Raamat on täidetud filosoofiliste keerdkäikudega, mis on vaevanud ajaloo helgeimaid päid; küsimustega, mis paljastavad meie mõttemaailma vastuolulisust; lahendamatute loogiliste paradoksidega ning moraalsete dilemmadega, mis sunnivad meid võtma vastutust oma uskumuste eest.
«See ei ole raamat» pakub nauditavat vaimset treeningut. Raamat on jagatud vastavalt filosoofia põhisuundadele neljaks osaks. Iga osa annab ülevaate ühest filosoofia harust ning kirjeldab filosoofe, kelle töö on oluliselt mõjutanud meie arusaamist nendest asjadest. Kaasamõtlemiseks on lisatud nuputamisülesandeid, mänge, harjutusi ja mõtteeksperimente, kus lugejal palutakse omaks võtta üks või teine seisukoht ning vaadata, kuhu see lõpuks välja viib. Läbi terve raamatu on filosoofia vahendeid rakendatud igapäevastele olukordadele – kuid igapäevaelu ei näi enam kunagi argine.
This is not a book, which, incidentally, actually is a book, is designed to get you thinking. Written by Michael Picard, it is an approachable and easy introduction to so-called ‘popular’ philosophy.
The book is broken down into four main chapters, epistemology (philosophy of knowledge), ethics and morality, metaphysics and spirituality, and logic and infinity. Each chapter outlines the main schools of thought within the particular field and gives a brief introduction to some of the main philosophers associated with the topic. Along the way it has little exercises, puzzles and little bits of trivia to get you thinking. The writing style is easy to read and, compared to some philosophy books, very understandable. The level of information given is just right for the casual reader, although you could hardly reference this in a philosophy essay.
Never having had much interest in or patience for philosophy I was not sure what to expect when reviewing this book. I can’t say I found it hugely interesting, somehow I don’t think philosophy will ever do it for me, but I did find it understandable. In particular, the chapter on metaphysics and spirituality was quite a good read, definitely the best part of the whole book.
All in all, I think the book was quite good. I’m not sure that I philosophy student would necessarily agree with me, but as complete beginner to the topic, I found the book very informative. This is the sort of little book that is great on the coffee table; the kind you can pick up and read a bit of whenever you fancy. It would make a great birthday or Christmas present for the slightly-philosophically minded, but I’d steer clear of giving it to sceptics.
Another interesting overview of philosophy. Some books include some things that others do not, so, always a gem to find amidst the dross. Felt a bit dubious about some inclusions such as Noam Chomsky and Peter Singer, but then the more that I know I know nothing much about them, the more my curiosity is piqued. Found the coverage of Buddhism to be superficial and 'pop', but then I guess that can be forgiven for book subtitled Adventures in Popular Philosophy. My favourite part was the overview of Logic, which has always seemed impenetrable to me. Maybe the cumulative effect of multiple introductions is finally starting to get the basic principles through my thick skull, or maybe, to give Michael Picard some credit - he did explain Logic basics quite well.
My only complaint is that the font was too small, hard to read and the paper was rough textured and some of it quite dark, which made me feel like an old man, squinting to read, unless in bright daylight.
This book is a good introduction to philosophy with concise explanations of somewhat complex principles. This book is less of a meal for your brain and more of an appetizer, which I found was actually refreshing. It left me the opportunity to think about the principles after I was done reading without force feeding an agenda down my throat (which I find is quite prevalent in this genre).
Overall, a good casual read that is easy to pick up and put down without missing anything and while the book certainly flows from start to finish it is not restrictively linear. Grab this book and allow your brain to nibble.
This (non) book will help you sort through your dilemmas, understand how you got them, know what to do with them and put impressive titles on them. If you don't believe in something, you could fall for anything. So, go ahead, sit down and have a good think. Be sure to sit by a strong reading lamp, as the somber-toned pages don't allow much contrast with the ink.
This is a good introduction to philosophy for people who have no knowledge whatesover of philosophy. It allows people to get a hold of the popular sects of philosophy, from logic, to epistemology, etc. However, anybody who's taken any sort of course, or has already delved in to the field need not read the book, as it really only does cover rudimentary philosophy.
Probably wouldn't have bought this book if it wasn't on major bargin sale in Borders. Its interesting as a cursory read on pop psychology - but there are many other books out there that are more well done and insightful than this. It seems they tried to fit too much information into one book.
A nice book for those that prefer to read a bit of philosophy using exercises and little case studies. The books becomes quite difficult in the end when it touches logics and mathematics.