A fun, concise and attractive introduction to a fascinating and challenging subject. This is the ideal book for teenagers and students coming to philosophy for the first time, or indeed for anyone who just doesn't know where to start. The book examines 18 key thinkers, from Socrates to Derrida, exploring their ideas in relation to each other and to their historical and cultural contexts. Derek Johnston uses clear and accessible language to present an engaging chronological picture of the key figures, events and ideas that have shaped the history of philosophy. No prior knowledge of philosophy is required to enjoy this incisive, reader-friendly introduction. This is the ideal book for general readers looking for a way into this fascinating but very often challenging subject.
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"In this accessible text complete with portraits, summary boxes and precise definitions of key terms, Johnston describes the mental workings of 18 of the greats. Working chronologically and also through themes, Johnston describes the trends from Socrates and Plato to Aristotle, Epicurus and Zeno, Aquinus, Descartes, Locke and Montesquieu, Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre and Derrida, opening each chapter with the most basic ideas and building to crisp explanations of some of the most complex ideas to ever hit paper. Although this can be read cover to cover to give high school students and the general public a running start, Johnston's appraisals and summaries also serve as references and refreshers."
"In this accessible text complete with portraits, summary boxes and precise definitions of key terms, Johnston describes the mental workings of 18 of the greats. Working chronologically and also through themes, Johnston describes the trends from Socrates and Plato to Aristotle, Epicurus and Zeno, Aquinus, Descartes, Locke and Montesquieu, Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre and Derrida, opening each chapter with the most basic ideas and building to crisp explanations of some of the most complex ideas to ever hit paper. Although this can be read cover to cover to give high school students and the general public a running start, Johnston’s appraisals and summaries also serve as references and refreshers."
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Major ideas clearly presented,
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This review is from: Brief History of Philosophy: From Socrates to Derrida (Paperback)
This history of Philosophy presents the basic ideas of a number of major philosophers in a very clear and simple way. The feeling is that the book is for the General Reader who wants some basic conception of Philosophy.
Clarity of course can be misleading, and the complexity of thought of most of the thinkers presented is not encompassed here. While most of the Philosophers presented are truly in the main tradition of Western Philosophy there are some whose place there I would strongly question. Marx is a social thinker , and Derrida a Literary Critic as I understand their work. However the main point is that it is certainly possible to learn from this work basic conceptions of major philosophers.
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