Customer Reviews

A Dictionary of Philosophy

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have just logged in 30 hours of studying this book, and it has given me, a philosopher by hobby, an unprecedented level of insight into the extremely challenging but highly rewarding study of philosophy. This book is well organized, and impressively written. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about philosophy.

As a beginner in studying philosophy I found this book of great value and the price is fantastic too! I've seen other Philosophy Dictionairies but they failed in comparison to Antony Flew's version "A Dictionary of Philosophy" You will find yourself searching for one thing and before you know it you're off on a dozen different delightfully written tangents. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this book for any friends or family members who are interested in philosophy. It IS worth the read and I do NOT say this that often when it comes to books. *wink*

This 400 page dictionary is a real bargain. The editor Antony Flew has done a great service for philosophy lovers. A bible for philosophy students.

Flew is one of the best known specialists of linguistic philosophy. In this carefully researched work he assists readers to clarify meanings and understand known and well known terms and issues on philosophy.

Lets think of why one uses a dictionary. First, to define terms. Alright, this book deals with many terms from epistemology to metaethics. Philosophers are given thorough biographies: everyone from ancient stoic Epictetus to the recently deceased Robert Nozick. Second, we use a dictionary for summaries that are objective. This book is extremely even-handed in its treatment in the gamut of terms, ideas and people.

Third, we use dictionaries to get definitions that are clear and understandable. This is the books weakness (-3 *s). In fact, I was suprised to see Antony Flew's name on a dictionary because, despite being a hell of a thinker, his writing is terrible. Yes, philosophy is technical. Yes, the language is grande, using words like schism and epiphenomenon but the point of a dictionary is to explain and clarify meanings of unfamiliar words. Large and vague words are used, probably so as to create the detatchment required when writing dictionaries. Still, there are many other philosophical dictionaries on the market that are more user friendly. My suggestion, pick a term and compare how the available dictionaries define them.

This philosophy dictionary is a little better than average. I found myself trying to look up one thing and end up reading things I never intended. It's easy to get lost in the dictionary reading about terms and finding things you've never seen before. I like the way that "Flew" goes straight to the point. Flew doesn't try and put anything more than what you need to know. It's nice to look up something without getting bias feedback or opinions. I believe the book is worth the little price that Amazon is asking. Don't hesitate to buy this book. It will pay for it's self the first time you truly need it.

For the undergraduate setting out on a Liberal Arts degree, studying philosophy or any related subject in the humanities, this important reference is absolutely valuable.

It is my own experience that understanding the foundational terms of a subject is paramount in the attainment of grasping the whole. I remember as a first year university student, sitting down in my first philosophy class, expecting to learn the secrets of the ages, and the young professor flippantly entering the classroom, only to hand us a list of technical terms, and giving us our first assignment: "Learn these terms. Come back in a week and expect to be tested. If you receive anything less than 100%, I would sincerely advise dropping this class and taking up psychology or something." He then left the lecture hall. Needless to say, I worked the entire week learning or more so, memorizing these terms, such as, Idea in the Platonic sense; Socratic Method; dialectic, reminiscence, anamnesis, justice, truth and aesthetics. A week passed and the test consisted of the word and enough blank space to write the answer. Only eighty percent of us passed the test (an extraordinary outcome) and over half ended up dropping the course. Looking back at the blood sweat and tears of this first year class, I only wished I had owned this valuable reference then - it would have made life a lot easier. However I had learned a valuable lesson: no matter what the subject may be, before embarking on the particular ideas and basic tenets, learn the foundational terms, and the journey will be a lot less difficult.

A Dictionary of Philosophy will make the journey of learning philosophy or the history of ideas much easier. It includes the classic thinkers, Plato, Aquinas, Descartes Spinoza, Kant, through to James, Pierce, Russell, and Wittgenstein. The definitions are clear and straightforward, encompassing thousands of years of western thought.

Unfortunately, this dictionary is heavily cross-referenced. This will be a great chore for some individuals; however, the editors have used an asterisk... "Preceding a text word or name to indicate that the word or name itself constitutes a separate entry, where additional relevant information will be found, which indicate a separate entry." In a dictionary that defines terms in so many disciplines, including the more recent encroachment of the "social sciences", cross-referencing is unavoidable. But this is part of the process in learning philosophy as one school of thought invariably moves into another and so forth.

For the student this text is highly recommended.

This 400 page dictionary is a real bargain. Antony Flew and two other edtors have done a great service for philosophy lovers. A bible for philosophy students.

Flew is one of the best known specialists of linguistic philosophy. In this carefully researched work he assists readers to clarify meanings and understand known and well known terms and issues on philosophy.

This dictionary has entries on the major philosophers, on the terminology and concepts of philosophical thought. It is written in a very clear way. My one problem with it is that its entries are too short when it comes to covering major subjects.
For instance in its Kierkegaard entry it focuses on his Anti- Hegelianism without even outlining the major stages of Kierkegaard's thought, without listing his major publications, without really telling anything of his remarkable story, or his conception of ' faith'.
Where it is good is providing information on such a large number of subjects.Fr example on one page chosen for no special reason it has entries on 'seafight' 'secondary causes' 'secondary qualities ' 'secundum quid' 'self' 'self' contradiction' But again the article on ' secondary causes' is longer than the article on ' self', a sign that major subjects are perhaps not treated as thoroughly as they should be.

Philosophy has as many different and varied definitions as there are thinkers and philosophers to define it. This book is a comprehensive reference guide in A to Z format of the personalities, terminology, and definitions of hundreds of philosophers and schools of thought, from classical time up to the modern age.

In this book there is not analysis of doctrines, just definitions. The book presents itself as a wonderful way to ignite an interest in the subject as well as to deeper one's knowledge of a particular school of thought or thinker. From Abelard, the French philosopher, logician, and theologian, to Zeno's four paradoxes, this fascinating dictionary presents the greatest thinkers of all time and the vast array of philosophic concepts, premises and thoughts in an accessible, thoroughly cross-indexed, A to Z format. This reference includes a table of symbols and abbreviations to help clarify meanings of key words and phrases.

This guide is an invaluable reference to the student, the thinker, and most of all, to the curious little person inside of every one of us.

I took a class this summer and the instructor added books onto our syllabus at the last minute and I didn't know what to do. I went to Amazon to see if I might be able to find the books he wanted us to have and lucky me I found just what I needed! I ordered it and received it in about 2-3 days. I'm not sure what I would've done if I hadn't been able to find this book because it has been so helpful in explaining certain aspects of my philosophy class and the philosophers that we're studying.