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A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy
Readers eager to acquire a basic familiarity with the history of philosophy but intimidated by the task will find in A Passion for Wisdom a lively, accessible, and highly enjoyable tour of the world's great ideas. Here, Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins tell the story of philosophy's development with great clarity and refreshing wit.
The authors begin with the most ancient religious beliefs of the east and west and bring us right up to the feminist and multicultural philosophies of the present. Along the way, they highlight major philosophers, from Plato and the Buddha to William James and Simone de Beauvoir, and explore major categories, from metaphysics and ethics to politics and logic. The book is enlivened as well by telling anecdotes and sparkling quotations. Among many memorable observations, we're treated to Thomas Hobbes' assessment that life is "nasty, brutish, and short" and Hegel's description of Napoleon as "world history on horseback." Engaging, comprehensive, and delightfully written, A Passion for Wisdom is a splendid introduction to an intellectual tradition that reaches back over three thousand years.
The authors begin with the most ancient religious beliefs of the east and west and bring us right up to the feminist and multicultural philosophies of the present. Along the way, they highlight major philosophers, from Plato and the Buddha to William James and Simone de Beauvoir, and explore major categories, from metaphysics and ethics to politics and logic. The book is enlivened as well by telling anecdotes and sparkling quotations. Among many memorable observations, we're treated to Thomas Hobbes' assessment that life is "nasty, brutish, and short" and Hegel's description of Napoleon as "world history on horseback." Engaging, comprehensive, and delightfully written, A Passion for Wisdom is a splendid introduction to an intellectual tradition that reaches back over three thousand years.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
11 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Robert C. Solomon
124 books173 followersRobert C. Solomon (September 14, 1942 – January 2, 2007) was a professor of continental philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Solomon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, and his mother an artist. After earning a B.A. (1963) at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to the University of Michigan to study medicine, switching to philosophy for an M.A. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967).
He held several teaching positions at such schools as Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1972 until his death, except for two years at the University of California at Riverside in the mid-1980s, he taught at University of Texas at Austin, serving as Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business. He was a member of the University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Solomon was also a member of the inaugural class of Academic Advisors at the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
His interests were in 19th-century German philosophy--especially Hegel and Nietzsche--and 20th-century Continental philosophy--especially Sartre and phenomenology, as well as ethics and the philosophy of emotions. Solomon published more than 40 books on philosophy, and was also a published songwriter. He made a cameo appearance in Richard Linklater's film Waking Life (2001), where he discussed the continuing relevance of existentialism in a postmodern world. He developed a cognitivist theory of the emotions, according to which emotions, like beliefs, were susceptible to rational appraisal and revision. Solomon was particularly interested in the idea of "love," arguing against the notion that romantic love is an inherent state of being, and maintaining, instead, that it is instead a construct of Western culture, popularized and propagated in such a way that it has achieved the status of a universal in the eyes of many. Love for Solomon is not a universal, static quality, but an emotion, subject to the same vicissitudes as other emotions like anger or sadness.
Solomon received numerous teaching awards at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a frequent lecturer in the highly regarded Plan II Honors Program. Solomon was known for his lectures on Nietzsche and other Existentialist philosophers. Solomon described in one lecture a very personal experience he had while a medical student at the University of Michigan. He recounted how he stumbled as if by chance into a crowded lecture hall. He was rather unhappy in his medical studies at the time, and was perhaps seeking something different that day. He got precisely that. The professor, Frithjof Bergmann, was lecturing that day on something that Solomon had not yet been acquainted with. The professor spoke of how Nietzsche's idea asks the fundamental question: "If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
Solomon died on January 2, 2007 at Zurich airport. His wife, philosopher Kathleen Higgins, with whom he co-authored several of his books, is Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Solomon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, and his mother an artist. After earning a B.A. (1963) at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to the University of Michigan to study medicine, switching to philosophy for an M.A. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967).
He held several teaching positions at such schools as Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1972 until his death, except for two years at the University of California at Riverside in the mid-1980s, he taught at University of Texas at Austin, serving as Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business. He was a member of the University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Solomon was also a member of the inaugural class of Academic Advisors at the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
His interests were in 19th-century German philosophy--especially Hegel and Nietzsche--and 20th-century Continental philosophy--especially Sartre and phenomenology, as well as ethics and the philosophy of emotions. Solomon published more than 40 books on philosophy, and was also a published songwriter. He made a cameo appearance in Richard Linklater's film Waking Life (2001), where he discussed the continuing relevance of existentialism in a postmodern world. He developed a cognitivist theory of the emotions, according to which emotions, like beliefs, were susceptible to rational appraisal and revision. Solomon was particularly interested in the idea of "love," arguing against the notion that romantic love is an inherent state of being, and maintaining, instead, that it is instead a construct of Western culture, popularized and propagated in such a way that it has achieved the status of a universal in the eyes of many. Love for Solomon is not a universal, static quality, but an emotion, subject to the same vicissitudes as other emotions like anger or sadness.
Solomon received numerous teaching awards at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a frequent lecturer in the highly regarded Plan II Honors Program. Solomon was known for his lectures on Nietzsche and other Existentialist philosophers. Solomon described in one lecture a very personal experience he had while a medical student at the University of Michigan. He recounted how he stumbled as if by chance into a crowded lecture hall. He was rather unhappy in his medical studies at the time, and was perhaps seeking something different that day. He got precisely that. The professor, Frithjof Bergmann, was lecturing that day on something that Solomon had not yet been acquainted with. The professor spoke of how Nietzsche's idea asks the fundamental question: "If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
Solomon died on January 2, 2007 at Zurich airport. His wife, philosopher Kathleen Higgins, with whom he co-authored several of his books, is Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 18, 2024
A great summary of philosophy that mentioned the ancients all the way to a couple hundred years ago. I really like this book's method of going through each of the philosophers, telling what influenced their thoughts and how they differed from their teachers, as well as portraying smoothly how philosophical focus has changed over time from the cosmos, to the individual, to science, etc.
November 7, 2013
La mayor ventaja de este libro es también su principal inconveniente: su brevedad.
Mi relación con la filosofía se reduce a una clase de bachillerato impartida por un profesor cuya idea de la docencia era sentarse a dictar unos apuntes amarillentos para luego poner un examen donde se valoraba principalmente el ser capaz de repetirlos al pie de la letra. Desde entonces mi interés por la disciplina ha sido nulo. Sin embargo como aficionado a la historia era habitual encontrar en los textos que leía referencias a alguna corriente filosófica o filósofo en concreto, por lo que decidí que valía la pena buscar algún manual que me proporcionase una visión de conjunto que me permitiese ubicar estas referencias en contexto.
Y esto lo cumple perfectamente este libro. En apenas dos centenares de páginas (en mi versión) da un repaso a la historia de la filosofía desde la antiguedad hasta el siglo XX. Ubica a los principales filósofos, da una muy breve descripción de su pensamiento y los enlaza con los anteriores y posteriores. Justo lo que estaba buscando.
Pero por otro lado la descripción es forzosamente muy escueta, y a partir de la edad moderna la mayor complejidad de las corrientes filosóficas hace que el resumen resulte muy confuso. Hay partes dónde no he sido capaz de entender en absoluto en qué consistía el pensamiento que se estaba analizando.
Así que se trata de libro útil como "chuleta" histórica, pero en absoluto recomendable si lo que pretendéis es una verdadera inmersión en la filosofía.
Mi relación con la filosofía se reduce a una clase de bachillerato impartida por un profesor cuya idea de la docencia era sentarse a dictar unos apuntes amarillentos para luego poner un examen donde se valoraba principalmente el ser capaz de repetirlos al pie de la letra. Desde entonces mi interés por la disciplina ha sido nulo. Sin embargo como aficionado a la historia era habitual encontrar en los textos que leía referencias a alguna corriente filosófica o filósofo en concreto, por lo que decidí que valía la pena buscar algún manual que me proporcionase una visión de conjunto que me permitiese ubicar estas referencias en contexto.
Y esto lo cumple perfectamente este libro. En apenas dos centenares de páginas (en mi versión) da un repaso a la historia de la filosofía desde la antiguedad hasta el siglo XX. Ubica a los principales filósofos, da una muy breve descripción de su pensamiento y los enlaza con los anteriores y posteriores. Justo lo que estaba buscando.
Pero por otro lado la descripción es forzosamente muy escueta, y a partir de la edad moderna la mayor complejidad de las corrientes filosóficas hace que el resumen resulte muy confuso. Hay partes dónde no he sido capaz de entender en absoluto en qué consistía el pensamiento que se estaba analizando.
Así que se trata de libro útil como "chuleta" histórica, pero en absoluto recomendable si lo que pretendéis es una verdadera inmersión en la filosofía.
September 29, 2008
So my boyfriend, philosopher extraordinaire, owns this book and so for me to understand even half the names he throws out, I decided to read this. It's a very good primer on ancient philosophy to post-modern philosophy. Its written very simply and a good basis for me to move onto further readings on interesteing topics.... I would like to followup on the following topics
** some aspects of eastern philosophy
** anything on african philosophy I can find (which according to the book b/c of oral traditions I won't find any primary texts, but books *about* that specific topic will be mucho interesting to read)
** the existentialists Jean-Paul Sarte and Simone de Beauvoir, lovers and some crazy cool thinkers
** some aspects of eastern philosophy
** anything on african philosophy I can find (which according to the book b/c of oral traditions I won't find any primary texts, but books *about* that specific topic will be mucho interesting to read)
** the existentialists Jean-Paul Sarte and Simone de Beauvoir, lovers and some crazy cool thinkers
August 25, 2017
This excellent little book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. It is an extremely brief historical survey of philosophical thought. As such, it does not flesh out any major philosopher or philosophy in detail, but it serves as a wonderful introduction that is readable, engaging, and yet surprisingly thorough for its brevity.
August 30, 2019
Easily the best short introduction to philosophy I have read
This is a "concise version" of Solomon and Higgins's A Short History of Philosophy (1996) which wasn't all that short at 329 pages--well, for a history of philosophy actually it was kind of short. As the authors point out, a "short" history of philosophy (in German) by Hans Joachim Storig, runs to 750 pages, and Bertrand Russell's famous popular opus from 1945, A History of Philosophy was 895 pages long. What the authors have done here is to distill the essence of their larger book, mostly by judiciously pruning. The result is a witty, pithy and very well edited introduction for almost anybody interested in knowing what philosophy is all about.
Speaking of Russell, the authors's treatment of him is characteristically sly: Noting that Russell turned his attention to more worldly matters after his youth (and the Principia Mathematica), they add that "he wrote an elegant and impassioned autobiography, conclusively documenting his political commitments, his love of philosophy, and what we might politely call his love of love. He also declared--as the First World War had clearly shown--that 'the world is horrible.' Formal philosophy, by comparison, seemed both a refuge and a waste of time." (p. 115)
Solomon and Higgins cover Eastern philosophy (which many Western books do not), and they bring us up to the postmodern era, although they scrupulously avoid discussing philosophers still living--a wise decision no doubt since most of us are still trying to cope with what happen to philosophy after the logical positivists got a hold of it early in the 20th century. Solomon and Higgins also address religious philosophy, which again is right, especially when you consider that most of Western philosophy since the Greeks has been strongly influenced by Christian values and ideas--and of course, the Eastern "philosophies" from the Vedas, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, etc., cannot really be separated from religion.
It is good to compare this to Russell's best-selling opus since Solomon and Higgins do very well exactly what Russell did very well, that is make philosophy interesting and even exciting for the general reader; and like Russell they write with unusual clarity. Unlike Russell however they refrain (mostly) from taking sides in the various philosophic disputes and they don't reveal who their favorites are. I guess I could say that Russell's approach was a critical one as he found fault with many of the icons of philosophy, even--or perhaps especially--Plato, whereas Solomon and Higgins try for a more descriptive and informative approach. I love Russell. He was a delight to me when I first read him as a teenager, but I must say that the approach of Solomon and Higgins is the more judicious.
Philosophy is like history in this respect. We cannot adequately critique the ideas of today because we are so completely immersed in them that we have no real objectivity. As the authors put it so very well on page 113, "Philosophy is never isolated or immune from its time and place, no matter how abstract it may be or however 'eternal' or 'untimely' it may declare itself. Philosophy may be prophetic, it can be nostalgic, or it can act as a mirror, a reflection of a culture. But more often than not, it expresses in abstract terms the ideals and aspirations of society."
This follows their observation that Nietzsche had predicted the horrible wars of the 20th century. Their treatment of Nietzsche (and virtually all of the philosophers) is generous although there is just the slightest hint that his ideas may have been in some part responsible for the rise of the kind of mentality exhibited by the Nazis. They recall Nietzsche's "incredible suggestion that human beings...[are] nothing but a bridge between the ape and the Ubermensch ('superman')" Personally, I am not a big fan of Nietzsche; nonetheless it is striking to consider that he may be exactly right: the science of the 21st century may fuse us with our machines, and through genetic engineering allow us to become something "more" than human.
The book is in three parts, Part I: "Is There Ultimate Truth?"; Part II: "Faith and Reason"; and Part III: "From Modernity to Postmodernism." I think this is just perfect. The search for what is true and/or to what extent we can know what is true is at the very heart of the philosophic urge. And the struggle between faith and reason rages on today as it has since before the Greeks. And what we have experienced in our lifetimes is the rise of postmodernism which is a serious critique of the self-satisfied modernity that grew out of the Enlightenment.
I guess what I like best about this book is a sense that it is a return to the kind of philosophy that I loved as a young man. As the authors put it, while they are excited "by the bewildering variety of ideas" that we have today in philosophy, they are "at the same time...disturbed by the fact that the old ideal of philosophy, as a search for wisdom rather than a peculiar professional skill or a merely clever game, has gotten lost." (p. 128)
This book brings some of the excitement back.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
This is a "concise version" of Solomon and Higgins's A Short History of Philosophy (1996) which wasn't all that short at 329 pages--well, for a history of philosophy actually it was kind of short. As the authors point out, a "short" history of philosophy (in German) by Hans Joachim Storig, runs to 750 pages, and Bertrand Russell's famous popular opus from 1945, A History of Philosophy was 895 pages long. What the authors have done here is to distill the essence of their larger book, mostly by judiciously pruning. The result is a witty, pithy and very well edited introduction for almost anybody interested in knowing what philosophy is all about.
Speaking of Russell, the authors's treatment of him is characteristically sly: Noting that Russell turned his attention to more worldly matters after his youth (and the Principia Mathematica), they add that "he wrote an elegant and impassioned autobiography, conclusively documenting his political commitments, his love of philosophy, and what we might politely call his love of love. He also declared--as the First World War had clearly shown--that 'the world is horrible.' Formal philosophy, by comparison, seemed both a refuge and a waste of time." (p. 115)
Solomon and Higgins cover Eastern philosophy (which many Western books do not), and they bring us up to the postmodern era, although they scrupulously avoid discussing philosophers still living--a wise decision no doubt since most of us are still trying to cope with what happen to philosophy after the logical positivists got a hold of it early in the 20th century. Solomon and Higgins also address religious philosophy, which again is right, especially when you consider that most of Western philosophy since the Greeks has been strongly influenced by Christian values and ideas--and of course, the Eastern "philosophies" from the Vedas, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, etc., cannot really be separated from religion.
It is good to compare this to Russell's best-selling opus since Solomon and Higgins do very well exactly what Russell did very well, that is make philosophy interesting and even exciting for the general reader; and like Russell they write with unusual clarity. Unlike Russell however they refrain (mostly) from taking sides in the various philosophic disputes and they don't reveal who their favorites are. I guess I could say that Russell's approach was a critical one as he found fault with many of the icons of philosophy, even--or perhaps especially--Plato, whereas Solomon and Higgins try for a more descriptive and informative approach. I love Russell. He was a delight to me when I first read him as a teenager, but I must say that the approach of Solomon and Higgins is the more judicious.
Philosophy is like history in this respect. We cannot adequately critique the ideas of today because we are so completely immersed in them that we have no real objectivity. As the authors put it so very well on page 113, "Philosophy is never isolated or immune from its time and place, no matter how abstract it may be or however 'eternal' or 'untimely' it may declare itself. Philosophy may be prophetic, it can be nostalgic, or it can act as a mirror, a reflection of a culture. But more often than not, it expresses in abstract terms the ideals and aspirations of society."
This follows their observation that Nietzsche had predicted the horrible wars of the 20th century. Their treatment of Nietzsche (and virtually all of the philosophers) is generous although there is just the slightest hint that his ideas may have been in some part responsible for the rise of the kind of mentality exhibited by the Nazis. They recall Nietzsche's "incredible suggestion that human beings...[are] nothing but a bridge between the ape and the Ubermensch ('superman')" Personally, I am not a big fan of Nietzsche; nonetheless it is striking to consider that he may be exactly right: the science of the 21st century may fuse us with our machines, and through genetic engineering allow us to become something "more" than human.
The book is in three parts, Part I: "Is There Ultimate Truth?"; Part II: "Faith and Reason"; and Part III: "From Modernity to Postmodernism." I think this is just perfect. The search for what is true and/or to what extent we can know what is true is at the very heart of the philosophic urge. And the struggle between faith and reason rages on today as it has since before the Greeks. And what we have experienced in our lifetimes is the rise of postmodernism which is a serious critique of the self-satisfied modernity that grew out of the Enlightenment.
I guess what I like best about this book is a sense that it is a return to the kind of philosophy that I loved as a young man. As the authors put it, while they are excited "by the bewildering variety of ideas" that we have today in philosophy, they are "at the same time...disturbed by the fact that the old ideal of philosophy, as a search for wisdom rather than a peculiar professional skill or a merely clever game, has gotten lost." (p. 128)
This book brings some of the excitement back.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
October 22, 2024
Μια ευσυνοπτη και ευκολοδιαβαστη εισαγωγή στην ιστορία της φιλοσοφίας. Μου άρεσε ο κριτικός σχολιασμός, σε μια φράση, για τον αντιδιανοουμενισμο της αμερικανικής κοινωνίας, δεδομένου ότι οι συγγραφείς είναι Αμερικανοί καθηγητές φιλοσοφίας.
May 10, 2019
If you are like me and are looking for a way into the intriguing world of Philosophy, then this would be a good place to start. Jumping into this genre is a bit like going for a swim in a violent, tempestuous ocean. There are many different thinkers and many diverse schools of thought that it can be intimidating and overwhelming. I'm happy to say this book served as a sturdy raft.
As the title suggests, this is indeed a very brief overview of Philosophy. Solomon introduces all the big names in the field and gives a crisp summary of their outlooks and the questions they were asking.
Solomon's writing is easy to follow; the thoughts and beliefs of the philosophers however? Not so much. These men* were really thinking beyond. Philosophy isn't "thinking outside the box." It's taking that box and studying its dimensions, its size and weight, measuring its corners. It's about taking the box apart and then rebuilding it.
I look at it this way; imagine non-philosophers living on a planet where it was extremely bright, and they walk around squinting and shielding their eyes. It's difficult to see. Philosophers are the ones that put on sunglasses and view the world in a different way. If that makes sense.
I plan on reading more books like this so I can better my understanding. I think it helps to build a foundation first before jumping into the source texts.
Maybe one day I can put on a pair of sunglasses too.
*Solomon introduces one female philosopher, Simone de Beauvoir. He goes on to say that women weren't taken seriously in this field of study and so no publications exist. If a great female philosopher lived, her work was not recorded. Quite unfortunate.
As the title suggests, this is indeed a very brief overview of Philosophy. Solomon introduces all the big names in the field and gives a crisp summary of their outlooks and the questions they were asking.
Solomon's writing is easy to follow; the thoughts and beliefs of the philosophers however? Not so much. These men* were really thinking beyond. Philosophy isn't "thinking outside the box." It's taking that box and studying its dimensions, its size and weight, measuring its corners. It's about taking the box apart and then rebuilding it.
I look at it this way; imagine non-philosophers living on a planet where it was extremely bright, and they walk around squinting and shielding their eyes. It's difficult to see. Philosophers are the ones that put on sunglasses and view the world in a different way. If that makes sense.
I plan on reading more books like this so I can better my understanding. I think it helps to build a foundation first before jumping into the source texts.
Maybe one day I can put on a pair of sunglasses too.
*Solomon introduces one female philosopher, Simone de Beauvoir. He goes on to say that women weren't taken seriously in this field of study and so no publications exist. If a great female philosopher lived, her work was not recorded. Quite unfortunate.
December 16, 2023
This is a good, short overview of Western philosophy to the modern era of 1997. Solomon and Higgins identify the key kernel(s) of a philosopher’s thought. The chronological jaunt through the history of philosophy gives the reader a sense of how a later philosopher was responding to an earlier philosopher, except for the true revolutionary/innovative thinkers who charted their own path and usually brought philosophy along with them. The book seems a little hurried at the end in the post-modern era where trends of thought are described rather than the propositions of individual philosophers. There is no chapter on non-Western philosophy, a gap, but for a book of this brevity and breadth, this slim volume is worth the time. It seems to capture 95% of Western philosophy up the modern era.
March 9, 2021
Esse livro e uma das obras mais interessantes que ja li afinal Ele consegue trazer a filosofia a toma de uma forma unica chegando ate mesmo a lembrar o tão aclamado “o mundo de sofia",achei que a forma como o escritor aborta o tema foi deveras unica,realista e diferente...
Mesmo sendo um livro Tão bom eu diria que o conteudo aqui presente e mais avançado que a filosofia para inciantes
Para quem gosta de uma filosofia pesada e reflexiva e que pasa a ideia de maior conhecimento filosofico esse livro e Bem mais que ideal...
Nota:10/10
Mesmo sendo um livro Tão bom eu diria que o conteudo aqui presente e mais avançado que a filosofia para inciantes
Para quem gosta de uma filosofia pesada e reflexiva e que pasa a ideia de maior conhecimento filosofico esse livro e Bem mais que ideal...
Nota:10/10
February 19, 2021
The book is a very well written book that covers the history of philosophy from the earliest Indian philosophies up until the days of postmodernism.
This book provides a concise overview of the figures, classifications, and overall history of human philosophical thought.
This book provides a concise overview of the figures, classifications, and overall history of human philosophical thought.
April 18, 2021
Some slogs here and there which are perhaps more reflective of my interests than the authors’ writing. All, however, worth the profound gems and mystifyingly profound yet short and simple summaries of great thinkers and philosophical movements throughout history.
September 11, 2021
2.5 stars
So brief I almost think one might be better served by looking over a timeline of the philosophers and movements discussed with a few bullet points to each name.
So brief I almost think one might be better served by looking over a timeline of the philosophers and movements discussed with a few bullet points to each name.
January 29, 2023
A solid overview of philosophical trends--it reads like a well-written literature review. Eager to dive into the primary texts themselves.
November 7, 2023
A great, very brief, overview of the history of philosophy.
October 3, 2013
A great primer for philosophy. I had several courses back in college (10+ years ago), but have forgotten much since then. This is a great starting point / refresher to place many schools of thought into perspective. As I've moved on from here (to the works referenced in the book) I've been much happier for reading the book.
January 5, 2009
A very helpful and readable introduction that has helped me have more of a framework for the names and notions memorized by rote in high school. Accessibly written in a conversational tone for a general audience.
abandoned-for-sucking
March 6, 2009Not that it really sucked...it just wasn't my cup of tea.
It rushes through schools of philosophy much too quickly for me to feel like I was learning much of anything. Two pages to cover all Judeo-Christian philosophy?
That's maybe rushing it just a little bit.
It rushes through schools of philosophy much too quickly for me to feel like I was learning much of anything. Two pages to cover all Judeo-Christian philosophy?
That's maybe rushing it just a little bit.
December 10, 2008
A concise general survey of the subject, recommended as a great introduction or a useful refresher course, written in an enjoyable, accessible fashion.
April 14, 2009
more of a primer, brief, but a good entry point if you have an interest in Philosphy.
September 13, 2010
A good, concise introduction to a usually dense subject.
September 27, 2010
A Passion for Wisdom is a well written, concise history of philosophy. My only complaint and reason for 4 rather than 5 stars is its biases towards political correctness
January 5, 2012
This is one of the best primers for philosophy I've ever read. And I've read a LOT of them.
May 11, 2015
a smooth glide over thousands of years of philosophy
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews