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bloodredrache's review
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
A helpful and concise look at the wide scope of philosophy and its influence throughout history. I really great introduction for those new to the subject, and a nice refresher for those who are familiar with some philosophy. It frames its subject well--I was able to situate the schools I know well within the larger context of the development of ideas!
mithilareads's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
I am a big fan of books on philosophy that compile various philosophies into one book. Majorly, because I’m too lazy to tackle the books on individual philosophies that I want to explore. (Jean-Paul Sartre, I see you on my bookshelf. Once I get through this existential crap, I’m yours.)
So when I got a copy of this book to read and review, I brought all my Sophie’s World reading experience to the table. And this book is marginally better than that one!
For starters, Sophie’s World does not cover much of Eastern Philosophy. Like Daoism, Confucian Ethics, and so on. So that was a fresh start. Beware, I haven’t really learned my philosophy academically, and just know that Socrates taught Plato and Plato taught Aristotle and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great.
But did you know about someone called Aristippus who proclaimed a kind of rabid hedonism? Or someone called Epictetus who was a slave and then turned into a well-known philosopher? This book throws light on many such philosophers who are not popular in the mainstream scene.
Further, this book also explores specific concepts in philosophy. To give a few examples, Mind-Body Dualism propounded by Plato, The Ontological Argument, Progressive Education laid down by John Dewey, Occam’s Razor, Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature, feminist philosophy, Social Darwinism. This book also contains a few pages on the NBC Show, The Good Place!
The author Gregory Bassham has written this primer for anyone who wants to dabble in philosophy & needs a good starting point. He is professor of philosophy at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA, where he specializes in the philosophy of law, critical thinking, and the connections between pop culture and philosophy. Bassham earned his PhD at the University of Notre Dame. Having taught philosophy for 25 years, he has read virtually every major work of philosophy ever written.
Also, a quick Google search informed me that he has also written a book about philosophy on Harry Potter. You can totally guess what my next read will be!
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