One Hundred Philosophers: The Life and Work of the World's Greatest Thinkers [Paperback]

Peter J. King D. Phil. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

For some of the world's great thinkers, including Aristotle, Aquinas, and Hegel, philosophy is a vast system of fixed, capital-T Truth for humankind to discover, explore and comprehend. For others, even among those with philosophies as diverse as William James and Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosophy is simply a tool, or a process for ascertaining individual factual truths specific to a given time and place. It is often said that if you ask any ten philosophers to define their subject, you're likely to get ten different answers. Here, presented for non-specialist readers, is an easy-to-understand survey of ideas put forth by 100 important philosophers, from the pre-Socratics of ancient Greece to the analytic philosophers of the present day. Each thinker is summarized in a single illustrated page, or in many instances, in a two-page spread. Each entry includes the philosopher's birth and death dates, titles of major works, major influences, a capsule biographical sketch, and a brief summary of his or her most important ideas. In addition to philosophers in our own Western tradition, readers will find Chinese sages, including Confucius and Lao-tzu, the Indian Buddhist philosopher Ngrjuna, and thinkers representing other cultures. Just a few of the 100 important thinkers represented in this book are:

• Plato
• Aristotle
• Augustine of Hippo
• Roger Bacon
• Thomas Aquinas
• Thomas Hobbes
• John Locke
• Rene Descartes
• Baruch Spinoza
• Immanuel Kant
• G.W.F. Hegel
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• William James
• Ludwig Wittgenstein
• Martin Heidegger
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Alfred Jules Ayer
• Willard V.O. Quine
• Thomas Kuhn
• Donald Davidson
• and many others

The text is enhanced with more than 250 illustrations and a glossary of philosophical terms.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

[back cover copy]


As Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” How better to begin a life’s examination than with the most influential philosophers from Ancient Greece and China to the present day.



Many questions that philosophers have asked down the centuries continue to hold sway today, and are reflected in the great debates of our time. What is the nature of good and evil? What is the meaning of existence, and who are we really? For thousands of years philosophers have struggled with questions such as these, weighing every thought against virtually every rational alternative. Who were the men and women whom we call the great philosophers? This fascinating book examines the lives and thoughts of 100 philosophers who have changed the way we view the world.



Discover the true stories of the world’s greatest thinkers and philosophers, from both East and West. Presented chronologically by year of birth, 100 philosophers are profiled with sketches of their personal life, a summary of the development of their thought, and some of the conclusions they reached.



Peter J. King (D.Phil. Oxford) is Lecturer in Philosophy at Pembroke College, Oxford, and has taught philosophy at the University of Reading, the University of North London, and Birkbeck and King’s Colleges, London. He has published academic papers in the philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and philosophical logic, as well as more popular articles on political philosophy and parapsychology. He’s currently working on an introduction to the philosophy of religion. He is a member of the Humanist Philosophers’ Group.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764127918
• ISBN-13: 978-0764127915
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Survey--"One Hundred Philosophers", January 16, 2005

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: One Hundred Philosophers: The Life and Work of the World's Greatest Thinkers (Paperback)

One Hundred Philosophers: The Life And Work Of The World's Greatest Thinkers
By Peter J. King
Quarto/Barron's Educational Series
www.barronseduc.com
2004
ISBN # 0-7641-2791-8
Large Paperback
$19.95 US
$28.95 Canada



This strong basic reference type text opens with a brief introduction that explains how the author sees the realm of Philosophy, the main divisions in Philosophy, and what he is attempting to cover in this book, which spans ancient times to the 20th century. Of course, there are limitations as to what could be covered and the author makes his case as to why certain persons made the cut and others did not.

What follows are the various sections detailing periods in time starting with the Ancient World 700 B. C. E. -400 B.C.E. A timeline complete with illustrations and pictures as well as dates is given for the relevant points in history within and without the realm of Philosophy. Then, in page summary format, each Philosopher is listed, with a date of life, main interests, influences, influenced, and an explanation of what is known about the Philosopher, the thinking of the Philosopher and the role of the Philosopher at that time.

This same formula continues through out the nearly 200-page book. The 100th Philosopher, Peter Singer, is covered at the end of the twentieth century section followed by a comprehensive and detailed two-page section suggesting other reading. This section leads into a glossary of terms used in the book, which is followed by an index.

This book obviously can't cover everyone to great depth and doesn't try to do so. Instead, it serves more as an instruction to a wide range of thought and would be especially helpful not only to the laymen but for students considering study in the world of Philosophy. Not only does it give some understanding of each Philosopher covered, it provides avenues of exploration and learning for those interested and deserves a place in the home library.



This review previously appeared online at the Blue Iris Journal Blog.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2005

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good starting point and linker, July 2, 2006

By 

Kiwigal (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Hundred Philosophers: The Life and Work of the World's Greatest Thinkers (Paperback)

Well, I can't pretend that I understood it. I didn't understand "Sophie's World" either. I prefer the format of this lay textbook over the device of the bizarre story of Sophie's World as a structure for didacticism though I admit the bizarre stuff was there to illustrate the philosophical points. I read "One Hundred Philosophers" quickly to see what was available in it but would need to study it with additional texts to go in- depth and attempt to understand the actual philosophy.

I bought the book because it links together disjointed pieces of information. I think it's a good starting point and I intend to use it as a reference book rather than having to go on the net to find the same information.

It's amazing that I'm encountering beliefs out there that I've been reading about in the book and can easily refer to for discussions. There's some surprising individuals in the book to read about, real eye-openers. There are also patterns of biography depending on the era cited e.g. starting out as a theological scholar and getting side-tracked into philosophy.

Some of the woman philosphers' lives make sad reading, early deaths and in one case matyrdom. In contrast, some of the men lived to great ages.

As well though, I saw a pattern of philosophers being repeatedly exiled, tortured, imprisoned and executed for their beliefs though this isn't happening with the latest Continental and Anglo-American ones featured! I found this book so worthwhile I felt inspired to buy one for my 14 year old neice as a great introduction to the valuable and deep subject of philosophy.

Funnily enough, I bought it as one of a selection of books available in the tea-room at work among the usual recipe and typical prosaic lifestyle selection. It was a great buy for $NZ12 (New Zealand).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for philosophy beginners!, August 2, 2007

By 

I. Jaime "uthooked88" (Brownsville, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Hundred Philosophers: The Life and Work of the World's Greatest Thinkers (Paperback)

I bought this book after taking an introductory philosophy course in college. I had a deep interest in the subject, but not a very strong background. If you are like me, then this book will be a great starting point for you. Do not expect to find any great analysis of any philosophical theories, or even any opinions on the theories of the various philosophers. In fact, some of the philosophers are covered very briefly, and we are given only the most basic information about them (where they were born, where they studied, what kind of family they came from, where they died, etc.). However, having said that, this book WILL provide you with the basic knowledge of the most influential philosophers so that you may embark on your greater journey into the world of philosophy. It clearly deliniates the beginning of philosophical thought and it's transition to modern philosophy and as most reviewers have stated, it is very well structured and organized. Every major philosopher that you have ever read about/heard of is in this book. I strongly encourage any and all readers interested in a philosophy background to purchase this book!