Philosophy

The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

  • Downloads：8594
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-21 06:57:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Will Buckingham
  • ISBN：1465458557
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Now in paperback， "The Philosophy Book" explores the history and concepts of philosophy， and demystifies what can often be daunting subject matter。

Are the ideas of Rene Descartes， Mary Wollstonecraft， John Locke， and Thomas Hobbes still relevant today？ "The Philosophy Book" unpacks the writings and ideas of more than 100 of history's biggest thinkers， taking you on a journey from Ancient Greece to modern day。 Explore feminism， rationalism， idealism， existentialism， and other influential movements in the world of philosophy。

From Socrates to Confucius to Julia Kristeva， "The Philosophy Book" breaks down difficult concepts using innovating graphics that pop off the page alongside creative typography。 Cutting through the haze of academia and untangling complicated theories to show how our social， political， and ethical ideas are formed， "The Philosophy Book" contextualizes the information around time periods， innovative thinkers， method， and philosophical approach。

With graphics， clear writing， a philosopher directory， and a vocabulary glossary， "The Philosophy Book" is a perfect and comprehensive introduction to a complicated and fascinating subject。

Series Overview: Big Ideas Simply Explained series uses creative design and innovative graphics， along with straightforward and engaging writing， to make complex subjects easier to understand。 These award-winning books provide just the information needed for students， families， or anyone interested in concise， thought-provoking refreshers on a single subject。"

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Reviews

Diego Meneses ，

Muy completo。 Escrito y explicado de forma excepcional。 No me puedo quejar de nada。

Grzegorz Witek ，

The book is a great introduction to philosophy， going from ancient to modern times。One caveat is the format: I listened to an audiobook and that was a mistake。 The book is written in a way that the audio just can’t give it justice and often becomes confusing。

Sam ，

Just like any other introductory book， it touches on a series of philosophical topics in chronological order。 The graphics of this book is marvellous and certainly helpful。 It would be particularly useful if you want a published source of different philosophical topics and wants to get a start。 A problem that I personally find with this book is not really the depth （as it is meant to be introductory） but the topic they pick for the philosophers - especially the more contemporary ones。 For those Just like any other introductory book， it touches on a series of philosophical topics in chronological order。 The graphics of this book is marvellous and certainly helpful。 It would be particularly useful if you want a published source of different philosophical topics and wants to get a start。 A problem that I personally find with this book is not really the depth （as it is meant to be introductory） but the topic they pick for the philosophers - especially the more contemporary ones。 For those who are working on signs， languages， semiotics， etc， they pick topics that are seemingly irrelevant to the philosophers' main fields， which is a decision that I don't really understand。 。。。more

Edward ，

It’s alright， bur I felt ideas weren’t described in enough detail to “stick”。

Ester Dâmaso ，

Como um guia prático da filosofia， muito bom para um iniciante no assunto e o sumário deixa tudo mais objetivo。

Nazrul Buang ，

Philosophy is a subject we know during my school years， but we rarely fathom it。 There are many philosophical ideas conceived throughout history， with some complementing and developing further from each other， and others contradicting and challenging themselves。 This book seeks to explain all the philosophical ideas that we may or may have heard about， once and for all。Do you remember the first time you read an encyclopedia？ That feeling of curiosity and excitement at learning all kinds of thing Philosophy is a subject we know during my school years， but we rarely fathom it。 There are many philosophical ideas conceived throughout history， with some complementing and developing further from each other， and others contradicting and challenging themselves。 This book seeks to explain all the philosophical ideas that we may or may have heard about， once and for all。Do you remember the first time you read an encyclopedia？ That feeling of curiosity and excitement at learning all kinds of things in "one big book"？ Well， this is that kind of book: the "big encyclopedia"。 I used to love reading encyclopedias of all kinds when I was a kid， and this is one book that I can add to my reading journey。 Philosophy is that one subject we vaguely know but never understand because of its esoteric nature， but we genuinely want to understand because well， we are curious creatures。 I have always been curious about philosophy but have never gotten around to reading up about it because 1） philosophy is complicated （is it the subject's fault or the philosopher's？）， and 2） it tends to be dry。I picked up this book simply because I want a "big book" that summarizes different philosophical ideas without the nitty-gritty details。 The main points only are what I want to know， especially as a general reader。 This is *that* book， and I'm thankful that such a book exists。 Especially for a subject as profound and often complex as philosophy， where there is rarely a book that succinctly explains what each school of philosophy is all about。 What is relativism？ Or how about rationalism？ Do you know the main differences between Stoicism and Epicureanism？ What is the main idea behind "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"？ I simply want a book to explain all of this in layman's terms， and thank goodness this one comes along。Apart from the different philosophies explored， what I also learned from the book is how the different philosophers， especially those from the distant past， had to pay for their differing （often seen as dissident） views often with their lives。 It made me wonder how authoritarian the world used to be when one would die just by disagreeing with the status quo or the state of power。 What we see now as the norm was once viewed as heresy before， and it's easy for us to take for granted what is "correct" and "right" today was not the case before。 And perhaps because of that， many philosophers were very neurotic， often living depressing lives （which you can say， was also because of their worldviews）。 It's a price they paid heftily， and it made me wonder how philosophers today might have it easy。The book explains the different philosophies and their respective branches in a succinct manner， and outlines how each philosopher deviates from their predecessors' notions and introduce their own。 That was exactly what I was hoping for from this book， and though philosophy remains to be an esoteric subject， like many other people， I still think it's one worth exploring and learning more about。 For those who always have had interest in philosophy， give this one a try。 。。。more

Braden Meinders ，

This book is a nice overview of the key ideas of notable philosophers throughout the history of philosophy in a sort of chronological encyclopedic style， and while it makes a few blunders （e。g。 talking about Bertrand Russell’s political rather than logico-mathematical ideas， or focusing on a disproportionate number of philosophers from a couple rather niche traditions）， for the most part I think it does what it sets out to do quite well。 This is a perfectly acceptable， accessible introduction to This book is a nice overview of the key ideas of notable philosophers throughout the history of philosophy in a sort of chronological encyclopedic style， and while it makes a few blunders （e。g。 talking about Bertrand Russell’s political rather than logico-mathematical ideas， or focusing on a disproportionate number of philosophers from a couple rather niche traditions）， for the most part I think it does what it sets out to do quite well。 This is a perfectly acceptable， accessible introduction to philosophy。 。。。more

shamsa ，

I think it talks about philosophy。

Adriana Novac ，

Perfectă pentru toate categoriile de oameni: de la amatori până la cercetători。

Liza ，

This was a majestic experience。I highly recommend this book for all those interested in philosophy。

K ，

A good primer， missing anything that isn't white or male though。 As is philosophy in general。 A good primer， missing anything that isn't white or male though。 As is philosophy in general。 。。。more

Joni Greenwell Bycroft ，

Philsophical ideas in a short， concise 1-5 pages per philosopher or idea。 This covers philosophical ideas from the Ancient world （700 BCE-250 CE） of Thales of Miletus through Medieval， Renaissance， Revolution 。。。 to Modern and Contmporary philosophy of Noam Chomsky。 I identified a dozen philosophers to study further， but I believe the book gave me a pretty good idea of the basics。

Nathan ，

Offers a very interesting and surface level guide through philosophy and how the various ideas have developed over time。 Definitely a great jumping point to further reading if you want to delve into everything deeper。 I enjoyed following the growth of various philosophical ideas and concepts over time。 To me， it brought some of the ideas I had thought of and added some structure to the concepts I couldn't quite get into words myself。 Would 100% recommend it as a read if you're interested in phil Offers a very interesting and surface level guide through philosophy and how the various ideas have developed over time。 Definitely a great jumping point to further reading if you want to delve into everything deeper。 I enjoyed following the growth of various philosophical ideas and concepts over time。 To me， it brought some of the ideas I had thought of and added some structure to the concepts I couldn't quite get into words myself。 Would 100% recommend it as a read if you're interested in philosophy or want to dip your feet in。 Don't expect an in-depth analysis of every idea or belief， but you can expect to come out with a broader understanding of philosophy in general， and where to go next if you want more。 。。。more

k ，

Insightful and organized but not exhaustive。 If you know nothing about philosophy it can be a good introduction， though it can also get overwhelming because of the length and the number of philosophers covered。 If you know a little bit it can get annoying because it tends to cherry pick a philosopher's ideas on a single subject that works best for the timeline。 For example， my biggest irk was how it focused on Hobbes and Locke's views on epistemology instead of their political philosophy which i Insightful and organized but not exhaustive。 If you know nothing about philosophy it can be a good introduction， though it can also get overwhelming because of the length and the number of philosophers covered。 If you know a little bit it can get annoying because it tends to cherry pick a philosopher's ideas on a single subject that works best for the timeline。 For example， my biggest irk was how it focused on Hobbes and Locke's views on epistemology instead of their political philosophy which is arguably more influential。 Not the best resource but if you just want an overview of what types of philosophies are out there then go for it。Sharing my notes （opens on Notion） if anyone needs a refresher。 。。。more

Cínthia ，

Muito bom para quem quer adentrar no mundo da filosofia e descobrir pensadores inéditos que talvez não conheciam。 O livro não aprofunda em nenhum filósofo， mas esse não era o objetivo。 Caso se interesse por algum em específico， os autores colocam os nomes das obras originais para facilitar para o leitor。

Ben Rogers ，

I honestly found this book just another okay book。 I was expecting more quite frankly。 I would sooner recommend reading one of my favorites， The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power， Seduction， Mastery， Strategy and Human Nature3。2/5 I honestly found this book just another okay book。 I was expecting more quite frankly。 I would sooner recommend reading one of my favorites， The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power， Seduction， Mastery， Strategy and Human Nature3。2/5 。。。more

Angélique ，

I used this as a guide during a semester of philosophy courses， and it was great for quickly checking on a philosopher and seeing what branch and approach they belong to， what has influences them and future philosophers， as well as their main ideas。 It included almost all the philosophers I had to research。 A very accessible guide！ The timelines were also good to see for the overall picture。

Lex ，

It’s a crime and a shame that those getting into philosophy have so much time wasted because people use terms they don’t understand… This book makes no such mistake and is sure to clearly define all terms used so anyone can understand the basics of a thinker。 Plus， it helped me understand Hegel。 10/10

Fusquenllo ，

It's not perfect， I don't feel all the philosophers included should be there （some don't look really philosophical to me）， but it is a great first book to dip your feet in such a subject。 It's not perfect， I don't feel all the philosophers included should be there （some don't look really philosophical to me）， but it is a great first book to dip your feet in such a subject。 。。。more

Deirdre Siegel ，

Everything and more， you ever wanted to know about Philosophy， thank you Will Buckingham :-）

Olga ，

A great book for teenagers interested in philosophy and simply anybody who is starting to study this exciting subject。 I especially liked the graphic presentation of the concepts; it makes difficult ideas look a lot simpler。

Mattias ，

Works as an encyclopedia， but tedious to read as a book。 There are far better alternatives for those looking for an introduction to philosophy。

Treyton ，

Not a book that's written to be read cover-to-cover。 Trust me because that's what I did and I feel like I didn't gain as much from it as I would have if I'd just taken a few philosophers and their perspectives and tried to place myself in their shoes over the course of a few months or however long it would take to "finish" the book at that pace。 Apart from that， this is a solid introduction to many types of philosoph（y/ers）， so use it as a jumping-off point。 Not a book that's written to be read cover-to-cover。 Trust me because that's what I did and I feel like I didn't gain as much from it as I would have if I'd just taken a few philosophers and their perspectives and tried to place myself in their shoes over the course of a few months or however long it would take to "finish" the book at that pace。 Apart from that， this is a solid introduction to many types of philosoph（y/ers）， so use it as a jumping-off point。 。。。more

Ryan P ，

Great book for an introductory overview of the philosophers of history and their contributions to the field。

Dave Edmunds ，

A great beginners guide to philosophy， providing a history of the biggest names from:SocratesTo:Karl MarxAll the way up to:Noam ChomskyIt could be a little more in depth but as an introduction for a complete novice like myself and a quick reference it is fantastic。 Highly recommended。 A great beginners guide to philosophy， providing a history of the biggest names from:SocratesTo:Karl MarxAll the way up to:Noam ChomskyIt could be a little more in depth but as an introduction for a complete novice like myself and a quick reference it is fantastic。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Baylee Berger ，

Really interesting and thought-provoking。 I'd love to read more in this series。 Really interesting and thought-provoking。 I'd love to read more in this series。 。。。more

Pierre Jacomet ，

I am interested in philosophy and the book provides great summaries of the ideas contributed by different philosophers throughout human history。 It is a good starting point for me to then go and research specific schools or philosophers。This is is also a good coffee table book， not great which is why I give it 4 stars。 Presentation is as important as content especially in an introductory book， but somehow it seems that the page real estate in this book is a bit crammed which both serves and defe I am interested in philosophy and the book provides great summaries of the ideas contributed by different philosophers throughout human history。 It is a good starting point for me to then go and research specific schools or philosophers。This is is also a good coffee table book， not great which is why I give it 4 stars。 Presentation is as important as content especially in an introductory book， but somehow it seems that the page real estate in this book is a bit crammed which both serves and defeats the purpose of both an intro book or a coffee table one。 In order to make it better， the book should be a little bit larger and per page information should be re-arranged in such a way that it does not become overwhelming and thus unattractive as intro。Pros:* Information presented* Interesting information* Layout and picturesCons:* Bit smallish in size for coffee table book* Information is a bit crammed compared to best examples I have seen of intro books。 。。。more

Isa Cuervo ，

This was LOOONG and condensed with info， but definitely worth it。 Do you wanna get the references like "I think therefore I am"？Do you wanna understand what thinkers actually meant by it and avoid using quotes out of context？Do you wanna get the basics of philosophy without the complex jargon？This book is for you。 I wanna point out why I think it´s beginner friendly:- It has mind maps and pictures that simplify concepts- It uses examples and doesn´t waste too much time on the philosopher´s life This was LOOONG and condensed with info， but definitely worth it。 Do you wanna get the references like "I think therefore I am"？Do you wanna understand what thinkers actually meant by it and avoid using quotes out of context？Do you wanna get the basics of philosophy without the complex jargon？This book is for you。 I wanna point out why I think it´s beginner friendly:- It has mind maps and pictures that simplify concepts- It uses examples and doesn´t waste too much time on the philosopher´s life （unless you go to their biography section） and instead goes straight to their theories- It has a glosary of common concepts- A pretty nice introduction on the value of philosophy and different ways of looking at it。The only issue for me was the fact that the organization of it is a little weird。 It´s written in columns （like a magazine） but images are randomly put in places where it disturbs the continuity of the text and you either interrupt the reading by looking at them or you need to come back to see them later。The other problem was that it´s REALLY long and condensed with data。Apart from that， recommended。 I will probably continue with these series。 。。。more

TULGAA GANZORIG ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Thanks

Tomas Lankenau ，

Resumen:-Un repaso histórico de las principales ideas de la filosofía por medio de 1-4 páginas dedicadas a cada filósofo-Aunque es MUY poco espacio para lograr transmitir algunas de las ideas más complejas y abstractas que existen， se logra。-Esto se logra por medio de un excelente trabajo de varios autores que usan lenguaje simple， MUCHOS colores， gráficas y un corto resumen de la vida de cada filósofo。 Parece libro de niños， pero no lo es， solo una forma entretenida hasta divertida de aprender Resumen:-Un repaso histórico de las principales ideas de la filosofía por medio de 1-4 páginas dedicadas a cada filósofo-Aunque es MUY poco espacio para lograr transmitir algunas de las ideas más complejas y abstractas que existen， se logra。-Esto se logra por medio de un excelente trabajo de varios autores que usan lenguaje simple， MUCHOS colores， gráficas y un corto resumen de la vida de cada filósofo。 Parece libro de niños， pero no lo es， solo una forma entretenida hasta divertida de aprender filosofíaQué me gustó:-La diversidad de filósofos que se cubren。 Para ser un texto introductorio hay más de lo que me hubiera esperado-La estructura de como se presenta a cada filósofo-El uso de un resumen inicial y línea de tiempo para cada idea a través del tiempo para entender su contexto histórico y rama de filosofíaQué no me gustó:-La verdad hay MUY poco de este libro que no me gustó-Si algo es el cómo a ciertos filósofos les quitaron algunas de sus ideas centrales （Kant: Ética？， Russel: Matemáticas？。。。。entre otros）， pero al final todas las ideas centrales al pensamiento humano no caben en un solo libroRecomendación:No creo que no haya ser humano que no se pudiera ver beneficiado de leer este libro。 Experto → Amateur-La filosofía es todo aquello que hacemos cuando no estamos ocupados con nuestras actividades del día a día y nos da las herramientas para decidir cómo queremos vivir nuestras vidas y este libro nos una gran y accesible introducción-Lo usaría como texto de referencia acompañado de otros material-Canal de youtube: school of life， pursuit of wonder -Libros: Cualquier tema de will Durant， The great courses 。。。more

Reference

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