Fast Philosophy: Whizz to wisdom in 100 hilarious, short mental workouts perfect for commutes, bathroom breaks, and lazy afternoons on the couch

by Adam Fletcher, Lukas N.P. Egger, Robert M. Schöne (Illustrator)

Want to see the world differently?

Ridiculously entertaining, outrageously funny, and powerfully informative, Fast Philosophy is all the wisdom, but none of the work. It’s like speed-dating humanity's smartest people.

Its 100 hilarious, short mental workouts take the greatest ideas of the past and apply it to the biggest challenges of today. Perfect for commutes, bathroom breaks, or lazy afternoons on the couch.

Using simple language, humour, and more than fifty beautiful illustrations, it will make you think, laugh, and question everything.

A comprehensive and irreverent introduction to a fascinating subject, Fast Philosophy offers original answers to the biggest questions of existence: Why are we here? (and why isn’t there more cake?) What does it mean to be good? (and how can we get away with not being it?) What is beauty? (and how can I convince it to take its clothes off?)

Absolutely genuine, advanced praise for Fast Philosophy:
- “Unquestionably brilliant!” – Socrates
- “If you want think, therefore, you should buy this book.” – R. Descartes
- “Not bad, I guess, if you like that kind of thing.” – Woman Eating a Wasabi Nut for the First Time.

Let philosopher Lukas N.P. Egger and three-time Spiegel best-selling author Adam Fletcher teach you everything you ever wanted to know about the good life. Who knew enlightenment could be this entertaining?

Genres: Philosophy

284 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2018

Reviews

[Axel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only does philosophy deal with things like life and death, but also real-world topics such as religion, politics, and economics. That’s why philosophy is so important, and why I love this book. What sets it apart are its 100 mini-lessons, called „seatings“. Each seating is very short and can be finished in at most five minutes. At first, I was worried the book would be too superficial. Boy, was I in for a surprise! The seatings are just the right mix of information, humor, and open questions to ask yourself for the rest of the day.

At the end of each seating there is a „tl;dr“ (a short summary for people who would even find the seatings „too long“ and „didn’t read“ them). This is one of the more obvious signs that the authors are children of the internet age. They know too well how boring and unsexy philosophy usually is being presented. But not in this book. They even play with these stereotypes through a dash of sarcasm and self-deprecating humor. This feels really sincere and gives this brainy topic the grounding in reality it deserves. On the other hand, this makes the book less timeless. The jokes, puns, and metaphors draw heavily from current trends in technology and society such as social media, blockbuster movies, or diets. I would have liked to see a stronger overarching storyline, a narrator’s point of view (as for example in Sophie’s World), or something else to glue the book together with more than just humor. Reading it feels a little bit like browsing the web. This is a polarizing quality of the book. It will feel surprisingly natural to digital natives, while maybe pushing away readers with more conservative expectations.

The funny, well made, and meaningful infographics allow you to explore the topics by actually thinking for yourself, instead of just reading. I liked the thought process flow charts like the „Stoic’s Guide to Picking Up Someone at a Party“ best. Also, even though the trolley problem could have been easily explained through written text, the full-page graphic in the book really drives the dilemma home. Fact sheets are used to introduce important philosophers like Socrates, Confucius, and Kant. They are presented as if they were soccer players in a sports magazine, which reminds me of „The Philosopher’s Football Match“ sketch by Monty Python.

All in all, the structure and writing style is perfectly suited to what the book wants to be: a colorful fireworks display of philosophy. I find this style a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. I strongly recommend readers to let some time pass between reading individual seatings. Don’t just binge read it, but give your brain a day or two to process all those questions about life, the universe and everything else.

The book ends with a final exam to become a „certified fast philosopher“ which I haven’t tried yet. My head is still buzzing from all the questions raised even without the exam.

Did I just read a whole book about philosophy? Yes! Am I smarter now? Well, now I know that I don’t know!

tl;dr:

„Fast Philosophy“ is a contemporary introduction to important philosophers and major philosophical schools of thought. It’s tuned to today’s audiences in the internet age through humor and bite-sized chapters. It gets you thinking and questioning everything. Ain’t that great?

[Anthony Stancomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a quick clear view of western philosophies throughout the ages, I highly recommend this book. A delightfully brief run-down of the subject, it even manages to be the entertaining. It’s Peppered with the oddities of the philosophers and how this affected their theories, and it’s helped by a quietly tongue-in-cheek commentary that runs throughout. It’s a rattling read for anyone vaguely interested in the subject, and at the end of it you’ll have a pretty good grasp of how we’ve worked out our methods of reasoning and tried to explain to ourselves our existence on this planet.
An enriching experience

[Steve Vetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly loved this book!! Great perspectives on some of the most importantly interesting thoughts created by human beings over the last few thousand years. I wish that this book was available when I was in high school as I may have continued my philosophical fascination. This is a book that any thinking person would enjoy!! Thanks for taking the time to re-frame and add such needed levity to these ponderous thoughts and thinkers, Adam!!!!

[kaitlyn McAdam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not funny, creepy

At no point this was funny, maybe for primary school kids but then again the guy comes off as a creep. If you remove all the horrible dating advice and bad attempts at “comedy” it’s still not very informative and badly written. Don’t recommend.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of Fun

The authors show quite a bit of wit. It helps that they do not take yourselves too seriously. Love the short chapters and the visual connections to the philosophers.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining AND Informative. I learned quite a bit as I laughed my way through this book.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It does what it says it will, with the slight exception of a couple of instances where the concept is deemed too complex for fast explanation.