Big Ideas for Curious Minds: An Introduction to Philosophy
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-11 07:53:26
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：The School of Life
- ISBN：1999747143
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Children are， in many ways， born philosophers。 This is a book designed to harness their spontaneous philosophical interest and develop it。
Without prompting children often ask some of the largest questions about time， mortality， happiness and the meaning of life。 Yet all too often their inborn curiosity is not developed and， with age， the questions fall away。 This book addresses some of their more complex questions by introducing accessible philosophical concepts from 25 famous thinkers， contextualized in relatable everyday scenarios。 Presented in an interactive question and answer format this book takes us to meet leading figures of philosophy from around the world and from all eras—and shows us how their ideas continue to matter。 With discussions about some of the most vibrant and essential philosophical ideas of history， this accessible book functions as an ideal introduction to the subject as well as a charming way to open up conversations between children and adults about the biggest questions we all face。
Without prompting children often ask some of the largest questions about time， mortality， happiness and the meaning of life。 Yet all too often their inborn curiosity is not developed and， with age， the questions fall away。 This book addresses some of their more complex questions by introducing accessible philosophical concepts from 25 famous thinkers， contextualized in relatable everyday scenarios。 Presented in an interactive question and answer format this book takes us to meet leading figures of philosophy from around the world and from all eras—and shows us how their ideas continue to matter。 With discussions about some of the most vibrant and essential philosophical ideas of history， this accessible book functions as an ideal introduction to the subject as well as a charming way to open up conversations between children and adults about the biggest questions we all face。
Reviews
Sufia
，
Targeted for kids but still a good read if you are an adult。 a great intro to philosophy and i like the illustrations as well。
ستایش
，
به شدت حس خوبی داشت خوندنش و بهم آرامش دادممنون از کسانی که هدیه‌ش دادن 😁🥰
Reader
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Why don't I get to know about this book a little earlier？ Talks about understanding life through philosophy。 Enjoyed reading it Why don't I get to know about this book a little earlier？ Talks about understanding life through philosophy。 Enjoyed reading it 。。。more
Debrina Andhike
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love it since I read the first few pages， truly enjoyable！
Jennifer
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Really short， definitely aimed for kids。
Kevin
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A little torn on this one。 It is the kind of book I enjoy: nicely illustrated and designed with an interesting subject。 The question is what is the audience？ It seems sorta trapped between a younger audience who would appreciate an introduction to philosophy through an exploration of some of the ideas or issues they wrestled with but is this something 8-10yos， for example， would be interested in？ On the flip side， would 12-14yos be bored with the topic？ I am not sure。 Trying to convince my kids A little torn on this one。 It is the kind of book I enjoy: nicely illustrated and designed with an interesting subject。 The question is what is the audience？ It seems sorta trapped between a younger audience who would appreciate an introduction to philosophy through an exploration of some of the ideas or issues they wrestled with but is this something 8-10yos， for example， would be interested in？ On the flip side， would 12-14yos be bored with the topic？ I am not sure。 Trying to convince my kids to read it to give me some feedback。All that said， it never hurts to take a moment to think about issues we all deal with in life and who thinkers across time have wrestled with those same issues。 Why we get mad， why high expectations are dangerous， why some people get paid more than others， etc。 Philosophy can be exploring these issues rather than highly abstract academic arguments。 。。。more
Hannah Scow
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wish i had read this when i was a kid
Harrison Felgate
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really interesting， and can change the way you think
Rushil Mitra
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This book is a introduction to philosophy for kids，I liked this book because every on every page there is somthing interesting and somthing I didnt know。 It's a short book and only took me 5 days to read。 And the illustrations are very nice，I really recommend this book。 This book is a introduction to philosophy for kids，I liked this book because every on every page there is somthing interesting and somthing I didnt know。 It's a short book and only took me 5 days to read。 And the illustrations are very nice，I really recommend this book。 。。。more
Negar
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من این کتاب رو با ترجمه محمد کریمی از انتشارات کتابسرای نیک خوندم که ترجمه بسیار بدی بود。 کتاب برای سنین ده تا پانزده سال نوشته شده ولی به نظرم برای بزرگتر این سن هم میتونه خیلی جذاب باشه。 یه هدیه عالی برای بچه ها
Ella
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Very nice， has good ideas and mindsets。 It does refer to you as a child and as adults as "grown-ups" but I did still thoroughly enjoy it。 I liked the pictures too。 Very nice， has good ideas and mindsets。 It does refer to you as a child and as adults as "grown-ups" but I did still thoroughly enjoy it。 I liked the pictures too。 。。。more
Mira
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I like how this book broke down philosophical ideas into the simplest of terms， so much so that it's applicable and understandable to children。。 and of course， adults！ The illustrations are worth mentioning too， they make the book a lot more fun to thumb through。 Every page is worded simply and aptly， it would make as great posters of reminders。 I like how this book broke down philosophical ideas into the simplest of terms， so much so that it's applicable and understandable to children。。 and of course， adults！ The illustrations are worth mentioning too， they make the book a lot more fun to thumb through。 Every page is worded simply and aptly， it would make as great posters of reminders。 。。。more
Nick Jacob
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Brilliant to read with a child about 8 and above。
Salma Zulqaida
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This is a children's book but can give you much insight even though you're an adult。 This is a children's book but can give you much insight even though you're an adult。 。。。more
Phạm
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Philosophy for children。 Have good time to read it。
Josie McQueen
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Great for younger children to learn big concepts， definitely provides simple explanations for "big ideas"。 Great for younger children to learn big concepts， definitely provides simple explanations for "big ideas"。 。。。more
Anna
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A sweet， beautiful book both for kinds and adults。 It speaks of important subjects in a simple yet powerful and touching way。 Highly recommended！
Irma Alam
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Wish I read this when I was a kid
Daniela
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A children's book that many grown-ups need to read。 A children's book that many grown-ups need to read。 。。。more
Nadya Rose
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A great book to start loving philosophy。
Sara-Beara
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My dad got me this a few years ago and I decided to read it finally， It wasn't that good。 For me at least I have already thought about most of the stuff this book talked about but also the book was not fun to read。 It was clearly aimed at younger kids but the writing style seemed aimed for older then what should read this。 Some of the things in here where not good advice unless you dived more into it。 I felt like a child being scolded/given a pep talk while reading this and I didn't like that so My dad got me this a few years ago and I decided to read it finally， It wasn't that good。 For me at least I have already thought about most of the stuff this book talked about but also the book was not fun to read。 It was clearly aimed at younger kids but the writing style seemed aimed for older then what should read this。 Some of the things in here where not good advice unless you dived more into it。 I felt like a child being scolded/given a pep talk while reading this and I didn't like that so that's why I'm giving it 2 stares。 Overall I didn't really like this book （mostly bc it wasn't aimed for me and it was pretty patronizing） and I'm not sure why my dad got me this。 Probably because he got me this when I wasn't younger。 。。。more
Michael
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This book is a persistent attack on the possibility of social norms。 To call something abnormal， the authors claim， is to harm others “Just because they are Different”， and everyone is different， so we are all the same in being different， therefore nothing is abnormal （and youre a bigot if you think that someone’s preferences or actions could be abnormal）。 The authors also conflate Normal with Common or Usual， and thus construct a strawman argument to reach their skewed ideological conclusion。 I This book is a persistent attack on the possibility of social norms。 To call something abnormal， the authors claim， is to harm others “Just because they are Different”， and everyone is different， so we are all the same in being different， therefore nothing is abnormal （and youre a bigot if you think that someone’s preferences or actions could be abnormal）。 The authors also conflate Normal with Common or Usual， and thus construct a strawman argument to reach their skewed ideological conclusion。 I contend that we need social norms in order to be able to resolve disagreements without violence。 Some norms are functional， grounded in biology or in the purpose of the relevant social context， others are more traditional， but we need them nevertheless for harmonious co-existence。 We can dislike or idolise things for being different ‘in a particular way’， but never just because they are different。 To be different simply means， trivially， to be something。 Equating difference with social good or normality is both logically false （category mistake） and socially harmful; equating assertions of abnormality with harm or bigotry is equally destructive， as it undermines the basis of human judgement between right and wrong。 This kind of indoctrination could have a catastrophic effect on child psychology， presenting them with an abyss of complexity instead of helping them to find a way （the opposite of what the book purports to aim for）。 The book also stigmatises the unity of the body and the self， asserting that the body is something you are “dumped into”。 This is conditioning kids to disassociate from the body。 The authors tell us not to aim high so that we can be happy with the little that we achieve， but genuine satisfaction comes from overcoming our limitations， from aiming high， otherwise achievement has no value。 The equality of underachievers is the opposite of personal fulfilment。Philosophers are cited out of context and without considering any objections。 This is the opposite of Philosophy; dogmatism。A representative example of how philosophy is abused by the authors to drive their ideological agenda is the use of Camus ‘The Stranger’ to show that normality is a way of unjustly judging people。 In the story， the protagonist is a postcard existentialist， disillusioned， numb， emotionally dead outsider。 He is falsely accused of murder。 Camus then constructs his ‘normal’ characters as messed up， insecure， neurotic and superstitious。 The Outsder is found guilty， primarily because one witness reports that he did not show any emotion at his mother’s recent funeral。 So what does the story really teach us？ I suggest that it shows that by rejecting social norms， by becoming de-moralised in the literal sense of the term， by disassociating ourselves from the society， we are inviting hell; we not only lose our meaning but undermine the meaning of others。 Another existentialist monument relevant here is Sartre’s ‘The Room’ （a theatre play）。 Here the author tires to convince us that Hell is Other People。 A group of strangers wake up in a hotel room （after their death）。 The space is comfortable， and the Devil is an attentive and polite Concierge at their service。 They lack nothing except that they are not allowed to leave each other’s company， and so they relations progressively disintegrate to mutual hatred， forever。 What Sartre fails to consider is what it would be like to be locked up in a hotel room all by yourself for all eternity。。。 An individual cannot exists apart from society， we are social beings and need reflexive relations with others to be ourselves。 。。。more
C
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This book really help me understand what philosophy is。 The topics are compelling and the philosophers' stories are interesting and relatable。 This book really help me understand what philosophy is。 The topics are compelling and the philosophers' stories are interesting and relatable。 。。。more
Sophia
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Once I opened the book I was glued to the book。 I love this book and I read* it in a week。
Rania Gherzoul
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I took my time with this book because it's so good that I didn't want to finish it。 I learned a lot from it。 Now， I do apply some of the things in it and I'll definitely read it again。 I took my time with this book because it's so good that I didn't want to finish it。 I learned a lot from it。 Now， I do apply some of the things in it and I'll definitely read it again。 。。。more
Kush
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This is a brilliantly crafted gem of a book。 A brilliant introduction into Philosophy for anyone。 If you're a young child you can start to explore the ideas you already have with more understanding and context。 If you're an adult it's a great stepping stone to get beyond the waffle to understand what is Philosophy。 If you're an adult who already has an interest in Philosophy it is still much needed for you to reconnect with the inner enquiring mind that shone so effortlessly as a child。Perfect f This is a brilliantly crafted gem of a book。 A brilliant introduction into Philosophy for anyone。 If you're a young child you can start to explore the ideas you already have with more understanding and context。 If you're an adult it's a great stepping stone to get beyond the waffle to understand what is Philosophy。 If you're an adult who already has an interest in Philosophy it is still much needed for you to reconnect with the inner enquiring mind that shone so effortlessly as a child。Perfect for yourself， perfect as a gift。 Thank you School of LifeYou've done it again！！ 。。。more
Natsuko Mori
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This book was aimed at children。。。 Something I didn't realise， because I decided not to fully read the blurb， of course。 The ideas in it were interesting， and I liked how they were tied into ideas well-known philosophers have had。 I'm rating it a 4 stars as a kind of objective rating; for me， it wsa boring and quite shallow， with ideas I've mostly heard about many times before， but for a kid， I think this is a great way to introduce philosophy and maybe get them interested in more complex stuff。 This book was aimed at children。。。 Something I didn't realise， because I decided not to fully read the blurb， of course。 The ideas in it were interesting， and I liked how they were tied into ideas well-known philosophers have had。 I'm rating it a 4 stars as a kind of objective rating; for me， it wsa boring and quite shallow， with ideas I've mostly heard about many times before， but for a kid， I think this is a great way to introduce philosophy and maybe get them interested in more complex stuff。 All in all， it did get me interested in philosophy， so I suppose I'll go out and find something that doesn't use as much of a childishly condescending tone when talking about such ideas。 。。。more
Sandra Prosser
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I have been reading 1 or 2 'big ideas' a night to my 11-year-old。 Yes， he could read it himself， but it was something that we could read together and discuss after each chapter。 there was a lot of great ideas， and it also helped me as an adult， and as a parent to think about what I do and how my child would interpret it。 and such a great introduction to philosophers。 Will definitely re-read this to my next child。 I have been reading 1 or 2 'big ideas' a night to my 11-year-old。 Yes， he could read it himself， but it was something that we could read together and discuss after each chapter。 there was a lot of great ideas， and it also helped me as an adult， and as a parent to think about what I do and how my child would interpret it。 and such a great introduction to philosophers。 Will definitely re-read this to my next child。 。。。more
Ex Libris Meis
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I always wanted to read philosophy， but I was afraid that I would not be smart enough to understand it。 Luckily for me， the company invented by Alain de Botton， “The School of Life”， printed a book to explain philosophy to the children。 🙂 And this is how I read “Big ideas for curious minds”。I enjoyed it so much， and I found it so useful for everyday life， that I started to send e-mail to my sons， once a week。The e-mails contained two parts。 The first part was the summary of the lesson， including I always wanted to read philosophy， but I was afraid that I would not be smart enough to understand it。 Luckily for me， the company invented by Alain de Botton， “The School of Life”， printed a book to explain philosophy to the children。 🙂 And this is how I read “Big ideas for curious minds”。I enjoyed it so much， and I found it so useful for everyday life， that I started to send e-mail to my sons， once a week。The e-mails contained two parts。 The first part was the summary of the lesson， including a little biography of the philosopher who developed the idea。 The second part was my personal intake of the lesson。 In other words， most of the time， I told them the mistakes I have made in my life or the few times I got it right （precisely like the philosophers thinking）。http://www。exlibrismeis。com/en/？p=479。。。 。。。more
Adrian
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