A Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy

by Michael F. Patton

Genres: Philosophy

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun introduction to philosophy and famous philosophers cleverly depicted through cartoons; also an entertaining review for those who want to brush up on philosophy.

[Emily Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good for what it was. Obviously they didn't have time to dive deep but it was a nice way to survey the major philosophers and topics of philosophy all the way from Socrates to Chalmers. I like how it wasn't timeline based but rather revolved around those themes (logic, mind, free will, God, ethics). The ending however was disappointing. Not only did Ethics get the shortest chapter (ironic too considering the author held that this was the most important topic of philosophy) but they really don't give a well rounded view of virtue ethics which was disappointing. In fact, earlier in the book they opted to use Aristotle solely to introduce Logic, which is fine, but they ignored his metaphysics all together opting for the modern emphasis on doubt. Their biggest mistake though was giving the last word to Nietzsche who rejects morality in essence undoing the merits of the entire work. That being said I still have to admit it was cute and fun and I learned a lot. So over all I'd say it was good but not great.

[Marina Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one of the better cartoon philosophy books! I like how they chose not to be too strict about which philosophers to choose and instead based the book around the IDEAS which is what we REALLY want to know about! I also like how all the philosophers could talk to each other and call each other stupid because that's how it feels to be studying their works :D Still disappointed in how all these cartoon philosophy books like choose to not bring up m/any female philosophers (because they're not "canon", b/c they "haven't contributed as much" etc.), especially when they choose to bring up Freud. Super lazy IMO, but I think if you have no idea who these people are or you just really like philosophy this is definitely one of the better (cartoon) introductions to the subject!

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun depiction of philosophers and their most famous contributions. The drawings were clever and entertaining. 5 stars for three illustrator. However, the author’s content wasn’t very objective when it presented the different philosophers and actually made fun of a few. For a philosophy book, it’s not very open-minded or free of bias. I was hoping to get a little less of the author’s opinions and cynicism in the narrative.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! Philosophy as a winding river; Heraclitus as your guide, stopping along the way to talk to Socrates, Plato, Kant, Aristotle...and then off you go to hear contradicting arguments! This was a very fun book to read - lots of facts mixed with just the right amount of humor - makes this book a really neat way to 'get your feet wet' (sorry Heraclitus) in philosophy!

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one day! Very good and swift telling of philosophy. It was funny and I loved the graphics. My only critique would be often the more religious philosophers had their work more picked apart than the non-religious philosophers. But, by nature faith is often questioned. I am religious and still got a lot out of it.

[Shelby Stafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good and palatable introduction to the main theories of philosophy. I enjoyed the art style as well, and the background story really helped the ideas flow. My only qualm is the lack of female philosophers, which I believe another reviewer mentioned. Yes, it may not be "canonical" which is the excuse of the author, but we all know that women's work is often stolen without credit, which would be interesting to hear about as it sounds like it happens in philosophy too.