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Philosophy for Busy People: Everything You Really Should Know
Do you know your Aristotelianism or Asceticism from your Egalitarianism? No? Well this book will give you all the information you need to tell one from the other and impress your friends with the seeming depth of your knowledge. From happiness to politics and power , science , religion and love - this compact and accessible primer captures the diverse moral and ethical arguments - and major theories - of Western Philosophy. In his warm and concise narrative, the author brings the great ancient and modern 'thinkers' and their unique perspectives vividly to the page. This is a thought-provoking whistle-stop tour of established philosophical thinking and its continued relevance in our lives today. Jam packed with all the important ideas but at the same time highly accessible and informative, Philosophy for Busy People is perfect for those who enjoy thinking about the big questions in life.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2019
48 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 26, 2020
Despite what the title of the book seems to suggest, this was a thoroughly researched book.
I found it by accident, and I bought it because it had been years since I had read anything of substance and I assumed, rightly, this would make for a softer re-entry into subjects dear to my heart.
It takes you on a journey, thematically organised in 8 chapters, through the major philosophers of Western philosophy. Due to its very short length, most subjects are presented in a very concise manner, which I found very helpful. There is also a Selected Bibliography at the end of the book, which contains books for those inclined to read further (like me).
Unlike my very very dry review, the book itself is very well written, fast-paced and humorous. Alain Stephen knew exactly what his purpose was each step of the way and was enjoying himself, which shows in the contents. He did an amazing job of squeezing millennia of theories in about 200 pages, intelligently.
I will use the sentence that made me laugh out loud to try and entice you to give this one a read: "Unfortunately for Anselm, he opened a philosophical can of worms that is still raging nearly a thousand years later" (The Philosophy of Religion - pg. 106).
I found it by accident, and I bought it because it had been years since I had read anything of substance and I assumed, rightly, this would make for a softer re-entry into subjects dear to my heart.
It takes you on a journey, thematically organised in 8 chapters, through the major philosophers of Western philosophy. Due to its very short length, most subjects are presented in a very concise manner, which I found very helpful. There is also a Selected Bibliography at the end of the book, which contains books for those inclined to read further (like me).
Unlike my very very dry review, the book itself is very well written, fast-paced and humorous. Alain Stephen knew exactly what his purpose was each step of the way and was enjoying himself, which shows in the contents. He did an amazing job of squeezing millennia of theories in about 200 pages, intelligently.
I will use the sentence that made me laugh out loud to try and entice you to give this one a read: "Unfortunately for Anselm, he opened a philosophical can of worms that is still raging nearly a thousand years later" (The Philosophy of Religion - pg. 106).
May 31, 2020
I think busy people need a slightly more concise version of certain passages in this book. It was great for piquing my interest in different philosophical fields and thinkers, but some passages were much too detailed while others too sparse. My favorite section was by the far the chapter on happiness, followed by the chapter on religion.
April 28, 2023
Philosophy is too difficult to understand
October 21, 2022
Philosophy is the study of knowledge and wisdom. It deals with big questions in ethics, metaphysics, and more. As Socrates said, the unexamined life is not worth living. On the other hand, people have lives. They have jobs or children, and time is always so short.
That's where this book comes in. Philosophy For Busy People is a book by Alain Stephen. It covers a wide swath of philosophy without going too deeply into any single aspect. It has tiny blurbs discussing philosophy in popular culture. In that sense, it wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be all bullet points.
The book is sometimes outright wrong, though it isn't for anything consequential. Remember the Harry Potter series? What is the title of the first book? The publisher localized it to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States, while the original title referenced the Philosopher's Stone. Philosophy For Busy People mislabels that book as the second one in the series. See what I mean? It isn't anything too terrible.
Other pop culture references are parody Twitter handles and philosophy in movies. I don't have a Twitter, but the Game Grumps mentioned some parody Twitter handles, so I am familiar with some of them.
In any case, the book is four stars to me. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't mindblowing in any capacity. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
That's where this book comes in. Philosophy For Busy People is a book by Alain Stephen. It covers a wide swath of philosophy without going too deeply into any single aspect. It has tiny blurbs discussing philosophy in popular culture. In that sense, it wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be all bullet points.
The book is sometimes outright wrong, though it isn't for anything consequential. Remember the Harry Potter series? What is the title of the first book? The publisher localized it to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States, while the original title referenced the Philosopher's Stone. Philosophy For Busy People mislabels that book as the second one in the series. See what I mean? It isn't anything too terrible.
Other pop culture references are parody Twitter handles and philosophy in movies. I don't have a Twitter, but the Game Grumps mentioned some parody Twitter handles, so I am familiar with some of them.
In any case, the book is four stars to me. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't mindblowing in any capacity. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
April 11, 2025
A good, easy to understand overview of different philosophies.
May 17, 2022
A good book for what it is, a brief and concise introduction to philosophy. I particularly enjoyed the sections on the philosophy of ethics and morality, religion and love. I will come back to it and use it as a guide to explore the ideas I found interesting in more depth.
February 1, 2022
Picked this book up randomly and started reading the intro which really intrigued me. I think it is a great beginner guide/ insight into Philosophy and does a good job in explaining its contents for a first-time reader of this subject matter.
August 9, 2024
it was a very well researched book and explained the different concepts and types of philosophy very well. would definitely recommend for anyone who is struggling to understand parts of philosophy and it's definitely a great place to start!!
December 19, 2022
The greatest strength of this book (to this reader, at least) lies in its organization. The author divides philosophy into eight areas: those relating to happiness, ethics and morality, science, politics and power, religion, language, love, and the future. Then he discusses the major figures in each area and their thoughts and teachings. Obviously, some philosophers appear again and again, there is not room in this basic overview for everyone who has made contributions to philosophy through the centuries, and the treatment of the various subjects is clear but restricted to the fundamentals. -- As has been the usual case of late, however, whenever I read a book on philosophy, I find much of it going over my head; in this book, I recognize that as my failure, not the author's. I found the sections on science and religion made the most sense to me, so perhaps those are the subjects with which I have a special affinity and should restrict future philosophical readings to them. -- However, I have no qualms about recommending this book -- with some enthusiasm -- to any reader interested in understanding the ideas and beliefs that underlie our civilization.
July 27, 2023
unserious review: this book made me realize that i am not built for tedious non-fiction
serious review: this book was intended as an introductory step for myself into philosophy, and it accomplished that task. i now grasp more general concepts and have an idea of what branch(es) of philosophy i'd like to go into next. that being said, and with full understanding of the nature of philosophical writing, WHYYYYYYY are the sentences five lines long. punctuation exists and should be used to make conversational writing more engaging
serious review: this book was intended as an introductory step for myself into philosophy, and it accomplished that task. i now grasp more general concepts and have an idea of what branch(es) of philosophy i'd like to go into next. that being said, and with full understanding of the nature of philosophical writing, WHYYYYYYY are the sentences five lines long. punctuation exists and should be used to make conversational writing more engaging
October 4, 2023
I think the book was really good for the basics of philosophy! Obviously philosophy is quite hard to understand and also explain in a short amount of words, but I think that this book managed to do it. Even though I don’t remember every key word or theory, but I think that just knowing the basics can help you in everyday life, (eq examining complex problems or just how you approach and deal with life issues). Also, I thought that the little boxes with fun facts about the philosophers were a nice addition as it gave the book more of a laid back read!
January 19, 2025
Stephen covers a variety of philosophical topics in this book ranging from science to love to religion, each providing a perfect place for spring-boarding off into various sectors of philosophy. Whilst a couple chapters weren't as interesting to me, mainly The Philosophy of Politics and The Philosophy of the Future, some were unexpectedly interesting to me, such as The Philosophy of Language and The Philosophy of Love. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am excited to explore the various sectors of philosophy that piqued my interest. A great read for introducing me to philosophy !
April 19, 2023
A really useful little summary of some of the main ideas within this subject, split off into their respective categories. I hadn't read about some of these philosophers and their ideas since college, so it was nice to refresh my memory of those key figures. Some resonate with me a lot, but like with all things, some of them I found baffling, and that's what makes philosophy interesting! It's supposed to be an ongoing discussion and sharing of ideas, with nobody knowing the true answers.
September 5, 2023
As someone who reacently took a break in my personal philosophy studies, only to discover I left knee-deep in Hegel, this book was the perfect step back, to re-introduce myself to philosophy in a clear, consice, and humourous 200 pages, with the future reconmendations, the first of which is already on my reading pile, this is a must for those who, dispite the title, want to chomp down on some enriching material.
August 23, 2022
A gem of a short introduction to different branches of philosophy. Incredibly accessible with poignant branch-off, further reading spanning a fantastic range of human history in little more than 200 pages. A great introduction for the casual reader and refresher for those more knowledgeable of the original philosophical texts.
August 26, 2022
I thought this was good! Yes it was a philosophy book, but i like that was he wrote, and it was all reasonably easy stuff to understand (despite being quite complex topics whilst i was on a plane with screaming kids). I didn’t love the language section, and the happiness and ethic/moral sections were my favourite but nonetheless i did like it!
August 22, 2023
After reading this I would probably recommend having some previous basic understanding of famous philosophies (I didn’t), but an interesting and concise account of various philosophical concepts. However, please don’t ask me about the philosophy of language because I understood about two paragraphs total of that chapter.
September 17, 2022
I assumed when it said for busy people it wouldn't be so brain taxing as I am mind busy meaning I need it to be simple, easy going. Use of big words and prior knowledge of subject just made this not fit for my purpose. Wasn't writen very coherent either jumping a bit, structure a little woolly.
March 3, 2023
A good enough introduction towards the types of philosophy present in the world but feels a little bit too shallow on certain topics. But as the title of the book suggests I feel that it’s concise enough for busy people to consume and start learning philosophy.
April 26, 2020
I think it is a good book for people who wants to start reading about Philosophy
February 15, 2022
I like philosophy, I'm a busy person, I enjoyed.
May 29, 2022
Section on love slaps
January 3, 2023
I could not get through the latter half of this book. It just wasn't for me as I found it too hard of a read.
August 13, 2023
If you are interested in philosophy this will introduce you to the key theories with enough detail so you understand the different approaches
December 6, 2023
Perfectly does what it promises. Gives a good idea of western philosophy. Good one for beginners and busy people!
March 7, 2024
Very nice quick short-read of of some of the most influential philosophical ideas. Nice introduction for further exploration of the topics mentioned.
July 25, 2024
good introduction
Easy to read. Was a going introduction. Would recommendit to someone who is curious about philosophy and does not want to be bogged down
Easy to read. Was a going introduction. Would recommendit to someone who is curious about philosophy and does not want to be bogged down
April 4, 2021
2021 #7
PHILOSOPHY for Busy People: Everything You Really Should Know
Alain Stephen
Who this book is for: Busy people who want to learn about philosophy, fast!
Why am I reading this book?: I am one of those busy people, and was looking for an introductory book to a subject which I have a lot of interest in, but little time to delve into.
What I like about the book: Easy to read. For a subject that can get confusing really fast, the author manages to keep it straight, yet clear in his explanation of the various philosophical schools of thought and inquiries.
What I don't like about the book: Was hoping the final chapter, on the Philosophy of the Future, to be more expansive. But I'm just nitpicking.
Will I read this again?: Definitely. An overall fun read.
Rating: 4/5
PHILOSOPHY for Busy People: Everything You Really Should Know
Alain Stephen
Who this book is for: Busy people who want to learn about philosophy, fast!
Why am I reading this book?: I am one of those busy people, and was looking for an introductory book to a subject which I have a lot of interest in, but little time to delve into.
What I like about the book: Easy to read. For a subject that can get confusing really fast, the author manages to keep it straight, yet clear in his explanation of the various philosophical schools of thought and inquiries.
What I don't like about the book: Was hoping the final chapter, on the Philosophy of the Future, to be more expansive. But I'm just nitpicking.
Will I read this again?: Definitely. An overall fun read.
Rating: 4/5
June 7, 2019
Alain Stephen's book, true to the title, is a real quick read. The book is a summary of the salient philosophies that have evolved over the years. It is divided based on themes. It highlights contributions of the most prominent philosophers to each theme. The writing has a formal tone and does not delve into the depths of each philosophical arguments.
I felt the book has an academic bend to it. Maybe the author meant to write an academic thesis spanning the subject. The book failed to deliver the messages in its entirety, specifically as it ignored the story or anecdotes that bring life to the philosophical arguments. In particular, the coverage on politics and language seemed superficial. I would expect a typical reader of this book to be busy to the extent that he may not have much of a background in philosophy. From that perspective, the ideas presented in these two chapters failed to register.
The author does a much better job at some of the other themes such as ethics, science and love. Here too, at times the writing is bereft of emotions, but the author effectively communicates the ideas, possibly as they are more palatable compared to those related to politics. What I liked the most about the book is the appendix in which the various 'isms' of philophy are defined in less abstract terms, forming a layman's reference.
http://thelearnersbreath.blogspot.com/
I felt the book has an academic bend to it. Maybe the author meant to write an academic thesis spanning the subject. The book failed to deliver the messages in its entirety, specifically as it ignored the story or anecdotes that bring life to the philosophical arguments. In particular, the coverage on politics and language seemed superficial. I would expect a typical reader of this book to be busy to the extent that he may not have much of a background in philosophy. From that perspective, the ideas presented in these two chapters failed to register.
The author does a much better job at some of the other themes such as ethics, science and love. Here too, at times the writing is bereft of emotions, but the author effectively communicates the ideas, possibly as they are more palatable compared to those related to politics. What I liked the most about the book is the appendix in which the various 'isms' of philophy are defined in less abstract terms, forming a layman's reference.
http://thelearnersbreath.blogspot.com/
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews