Filosofie: 100 Essentiële Denkers

by Philip Stokes, Joost Zwart (Vertaler)

An excellent guide through a complex and fascinating world of ideas that is sure to provoke further investigation.

Knowledge and the sudden experience of understanding can be as thrilling as the solution to any puzzle or riddle, since knowledge always resolves a mystery-that of not knowing. Most people are familiar with the names Plato, Machiavelli, Spinoza, and Simone de Beauvoir, but remain unsure of their significance. Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers provides succinct descriptions of the essential thought of one hundred major philosophers, including some who are not seen primarily as philosophers, such as Darwin, Freud, and Einstein. Presenting biographical details, quotations, and clear explanations, Philosophy serves as a thorough and accessible introduction to the Western intellectual tradition, covering philosophical, scientific, political, and religious thought over a period of 2,500 years.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Biography, Science, Collections

218 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jana Light · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really enjoyable book to read, and a great mini-encyclopedia for the intellectuals included. Stokes doesn't stick to philosophy alone, but includes folks who, while not philosophers proper, helped the Western world know or understand reality better. (Einstein, Newton, some theologians, etc.) Stokes gives a 2-page summary of each philosopher, including what they are most known for, their major works, and their contribution to the history of thought. He organizes by focus rather than strict timeline, which I found helpful in situating each person contextually.

As with any list, Stokes makes some controversial choices of who to include (and who not to include). It's worth emphasizing that I understand Stokes is not claiming that the folks he chose are the only 100 essential thinkers; only that these are some of the essential thinkers in history of thought. This gives him some leeway, so I don't want to be too critical, but here are some things I would have liked clarified or included considering the overall approach of the book.

1. The title. This would better be titled "Western Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers." It's a solid list of many influential Western thinkers, but very notably neglects the whole history of rich, complex, searching Eastern thought.
2. Diversity. Quite a dearth of diversity in the types of thinkers included. Very few women, and some significant philosophical movements neglected.
3. Obvious topical favoritism. His bias for linguistics was so, so, so obvious, in two ways. One, Stokes lists several "essential" thinkers that I had never even heard of. Now, I am no encyclopedia of philosophic thought, but I have at least heard of most folks. Some folks he included were not at all what I would term "essential." Two, whereas he does a great job of clearly and concisely explaining the complex theories of other philosophers, his explanations of the philosophers in the linguistic section were dang near unreadable. Such a fascinating example of getting to a point where we know a lot more than the average person and understand the ideas more deeply than most, but haven't yet gotten back to that point where we can explain the complexities clearly and simply. Knowledge and explanatory power have a weird bell-curve trajectory in that way.

All my quibbles aside, it really is a great book for what it contains, and I will be referencing it frequently when I come across a philosopher I haven't read closely, or when I need to find a philosopher who did groundbreaking work in linguistics. (Oddly enough, this already came up in my life this week, so perhaps Stokes has his thumb on the pulse of what counts as "essential" more than I do.)

One last note. This is a book best read in bits, not all at once or in large chunks. To read in large chunks risks losing some of the great information and letting folks kind of "run together" in your mind; especially those you haven't heard of. But it is perfect for small moments, like at the doctor's office, at night before falling asleep, or (as my friend so delightfully pointed out) the bathroom. Ahem.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this like 14 years ago when I thought you needed to know about philosophy to be a well rounded and intelligent person and can I just say as a well rounded and intelligent person, 14 years later, that you don't need to know a thing about philosophy bc literally none of it matters. It has absolutely no bearing on any aspect of your life whatsoever. Just be nice to people. That's the only philosophy you need. My life was not enhanced by reading this book beyond the sense of accomplishment I feel for finishing something I've had on my shelf for so long.

[A.J. McMahon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The basic premise of this book is to select 100 thinkers of all time and present their ideas by giving three or four pages to each. There are two problems with this idea. The first is how to select the thinkers in question. Admittedly, this sounds straightaway like a recipe for a very long argument, preferably with a glass or two of wine to quench the thirst which might well accompany such a debate. To my mind, for example, Philip Stokes bizarrely omits the incomparable Nicholas of Cusa while including a pointless nutter like Moritz Schlick, and this would be only the first of my many objections to his selection. The second problem has to do with the difficulties of any one person summarising the ideas of the thinkers in question in the aforementioned three or four pages. This might well be a task beyond the powers of any scholar living or dead or yet to be born. Encyclopaedias usually get around this problem by giving each separate summary to a particular expert in the field, thus dividing the labour. In the daunting circumstances in which Stokes was placed, his only strategy to write a book worth reading (in mine own humble opinion) would have been to just write something totally idiosyncratic, a kind of blogging riff on the eternal themes of philosophy in the spirit of Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, but instead he makes the fatal error of trying to write something conventional.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, sometimes this guy doesn't know what he's talking about, but that's sort of okay, because he keeps it short. These are just two page summaries so there's always going to be some compression artifacts. Almost all of the time I have no idea that he is talking nonsense, but very occasionally he strays into an area I vaguely know something about, and then it shows up like fingerprints under those UV lamps. Okay, this happened once. I had to check too, but that's not the issue here. There are also just two women in his 100 Essential Thinkers which I've calculated to mean 98% of them are male, and this is precisely what made a female houseguest turn from idly browsing through my bookshelf to clawing at the pages and speaking anathema at some volume. He keeps things to headlines and easy-to-recall grabs,so recently when I learned that Hegel wasn't really as much into the thesis-antithesis-synthesis thing as I'd thought (one of they few Hegelian facts I have), that was really disappointing, but then I read this book and that says exactly what he was into, and suddenly I can talk like I know Hegel again - right up until I run into someone who actually does, that is.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well organized and fairly concise reference guide to some very big Western thinkers. I appreciated the grouping of thinkers into schools of thought, their portraits (always helpful to put faces to names), and the author's ability to show the progression of ideas throughout the millenia and tie it all together with plenty of cross-references and a helpful (for other neophytes) glossary.

However, I admit that much of the latter 20th century sections had me struggling (particularly "The Linguistic Turn"), but I don't know if I can fault the author for this. These concepts might just be too dense to try to adequately unpack and explain in one page.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great Intro to Philosophers book. Each philosopher is discussed for about two pages, which is just enough time to lay out who they were and why they were important. The writing was easy enough for someone who knows nothing about philosophy (::cough:: me ::cough::) to understand without being overwhelmed. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to dip their toe into philosophy.

**I received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

[carys · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay honestly I read like 60% of this obsessively in a lot of depth and then put it down for a bit and then tried again but gave up bc some felt so repetitive and stuff but yeah it’s a good beginners book on philosophy and includes all the dates and stuff they were around and puts them in categories so yes I did a good learning from this book 👍🏼 and will be good to reference w !

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where's Hannah Arendt, though?

[Burak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously, many great thinkers are missing. For many that is not, Stokes lucidly highlights their core contribution to thought in two pages or less. For others who have too many core contributions or none that is easily describable, the book doesn't do so well. This is expected from this book and is easily forgiven. If you are after a better understanding of Descartes, Heidegger or Hegel, then do not read this book. If you are after a fun review of History of Phil 101, you will love it.

[Terese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good summary of thehistory of philosophical thoughts. Though the texts are more or less brief introductions to the individuals it is pretty much what is expected and required from a book with this layout.

Though most of the material was familiar I was pleased with finding pragmatists and a few of the linguistics I had never heard about and will now look into further.

This book is excellent to give you an overview in order to decide where your interest lies and where you want to read deeper into the subject.

[Ray Haleblian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Target Audience: An interesting survey for the layperson such as myself.

Content: The policy of allocating equal space for each figure makes for a kind of eclecticism. The overwhelming focus of discussion is linguistic questions. Philosophy of science takes a distant second.

Form: Some portions of the text were grammatically loose; one wonders if this was by design or whether there were editorial lapses.

Read this in conjunction with "Just the Arguments", which does not delve into biography.

[Tash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the well done overview of philosophy through history. Although I did find that the descriptions of each philosopher very short and filled with too much contextual information.

Good beginning point to start your own philosophical thoughts and find philosophers for further reading!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I teach a philosophy unit in my Advanced Placement class and I am always looking for "new" philosophers to enter into the conversation. It's a great resource for classroom teachers and for curious students who want to know more!

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good premise, but there’s far too little space for each thinker to give their idea’s the attention they deserve. 100 is simply too large a number for one book.

[James Hecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers" is a comprehensive guide that provides an insightful introduction to the major figures in Western philosophy. The book, authored by Philip Stokes, offers a brief but clear summary of each thinker's biography, thinking, and writings, spanning from ancient to contemporary times.
The book is organized chronologically, beginning with pre-Socratic philosophers such as Thales and Heraclitus and moving through the classical period with Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It covers the medieval period with thinkers like Augustine and Aquinas, and progresses through the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and modern era, featuring Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and others. The journey culminates with contemporary philosophers, including Foucault, Derrida, Habermas and even Einstein.
Each philosopher is given a dedicated entry that includes a brief biography, an overview of their major ideas, and a summary of their most significant works. The entries are supplemented with quotes, historical context, and explanations of ideas that they introduced or developed. This structure makes the book accessible to readers who may be new to philosophy while also serving as a useful reference for those with more background in the subject.
Stokes' writing is clear and accessible, making complex philosophical ideas understandable for a broad audience. Each entry is concise yet informative, providing just enough detail to grasp the essence of each thinker's contributions.
The book covers a vast range of philosophers, offering a well-rounded view of the development of Western philosophy. This breadth allows readers to see the progression of philosophical thought and how different ideas influence one another.
The chronological organization and the inclusion of quotes and contextual information make the book easy to read through in sequence or to dip into when looking for information on a specific philosopher.
By its nature, the book’s format and scope, the entries are necessarily brief. Readers looking for in-depth analysis or extensive coverage of any one philosopher will need to look elsewhere. The book serves more as an introduction or a quick reference.
This book primarily focuses on Western philosophers, with little to no coverage of Eastern philosophy. This limitation means readers will not get a comprehensive global view of philosophical thought.
In attempting to make complex ideas accessible, there is a risk of oversimplifying certain philosophical concepts. Advanced readers might find some of the summaries lacking in nuance.
"Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers" is an excellent resource for anyone looking to get an overview of the major figures in Western philosophy. Its clarity, organization, and breadth make it a valuable introduction for beginners and a handy reference

[Arianne X · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Philosophical Problem of Multiple-Realizeability

As with any project of this type, it suffers from the philosophical problem of multiple-realizeability. There can of course be more than one collection of 100 essential thinkers with each list being no less correct, or no more incorrect, than the next possible alternative list.

No single book on the history of philosophy will be completely adequate or up to the task of providing a comprehensive historical narrative or philosophical overview. This book is light on philosophy which should come as no surprise given the scope of the project and length of the text.
However, this book can serve as an introduction and provide some historical context to the philosophers presented.

There are many other histories of philosophy, in addition to the actual works of the philosophers themselves that should be read to widen one’s perspective on the subject as well as deepen one’s insight into the history and interconnectedness of many profound philosophical ideas as well as deep philosophical errors.

Philosophy, as a discipline, is unique in that by studying the history of philosophy we are doing philosophy. Here are some additional secondary readings for consideration. This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list.

‘The Western Intellectual Tradition’ by Jacob Bronowski
‘The History of Western Philosophy’ by Bertrand Russell
‘The Story of Philosophy’ by Will Durant
‘A History of Western Philosophy’ (5 Volumes) by W.T. Jones
‘A History of Philosophy’ (11 Volumes) by Frederick Copleston

There is also a multivolume Philosophy in 90 Minutes series by Paul Strathern which is series of short books about many of the essential thinks of the Western Tradition. This series is light in terms philosophical exposition but highly readable and a good source for historical context and personal stories.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers by Philip Stokes is a pocket reference of philosophers in general terms. Stokes is British-born Thai philosopher. He completed his BA in philosophy in 1993 at the University of Reading, and his MA in philosophy in 1995 at University of Bristol, both in the United Kingdom. In 2011, Stokes was teaching English language and critical thinking skills at Thai University.

This is a handy guide for those looking for a philosopher to study up on or perhaps refresh your memory. If you can't remember where Engels, Marx, and Lenin differed in ideology this book can help. Again it is all in simple terms and by no means complete. Thomas Aquinas is covered, but no mention of his Just War Theory. Each philosopher gets between one and three pages so much is left out. However, the number of philosophers covered makes up for the quantity of information. It essentially covers Thales of Miletus to Noam Chomsky. The coverage of the different schools of philosophy, overall, is well done.

Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers does a fine job of completing what it sets out to do. It is an excellent quick reference. It also provides a map to the history philosophy allowing the reader to search his or her own interest. Stokes also creates starting points for the reader to expand on with additional works. In the Kindle edition, there are also quick links in the text that allow the reader to follow concepts shared between or expanded upon by other philosophers.

[Mark Gowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a student of philosophy and have taught philosophy for eight years. Mr. Stokes does and excellent job of presenting classic philosophical thinkers in temporal order. Each philosopher's ideas are presented clearly and concisely without pretense and with precision without the technical terminology that often sends most interested readers running.

Philosophy is infamously difficult, but Mr. Stokes eases the pain of this most important endeavor by giving the reader a chance to peruse grand ideas without spending time trying to decipher philosophical nonsense. The language is of utmost importance if one is to truly come to terms with these most important ideas, but for the beginner there is no better book.

I would consider using this book in an Introduction to Philosophy course taken from an either historical or analytical point of view. Both analytical and continental philosophers are included and for good reason as the philosophical path has past through both lens.

This is a great book for a "philosopher a day" read as each philosopher is given no more than a few pages allowing for interesting ideas to be followed in other readings and less interesting philosophers to be introduced without wasting time trying to decipher jargon and unintelligible ideas.

Pick it up and make it your daily morning read!

[Husain Necklace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophy: 100 Esstential Thinkers by Philip Stokes is a delight for any student of philosophy or for those who like to spend their time reading intellectualy stimulating books. The book does a fantastic job of combining philosophical thoughts of major philosophers throughout the ages of philosophy into one single, handy copy. The chapters are arranged according to the progress of philosophy throughout the centuries and each philosopher has entitled enough pages in order to discuss their lives and works.

What I appreciate the most about this book is that the author does not overly-complicate the thoughts enumerated in the book by further adding overly-complicated language. Instead, he uses simple language in order to explain complicated concepts and ideas so that even a layman would be capable of fathoming what’s tucked within the pages of this book. Unlike other books about philosophy, one can actually understand this book in a single read without having to re-read it several times due to its convoluted use of language.

Moreover, the book can also be treated as a textbook for those who would like to actually study philosophy. In fact, I would suggest any student of philosophy or those who would like to initiate themselves into the subject to pick up this book and devour it without wasting any more time!

All in all, I would recommend this book to everyone. There is something of value underlying within the pages of this book for everyone. You are sure to leave being more enlightened after reading this book than when you first entered.

[Miguel Mariano · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping to feel enlightened after reading this book, but it's presented in such a frustrating format that I quickly became numb to the words I was reading. The extended title says "ideas that have shaped our world" but the selected 100 essential thinkers have only primarily influenced the western world, with a huge absence and lack of representation of eastern philosophy.
Each of the highlighted essential thinkers are given the exact same amount of real estate, 2-3 pages, to summarize their beliefs. Too much time is spent on the background or upbringing of a highlighted person (who sometimes isn't even a philosopher but someone with important historical discovery) that not enough time is spent to succinctly describe their key philosophical idea.
This book may act as sufficient cliff notes for people that already have significant knowledge on the subject, but for someone like me, this doesn't give enough insight on each person's ideas nor enough recognition for the most important philosophers.

[Edwin Setiadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The big picture on the development of philosophy

In its most basic function, philosophy is essentially a battle of ideas. With that in mind, this book neatly spotted some of history's best philosophers in a cronological order, and gives us the big picture on the battle of ideas.

Out of the 100 in the book we find the usual bunch of philosophers such as Plato, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Descartes, mixed it with those who develop their philosophy from their vocation like Darwin, Keynes, Lenin, Einstein, and Freud, with a lot of important - but relatively unknown to the general public - thinkers such as Ernst Mach, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Michel Foucault also arguing their theories.

The book explains the ideas of each philosopher in a concise manner, explains how or why they think like that and what happened in their lives that eventually shaped those ideas, and also highlighted who influences whom and who despises whom.

More interestingly, the book brilliantly construct the battle of ideas in such a way that as if the philosophers were all having a passionate debate in the same room.

Just as it were in real life, the arguments are messy, sometimes illogical, but ultimately vital to the development of philosophical thoughts into what we all believe in today's society.

[Tunde Ajao]

As in all things in philosophy it took long time and it again and again to even understand what was going on. This is a wonderful book that gives a summary of philosophical thinking in the West. It trys to give a brief history from the Greeks to the present day. Philip Stokes's "Philosophy 100 essential thinkers - the ideas that have shaped our world", from ancient times to present, and Nigel Warburton's. This gives a brief similarly of how the west thinks, and it divides them in groups Presocratics, Eleatics, Academics, Atomists , Cynics, Stoics, Sceptics, Neoplatonists, Christians, Scholastics, Age of Science, Rationalists, Empiricists, Idealists, Liberals, Evolutionists, Pragmatists, Materialists, Existentialists, Linguistic Turn, Postmodernists, and New Scientists. Very interesting and they are all over the place and subtle. Like the concept of reality in the films like the Matrix everything is like a dream to a totalitarianism in 1984

[Nicole Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, there is bias in who he chose (which I understand is inevitable), but this has been addressed in other reviews worth checking out.

The only other thing I want to mention is his comments about some early philosophers influencing basic tenets in Christianity. It's true and I agree that Christian thought reflects ideologies of philosophers throughout history, but many of the KEY theological principles in Christianity is based in Judaism, not just Western/European figures... (Edit: Like I'm sorry, but the idea that 'man was created in God's image' was around since Bereishis/Genesis, before Plato's 'form of man'...)
I think many people assume Christianity is only Western, but forget it wouldn't have existed without Judaism... Many of the beliefs the author credited to specific philosophers didn't quite sit right with me when they're believed to have been around much longer...

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential Philosophers in your pocket at your disposal

Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers organized different schools of philosophy with about 4-5 of the main philosophers in that school with a 2-4 page summary of each individual philosopher. Although religious philosophers and many eastern philosophers are not included, the fundamental philosophers to know about, mostly from the west but not exclusively, are included.

A great introduction to learn about those who influenced how we approach the modern world. From Plato to Freud to Einstein, there’s a little something on everything.

Read time: 3-4 hours

[Collins Hinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say, I didn't particularly enjoy the book probably because I'm not much of a Philosophy fan. Nevertheless, the book is a good introduction to Philosophy and the thinkers who have spearheaded its development over the centuries. It serves as some sort of a foundation on which to build your philosophical knowledge. Only read this book if you either just want to scratch your philosophical itch or you want to delve deeper into the discipline with this book's purpose being to lay the groundwork.

[Robert Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informative and organized overview

I found this book to be really helpful in understanding the "who's who" of philosophy. I like how there was a brief overview of the different schools of thought and how they interact with each other. My only quibble is that at times the would inject his own observations and ideas (which he of course has the prerogative to do) which could be distracting from getting an objective look at certain philosophers. Otherwise I found this book informative

[Nattapon Chotsisuparat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers-Philip Stokes

Philip Stokes' Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers is a great beginner's guide to philosophy. It starts with ancient thinkers like Thales and Xenophanes, and goes all the way to modern ones like Einstein and Popper. The book is about 380 pages long, so each philosopher gets around 3-4 pages. It might seem short, but the author does a good job of explaining the main ideas and telling us about the philosophers' lives. Almost all of my favorite thinkers are in this book, and I really like it.

9/10

[Bryant Blair · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should have known when reading the title and glancing at the length of the book that it would never get past the surface level. This book was a disappointment for me and never got deep enough for me to really think hard about any one philosopher or philosophy. Essentially it was just the Wikipedia heading for 100 different philosophers, sprinkled with the authors commentary and unmasked bias for his favorites.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

FAR too big of a task to summarise each "great thinker" in 2-4 pages, it left the thinkers cheapened by their individual short summary.

I used great thinkers instead of philosophers as the back end of the book meandered into that very thing ( A more fitting title should have just been 100 great thinkers).

Would not suggest it to anyone.

The author does generally come across as passionate about the ranged topic.

[Marina Oppenheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Summary of Western Philosophy

100 Essential Thinkers is a very good summary of the history of Western Philosophy. The author has cleverly summarized the basic theories of the most important philosophers which makes the book an excellent reference. The style is simple and ideas are perfectly well understood.