The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy (Penguin Reference) [Paperback]

Thomas Mautner (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0141018402 | ISBN-13: 978-0141018409 | Edition: 2nd

Stimulating and authoritative, The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy is the ideal reference work for anyone with an interest in the subject. Laid out simply for ease of use and put in straightforward language are definitions of terms from akrasia to zetetic. What do philosophers mean by absolute and prime matter? Is there any link between the gambler’s fallacy and the uncertainty principle, or the barber paradox and Ockham’s razor? These questions and many more are answered in this illuminating dictionary.

The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy features:
• Extensive coverage of the Western tradition in logic, metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology from c. 600 BC to the present day
• Incisive overviews of thinkers from Plato and Kant to Derrida and Habermas
• Powerful self-portraits by leading modern philosophers
• Contributions from more than a hundred leading philosophers

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Mautner is visiting fellow in the school of humanities at the Australian National University and has published papers in various academic journals. Among his teaching and research interests are seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy, moral and political thought, natural law, and natural rights.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 2nd edition (December 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141018402
• ISBN-13: 978-0141018409
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The best dictionary on Philosophy?, July 29, 2001

By 

Ejaz Shaikh (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy (Penguin Dictionary) (Paperback)

After buying this book I realized that no single book on philosophy can be given the title "best", just as no single dictionary can. That is because each dictionary has some specialty which another doesn't. In order to get a complete picture, you would have to buy a couple of books on a particular field. As far as this dictionary is concerned, it focuses more on philosophers and philosophical schools than philosophical terms - which I was interested in more. Should any book be called, "Dictionary of Philosophy" when it doesn't even have an entry on "reason" or "intellect"? Furthermore, you won't find the following terms in this book: mind, mutually exclusive, infinite regress, introspection, etc.

Overall, this book does a fine job in presenting an overview of philosophy. I am not saying that this book does a miserable job in terms of including philosophical terms. Rather, let it not be assumed that a single book is sufficient in conveying the complete picture. I say: Buy this book AND others.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and concise guide for anyone interested in Philosophy, January 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy (Penguin Dictionary) (Paperback)

The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy is a clear, concise, and comprehensive guide to philosophic terms and thinkers. For this reader, the Penguin edition far surpasses the Oxford dictionary -- a book of roughly the same length and price -- as its entries are both clearer and more thorough. I would advise serioius students of philosphy and "street level" thinkers alike to buy this well-written, useful guide.

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The number one dictionary of philosophy?, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy (Penguin Dictionary) (Paperback)

This may well be the best dictionary of philosophy available: better value for money than many of its larger competitors. Its secret is that it's well written: one clear paragraph from this book conveys more than pages from more run-of-the-mill dictionaries. A special feature of this book is the self-portraits by major contemporary philosophers: there's enormous value in hearing where they've come from and where they believe they are headed. Briefer, clearer and more memorably written than most histories of philosophy, if you can afford only one reference work in philosophy, put this one on your shelf. You won't regret it. (And for those who already have a shelf-full of philosophy reference works, this is an invaluable addition. The self-portraits alone are worth it.)