Totally recommend it!

[Elina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foršs filozofijas konspektiņš. Viss īsi, konkrēti, pārskatāmi, nekā lieka.

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun read!

[Ibrahim Hamza · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was great to read about such great philosophers and their philosophies which changed the world. I liked it but there are two things about this book that I didn't like:
1- The book title is "the little book of Philosophy", therefore it should have included eastern philosophers as well, but it only focuses on western philosophers. I strongly believe the eastern Philosophy has a rich history and not discussing it is very unjust.
2- Like most other readers, the layout, it's complicated and confusing.
If it wasn't for these two points, I would definitely give it 5-stars.

[Gian Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never an easy task to write a short, comprehensive history of philosophy.
What you get is a short guide through some of the most known philosophical theories and influential thinkers that change the world. Straight to the point, well-structured, great when travelling or for any novice to the topic.

[Mr Shahabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think they kind of failed to grasp KANT lool


But Im kind of Disappointed that they did not include Benjamin. Although we have Adorno..

[lama · Rating 5 out of 5]

finally!!!
this is not the kind of book that takes a year to finish, but let’s just assume that there’s something poetic in there somewhere
this book presents ideas and concepts into bite-sized pieces in a way that makes it entertaining while keeping me engaged and making me feeling like some of my depth is being filled
it’s special to me because reading philosophy is not about what it does to me but more about what it makes me do for it. i loved the effort this book pulled out of me, writing reviews of each concept and comments in the margins, not to mention conversations and thinking sessions. it broke the barrier between fiction and fact and now i feel ready to take on the world
i really enjoy this style of writing when it comes to nonfiction, and i’ll keep entertaining it until i feel ready to tackle the actual matter these types of books take their information from. i’ll always be a novice no matter how much i read, and there’s so much beauty in that.
when it comes to philosophy i know i’ll always turn back to books like this no matter how far i make it. because knowledge isn’t a straight path, it’s a deep hole with twists and turns and you have to climb out then back in every so often. learning requires constant return to basics, and a large sense of humility to do so. there will always be more to explore and i will always be a beginner. honestly i wouldn’t have it any other way

[Evan Lasseter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, digestible overviews of the topic's key points & history.

[Ahmad Ashraf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big ideas The Little book of philosophy!

علي عكس اسمه اللي يوحي انه مدخل او كتاب مبسط بس هو مش كده خالص كتاب مركز بشكل غير طبيعي رحله من الفلسفة اليونانية القديمة قبل الميلاد لأسئله القرن الحادي والعشرين الكتاب كان رفيقي لمدة ٤٠ يوم فيهم ١٥ جلسة قراءة متوسط ساعة و ربع تقريباً يعني أخد مني حوالي ١٩ او يمكن ٢٠ ساعة عشان اخلصه لكنه في النهاية علي قد ما هو متعب مفيد وشيق وفتح من وراه Recommendations لما لا يقل عن ١٠ كتب فلسفية اخري كحد ادني تجربة مختلفة جداً.

[Mich7637 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun. These are really only brief summaries of the ideas of the great philosophers. Sometimes only one aspect of their thought is covered. However the writers have gone to some trouble to explain things carefully for the layman.

Stronger on some philosophers than others; Heidegger remains confusing but I like the way he conceded later in life that poetry is probably a better guide to human existence than philosophy

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A succinct introduction to the various leading concepts, from a widespread collection of academic philosophical sub-categories. Sometimes misses out the 'official name' of an argument, and instead speaks generally about a concept instead of leading the reader to discover more with a guiding term/phraseology, which they can then research in more detail; those used by the philosophers themselves at time of conception.

[Yaqeen Alkhanaizi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been developing an interest in philosophy and I had zero background in it. This book was perfect for me because it summarized the huge and complicated topic of philosophy in a way anyone can read it. It was a really enjoyable read, 100% would recommend to anyone interested in philosophy.

[Inareadsalot_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So what is Philosophy? Well according to the Oxford dictionary;
It is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.

The little book of Philosophy offers a simplified summary on the study but i can't really say it's for beginners so if you have basic knowledge on it, you'll enjoy it for sure. In there you'll find the philosophers, their background and their opinion on different matters and how they make up and fit in the world of Phylosophy.

I for one found it interesting as it was as if I was in a room full of opinionated people and each of them just speaking their minds and I was intrigued from the first page to the last and I also liked how the book has the pictures of the philosophers, that way I could also relate better to what their words.

This little gem is well set up and i recommend it to anyone taking an interest in or refreshing on Philosophy. In addition, there's also The little book of Politics and The little book of Psychology, still by D.K. Publishing.

[Abu Syakireen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The little Book of Philosophy is a book that wrote a summarize of several named philosophers with their thinking throughout time and across branches. From the ancient thinking of Socrates till the modern figure. It also shows different branches in philosophy tackling different thinking in life and how this thinking changes from a thinker to another.

This book was bought at a visiting book fair on cruise in 2025 as token, a reminder of visit. It shows some well-known historical person and several more unknown. The philosophy shows in the book branches out and evolve throughout time but one thing remains the same. This book tells mostly about western philosophy without touch on other part of the world. While it is understandable as it is a little book, it is a let down on how different thinking are not represented much. In addition, some part of the philosophy is hard to imagine their working as it could contradict with reader believe and knowns. While it is a good introduction to philosophy, it does not show the world philosophy.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a book for beginners! If you have little to no prior knowledge of philosophy, I think this book would be extremely tricky to interpret. I would have given this book an extra star if it contained a small glossary, just with the definitions of the main branches and approaches, e.g. epistemology, axiology and so on. I had to do a lot of googling!
Initially I thought this was a book about the basics but I was quite wrong! However, it is still a very informative book and I did enjoy a lot of it. The first 50 / last 50 pages were very interesting, but I found the middle section very tedious and hard to grasp. Perhaps I would have benefitted more from it if there were concise explanations. For me, I felt like I had leapt from SATs to degree level education. But thats my own fault, I should have noticed it was a more in depth explanation of specific philosophies, as opposed to an introduction.

[Elkaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this little gem at the bookstore, not wanting to pull at my heavy and large philosophy books from my bookshelves, when I wanted a refresh in philosophy for some study I am undertaking. It’s the perfect size to remain on my desk, and I love how the chapters are a historical timeline of the philosophy field overtime.
It’s a shame its only Black and White, but that’s being a little opinionated. Even so, the topics are well set up, providing so much information about the philosopher, along with their theories and concepts in a way that tells the reader, why there unique and how they fit into the overall field of philosophy.
Hence, I feel this book is a great introduction to anyone who wants to learn all about philosophy.

[Farah Alnajjar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book was enjoyable journey. I recommend it as an introduction to the world of philosophy. However, I have few comments on this book. First, the title is misleading. I prefer if it was (the little book of “western” philosophy), since its mainly focus on western philosophers. Second, the book somehow biased towards religions and excluding it from the narrative. It would be much more informative if the effect of religions had been mentioned. Because it’s definitely had affected the path of different philosophical schools.
In conclusion, the book worth reading.

[Luca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is an exceptional introduction to different philosophers across the ages. You can note down who sounds interesting and dive deeper into their work afterwards. I'm definitely keeping this book so I can go back and re-read introductions whenever I'm curious about someone. I like that it's chronological, you can see how philosophical thought changed with the economic and political climate. You definitely don't have to read it front-to-back, you can jump in right in the middle if you find a name you've heard before. I think it's a great start to a journey into philosophy.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it's a good, basic intro to philosophy and those who shaped it, it skips around quite a bit. Dialogue boxes interrupt text and, while interesting, have a habit of pulling one away from the main intent of the chapter/section. They would be better utilized at the end of chapters, but that's just my take. The reading was a bit dry and it was difficult at times to keep interest in particular sections, but overall, a decent intro book for someone just starting to explore philosphy.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good overview of western philosophical history. There are numerous formatting and spelling errors scattered throughout, which detract from the value by a small amount. Excellent for the newly intermediate of philosophical thinking, perhaps a little to complex for the absolute beginners. However, if they take it slowly, it will be invaluable.

[Ash Hewson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall a nice book that helped me understand the basics of philosophy. There were some philosophers that I feel would've been nice to have included, (Confucius, Laozi, Buddha, St. Augustine, Derrida, Camus, Jung, Freud) but there is still a good amount included. Overall a good book in a nice format, as with the other books in the DK Little Book of #/DK Big Book of# series.

[Ivan O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book to introduce me into philosophy. Doesn't go really in depth with each philosophers ideas and thoughts. Just the main points of it. It also gives thier life and the history of that era which can help understand the philosopher better knowing where they're coming from. Great starter book to know what branchs of Philosophy or philosophy or like or dislike.

[Miguel Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

for those who don't get philosophy, this is the book to read.
it gives an easy to read journey thru the ages on the act of thinking the world.
clearly written, with good visual cues to help you follow up with each philosopher reasoning.
I do recommend the read.

[Ilse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting little book that gives you an overview of different schools of thought. Doesn't go into depth that much, but it's nice to regain an overview of the most important movements and ideas in philosophy over time.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introductory text to philosophy with helpful illustrations and diagrams for some of the harder to grasp topics.

Perhaps could have covered a wider range of philosophers for a more complete introduction, but still a great place to start.

[Hdawg · Rating 5 out of 5]

not much eastern philosophy, but that is typical of most "little" philosophy texts. most concepts are highly accessible and the descriptions are easy to digest.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant for short snippets. Well explained and easy to understand. Not something I’d sit down and read but would definitely come back to this for reference.

[Aestheticlibrary98 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Oumnia Biya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read 😊

[Kite_and_wind · Rating 5 out of 5]

explain ideas of philosophy very clearly, good introduction to philosophy.