30-Second Philosophies: The 50 Most Thought-provoking Philosophies, Each Explained in Half a Minute

30 Saniyede Serisi

by Barry Loewer (Editor)

I Think Therefore I Am, Existentialism, Dialectical Materialism, The Socratic Method and Deconstruction? Sure, you know what they all mean. That is, you've certainly heard of them. But do you know enough about them to join a dinner party debate or dazzle the bar with your knowledge? 30-Second Philosophies takes a revolutionary approach to getting a grip on the 50 most significant schools of philosophy. The book challenges leading thinkers to quit fretting about the meaning of meaning for a while and explain the most complex philosophical ideas-using nothing more than two pages, 300 words, and a metaphorical image. Here, in one unique volume, you have the chance to pick the potted brains of our leading philosophers and understand complex concepts such as Kant's Categorical Imerpative without ending up in a darkened room with an ice pack on your head.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Reference, Science, History, Psychology, Ebooks

159 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need the full 60 seconds.

[Doug Newdick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be the single best introduction to the many different parts of philosophy that I have ever seen. These are single page introductions to all of the major philosophical positions that are clear, concise and yet convey the core of the idea in language that is simple enough for a lay-person to understand. If you are interested in what philosophy is about, but don't know where to start then this is the book for you. Others who have a grounding in philosophy will still find this an amusing book, and will perhaps be reminded of many things they have forgotten. All this and an attractive book that is cheap too!

[Luciano Bernaroli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Posso capire l’intento ma buttare random concetti di filosofia senza nemmeno il tentativo anche solo appena accennato di spiegazione è completamente fine a se stesso. Ottimo per ripassare prima di un esame o per la maturità ma per il resto non lo vedo bene nemmeno come opera di consultazione...

[Laura Guilbault · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of great philosophy in here. I put sticky notes on about 20 of them (ones that I liked the most). Very interesting point of views.

[Jeroen B · Rating 1 out of 5]

De opzet van dit boek is tweeledig. Enerzijds mensen warm maken voor filosofie en anderzijds een beknopt overzicht geven van de belangrijkste ideeën en stromingen uit de westerse filosofie.
Het boek doet nadien erg veel moeite om te falen in deze gestelde doelen.

De structuur is erg moeilijk en is thematisch gegroepeerd. Indien ze gefocust zijn op leken, dan zou dit boek gebaat zijn bij een chronologisch overzicht zodat ook duidelijk is dat er een continuïteit en dialoog is over de eeuwen heen. Nu is het een zo dooreenlopende verzameling van totaal onsamenhangende topics dat het voor een newbie volgens mij echt heel afschrikwekkend moet zijn.

In 30 seconden proberen ze een bepaalde stelling of these van een bekende filosoof uit de doeken te doen. Omdat ze slechts een beperkt aantal woorden ter beschikking hebben om het vaste tekstvak te vullen, kiezen de auteurs ervoor om de maatschappelijke context en het tijdsbestek in zijn geheel weg te laten en in de plaats grappig uit de hoek te proberen komen. Een verstaanbaar uitgangspunt, want wie meer te weten wil komen over filosofie is uiteraard uit op het alom tegenwoordig humoristische karakter van deze tak der wetenschap, waar diepgaande inzichten en zaken die tot nadenken dwingen best afgedaan worden met flauwe metaforen die de boel luchtig moeten houden. In dat opzicht is het boek zeker geslaagd, want het staat er vol van.

Op bepaalde pagina's besteden ze aandacht aan een willekeurig uitgekozen filosoof en diens levensloop. Een mini biografie eigenlijk, met een serie van belangrijke datums. Wat ontbreekt is enige opsomming van die persoon zijn belangrijkste inzichten of bijdragen aan de filosofie en wetenschap. Maar goed nu weten we wel wanneer die naar de slager ging.

Mijn moeder kocht dit boek voor zichzelf. De reden waarom, was dat ze een snelle basis filosofie hoopte op te doen om een beetje voeling te krijgen met haar zoon die te pas en te onpas "filosofenlingo" in een gesprek gooit of pas een discussie lijkt te willen beëindigen zodra iedereen al hun opvattingen en de zin van het leven in vraag hebben gesteld. Toffe gast die kerel. Maar heel lief dat mijn moeder dit voor mij wil doen. Helaas, het boek ga ik haar stellig afraden gezien het algehele verwarring en zelfs weerzin zou veroorzaken.
Anderzijds is dat mogelijk voor de meeste mensen wat filosofie voor hen betekent? In dat geval, a job well done. Wouldn't recommend for anyone willing to seriously invest in philosophy....

[Wei Ming · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dogshit explanations dnf

[Largo Vanderkelen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geweldig fascinerend.
Een echte aanrader voor eenieder die een eerste (voorzichtige) duik wil wagen in de filosofie of mensen die een bloemlezing willen van de mooiste en belangrijkste theorieën.

[Liam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dutch version. Translation left a lot to be desired. I understand that philosophy texts are unique in the specificity of its language used so they can most accurately convey its ideas. Perhaps I'm lacking in faculties, which is entirely possible, but I think something is lacking in the explanation if I've read the text 10 times and still don't understand what on earth some entries are trying to say. Of course, they also don't have a lot of space to work with. They could have used some parts of the other pages per entry - to elaborate, one page is dedicated to text, and the other is dedicated to pictures and photo collages to spice up the read. But it's put together nicely and it's ultimately not that deep due to what it is.

[Mohamed Hasn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading an introductory written by Barry Loewer (one my favourite contemporary philosophers) is such a pleasurable experience. It was like a date :D where one gets to know the author through not just his style, but also through what he choses to mention in the book and what he deliberately ignores. Also, the visuals are so vividly illustrated that I ended up cutting so many pages for decoration purposes :D

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beter dan ik had verwacht, vooral de paradoxen van Zeno vind ik interessant

[Daniel Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Wasi Rizvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This concise book acts like a menu for philosophical ideas. Complex ideas are explained in very simple and few words. It is my first of this series and by no means the last.

[Robin Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is fine. My brain cannot grasp any of these philosophies. What are they talking about and why? Who wants to make things so complicated? Exhausting. I quit after 28 pages.

[Cate's Book Nut Hut · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of a collection of 30-second books. This doesn’t mean it takes you 30 seconds to read the entire thing, now that would be silly, it means it takes several schools of philosophy and gives a base explanation in nothing more than two pages per school. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it’s one of those books I like to have lying around to dip in and out of at will; however, on my first read through I did start at the beginning at go through to the end.

The book and its contents are simple, straightforward and easy to understand, each being given a two page spread with about 300 words, some fun facts and an illustration that may, or may not relate to what you’ve just read. Various schools of thought are covered by dividing the book into seven chapters such as language and logic and religion to name but two, and this all ties together into a neat little package that is more an historical review than a guide to current thinking in this field.

I enjoyed this book, and other in the series, because they expand on my knowledge or actually give me ammunition when faced with a conversation on a subject I’ve not studied; and every reader needs to be well armed at the dinner party of today, all written in language that the lay-person can understand.

I would recommend this book to those readers who are looking for something educational, fun and interesting to read, and those readers looking for an introduction to philosophy.


Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/12/03...



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

[dv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Semplice, diretto, utile: piacevole guida ad alcuni temi filosofici, ottimo ripasso o scoperta di riflessioni, paradossi, spunti di pensiero.

[Codfather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm - this wasn't really for me. I didn't like the layout and idea of the book - but I pushed on as far as I could until I take it no more ;-)

Nigel Warburtons books are a far better bet to get some good information on Philosophy in my humble opinion.

It's not a bad book , I just didn't enjoy it.

[Wilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bite-sized chunks of philosophical concepts, each of which could fill a small bookshelf by itself! I enjoyed this book for several reasons. One, it gave me a way to consume a single principle of and/or contributor to philosophy a bit at a time. This is not without challenge, however. Obviously, it is impossible to fully convey the depth of any single concept of philosophy in a single page, or "30 seconds" as the book purports to do. However, given the majesty of these concepts, thinking about each in a small chunk is actually wise. By doing so, one can consider the deeper meanings, and decide to delve more deeply at a later time. On the extremely favorable side, the book also provided short biographies of several individuals who were (and are) seminal to any serious study of philosophy--such as Saint Thomas Aquinas, Nietzsche, Aristotle, Kant, Popper. These mini-biographical sketches contained an amazing amount of information to which I had previously not been exposed! To have actually thought I was "up on" some of these people, yet learn such interesting details about their lives is testament to the quality of this book. If you consider yourself a student of philosophy, you would benefit greatly from this book. If you are not yet a student of philosophy, you need to change your evil ways!

[Antoine JEAN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Très "américain" dans la forme : paraît surtout fait pour l'anecdote. Présente plutôt des paradoxes et illustrations d'éléments de réflexion de quelques philosophes, souvent sans aller jusqu'à présenter clairement leur thèse ou le sens de leurs œuvres. Manque de cohérence d'ensemble même si les anecdotes sont rassemblées par thématiques (la logique et notre compréhension du monde, la conscience, etc.).
Plus pour amuser et illustrer que donner des vraies clés ou portes d'entrées vers certains philosophes.


Ce que j'en retiens (2/50 qui m'ont vraiment enrichi / interessé...) :

- Nietzsche : "Dieu est mort" (notre société ne s'appuie plus sur la religion et ses valeurs) : perte de sens (nihilisme = absence de sens de l'existence). Sa proposition pour mettre en place de nouvelles valeurs : le Surhomme (Ubermensch / Superman), complètement libre et affranchi de toutes les attentes et contraintes de la société (mais donc aussi totalement égoïste et sans aucune considération pour les autres hommes)

- Sartre : l'humain est toujours totalement libre de ses actions. Mais cette responsabilité engendre une angoisse existentielle : la "mauvaise foi" est l'ensemble des stratagèmes qu'on trouve pour se dédouaner de cette liberté. Protégés par notre mauvaise foi, on est à la fois conscients et inconscients de cette liberté.

[Nguyễn Thanh Hằng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sách giải thích về 50 lý thuyết triết học có ảnh hưởng nhất của các triết gia Pháp, theo concept ngắn gọn và đại chúng trong mỗi trang, nên khá dễ đọc, dễ hiểu. Điểm cộng là có những trang giải thích từ vựng, thuật ngữ triết học trước mỗi phần, và cách viết cô đọng tóm tắt được những điểm nội dung cơ bản nhất của mỗi triết gia.

Điểm trừ là bố cục hơi rối, không chia theo tuyến niên đại, thời gian mà chia theo cách phân loại như: Các triết gia thông thái, Các triết gia theo thần học, Các triết gia theo chủ nghĩa nhân văn,… mà theo mình, cách chia này khá mơ hồ và có khi trùng lặp nhau giữa các lý thuyết, mang dấu ấn phân loại chủ quan của ban biên tập sách, dễ làm cho độc giả gắn các triết gia vào một khuôn khổ, trong khi tư tưởng của họ có thể đa dạng và được gắn với nhiều từ khoá khác.
Mình nghĩ các tiêu đề dành cho mỗi triết gia khá hợp lý, nhưng nên phân chia bố cục khác đi, và có thể kiểu cổ điển là theo tuyến thời gian sẽ hợp lý hơn, như thời Trung cổ, thời Ánh sáng,… vì mỗi nhà tư tưởng và triết thuyết của họ đều ít nhiều liên quan đến thời đại họ sống.

Nhìn chung, đây là sách đại chúng, nên ai biết tiếng Pháp và quan tâm triết học, nên đọc quyển này, thú vị và, dù hơi rối bố cục một chút, vẫn hữu ích và chất lượng về sự cô đọng, dễ đọc trong phần giải thích thông tin.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!

I was expecting this to be a pretty dry read (philosophers can come up with a fair share of ridiculous and pretentious beliefs, in my opinion), but 30-Second Philosophies wasn't dry at all!

Each segment was broken down into sections that were easy to understand and I loved the writing style with its peppered humor. The illustrations were also beautiful.

This book kept me interactively engaged and thinking; my copy is riddled with annotations. It almost made me want to become a philosopher.

Aquinas is an icon and Plato is bothersome.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in philosophy and anyone who thinks they wouldn't be interested in philosophy (essentially everyone).

Happy philosophizing!

[Elkaza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have read many philosophies books overtime, so know what I needed for a refresh in the field, and this book was not the one. It had a good forward and introduction. But, after that, I found that the layout and arrangement of the book by topics, may be confusing for those, starting off in the subject. Since, the book jumps from topic and theory, and only mentions a few of the most popular and famous philosopher’s overtime. Even, when on the back it states, this book will give the 50 most significant schools of philosophies.

Thus, I am not sure who is book is for, and how it may help a person.
Well, I am gland I got this from a second – hand shop, which was an ex-library book, that was only taken out 4 times since 2010. So, I guess that summaries the book, and my option upon it.

[Asmaå Slimani · Rating 3 out of 5]

ينقسم الكتاب إلى 50 موضوعًا فلسفيًا.

كل موضوع يتم شرحه في صفحة واحدة فقط، بحيث يقدم تعريفًا مختصرًا، مع توضيح الفكرة الأساسية وأهميتها.كما أنه
يحتوي على رسوم توضيحية ومخططات تجعل الأفكار أكثر وضوحًا.
يبدأ بالفلسفات القديمة مثل: الأفلاطونية، والأرسطية، والرواقية.ثم
ينتقل إلى فلسفات العصور الوسطى مثل: التوماوية والأوغسطينية
يغطي الفلسفات الحديثة والمعاصرة مثل: الوجودية، والبنيوية، وما بعد الحداثة.
ما يميز الكتاب هو أنه لكل فلسفة يتم عرضها بأسلوب موجز مع التركيز على فكرتها الأساسية دون الخوض في تعقيداتها كما
يتم تقديم معلومات إضافية عن السياق التاريخي والتطبيقات العملية لكل فلسفة.
الكتاب مناسب جدا لأولئك الذين لا يحبون المقالات والتعريفات المطولة ،فهو موجز وينصح به للمبتدئين تجنبا الملل
لكنه لا يقدم الشروحات الكافية رغم ذلك وقد يجده المبتدئ غريبا ومبهما في نفس الوقت

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The anthologic nature of this book lets it down. A book like this might usually be seen as an "everyman" guide. Some entries are written to this level. Some are not - these are much harder to work at.
Philosophy is like that. Some ideas are simple, and some are harder to work with. Some are, justifiably, asked whether their density is anything more than obfuscation.
But the result in this book is something strange - too bumpy a ride for the everyman and often too facile for the amateur.
Sad, because the format is really great - 30-second ideas, shorter summaries, and probing questions for longer contemplation are bundled into an attractive, repeating format.

[Robyn Ghafoor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ohh I really tried with this book and wanted to enjoy it but it was just too much for my limited brain capacity. I managed to finish it but there was a lot I skimmed over as it was just going over my head, although I think it is more of a coffee table book where you dip in and out. There was a couple of things that I took away from it and a few "lightbulb moments" but nothing substantial. I think this series is a really good concept to introduce people to subjects that they are not sure on and I will still try the rest in the series and hopefully get on a bit better with another subject matter.

[Oscar Lilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I nearly gave this two stars. For a handful of philosophies highlighted, a few were heavily editorialized. One I agreed with- Marxism, but although I agreed with the opinion of the author I thought it odd and out of place to make a personal declaration of support or antipathy for a particular philosophy. This 30 second book series is not for critiquing but rather introducing new concepts to the reader. Editorializing cheapens the purpose of the book series. With said I went with 3 stars because I love the format and I was introduced to new, thought-provoking ideas.

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I mentioned with other books in this series, 30 Second Philosophies is not an in-depth examination of a subject and is not meant to be. Instead, the book is supposed to introduce the ideas to allow you to hold your own at a party or gathering.

The book's organization goes by topic rather than chronology. We get write-ups on the paradox of the heap, I Think Therefore I am, Russell's Paradox, and so on. Finally, the book contains biographies of famous philosophers.

Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book gave a good overview of important philosophical topics and was easy to read. However, I felt like some of the topics were not adequately addressed, I also felt that because the topics are arranged by subject, and not time, you do not see the development of certain ideas as well. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a quick general overview of philosophical ideas.

[Ioan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not even an introduction, but a nice way to get some info about some philosophers and ideas, and to start some thinking. Reading a few pages a day (not all once) and you may jump-start your thinking, even if you "knew" more about that topic. Actually, it's better to know more about most subjects. I recommend it more to people who already have a general philosophy overview and a basic knowledge of the history of philosophy.

[WallofText · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and interesting book touching upon many aspects of philosophy, from theory to history. The visual elements are a bit much some times, but overall charming. Each topic gets one page, which varies in how well it manages to summarize the theory or historical information. I would not recommend this book to someone completely unfamiliar with the subject, but it might make a nice gift to someone interested in philosophy.

[Masha M · Rating 1 out of 5]

купила эту книгу, когда еще не знала, как подступиться к философии, но чувствовала, что нужно.
сначала было скучно, я списала на недостаточность знаний и непонятность и отложила до лучших времен. прошло лет 7, философию я так и не знаю, но уже гораздо лучше представляю себе основные теории, оказалась, что книга в принципе скучная.
всю прелесть теорий не раскрыть за 30 секунд и многие можно коротко описать, но в таком плотном изложении в стиле картотеки вся затея теряет смысл.