The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy 2nd Edition

by Bryan Magee (Author)

27 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0192893222

ISBN-10: 019289322X

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Beginning with the death of Socrates in 399 BC, and following the strand of philosophical inquiry through the centuries to recent figures such as Bertrand Russell and Wittgenstein, Bryan Magee's conversations with fifteen contemporary writers and philosophers provide an accessible and exciting account of Western philosophy and its greatest thinkers. With contributions from A. J. Ayer, Bernard Williams, Martha Nussbaum, Peter Singer, and John Searle, the book is not only an introduction to the philosophers of the past, but gives an invaluable insight into the view and personalities of some of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century.

The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Magee has taught philosophy at Oxford, and in each of these volumes he attempts to make philosophy understandable to the lay reader. The DK book devotes just a few pages to each of the major thinkers and is lavishly illustrated. It would be suitable for high school, college, and public libraries. Great Philosophers is a series of conversations with important contemporary philosophers about the major historical figures, originally produced for the BBC. Confessions is an autobiographical excursion through Western philosophy.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Bryan Magee is a Visiting Professor at King's College London and has published sixteen other books including Modern British Philosophy, and Creators of Contemporary Philosophy.

Product details

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (January 18, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 019289322X
ISBN-13: 978-0192893222
Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.8 x 4.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 27 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #928,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1645 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > History & Surveys
- #1852 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy > History & Surveys
- #2079 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Modern

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An Awesome Launch Pad

September 17, 2001

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a terrific book for some one who is a novice in the area of philosophy. I initially picked up this book to learn. I didn't think that it would be a "fun" read, but I thought the concepts I would learn would be of real value. As it turns out it was a very good read. This is an enjoyable work that conveyed some great information on some very interesting topic. This is a very very readable and enjoyable book. In addition, this book is tremendously helpful in that it points the way to the next set of books to read. This book first gives you a taste for these topics and then it points to where we could learn more. As each school of thought is discussed some of the chief works for those schools are discussed. It has launched me on a totally new area of study and research.
Prior to reading this book I had no appreciation for any of the different schools of philosophy. For example, I know that many of the founding fathers of our nation based their thoughts on men like Hume. However, I did not know the specifics of the relationship. This book clarified that as well as many other points of interest. It has also helped substantiate many of my Christian beliefs. There are things in Christianity, communion for example, which I did not understand. After reading this book and getting a taste for some philosophical schools of thought, I now have a deeper understanding of some of our basic Christian principles.
If you are at all interested in philosophy and are a novice to the field, READ THIS BOOK.

0Comment 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

August 9, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

excellent

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Unique Approach

January 3, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy is an enjoyable read with a unique approach as an introduction to the subject of western philosophy.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

January 26, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great for philosophy students!

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February 24, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

GREAT

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Excellent Intro/Refresher for the Philosophical Layman

May 23, 2007

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Composed of a series of interviews, each with a scholar distinguished in his field, *The Great Philosophers* provides an overview of the major Western thinkers from Socrates to Sartre. Bryan Magee does an excellent job in guiding each discussion in such a way that one gains a good overview of the philosopher under consideration and manages to clarify most of the more abstruse concepts and lines of argument.

Each interview is allotted between 15 to 20 pages so the discussions stay pretty focused, cover the major points, and what you necessarily lose in detail, you gain in not being completely overwhelmed. The dialogue format is also a great aid to comprehension and keeps things lively, especially if you're like me ((and my deepest sympathies if that's the case)) and find your eyes glazing over and that you're daydreaming about what to have for lunch when reading large expository blocks of type about someone like Hegel. *The Great Philosophers* is also an excellent book if you've always confined your study to one or two favorite philosophers but have neglected centuries of philosophical thinking because you just can't stomach the idea of plowing through anything by Thomas Aquinas, for instance, even though you know it's important to have at least some grasp of medieval philosophy in order to understand philosophy as a whole. This is what *The Great Philosophers* does best, I think: fill in the blanks in your philosophical education just about as efficiently and enjoyably as possible.

For the most part, the discussions are relatively easy to understand, although I did have some trouble with some of the later chapters dealing with Russell, Wittgenstein, and the Pragmatists, but then logic and mathematics is admittedly something I have absolutely no aptitude for and I'd be lucky to understand even an Idiot's Guide to the topic. Most likely a person of even average intelligence would understand the discussions here; after all, I found the treatment of even someone like the aforementioned Hegel completely decipherable.

In short, an excellent book that inspires one to read even deeper into the subject, *The Great Philosophers* is particularly suited to students, writers, artists, and anyone else, who, though not a professional philosopher, has an interest in the history of the seminal thinkers and the ideas that have shaped our culture.

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Great Philosophers . . . Great Fun!

December 18, 2000

Format: Paperback

The basis of this wonderful book is a series of television programs first telecast by the BBC in 1987. However, while most would have stopped there and merely published the book as a transcript of the shows, Magee takes it one, two, and even three steps farther. As editor, he reworked the transcripts and even brought back his contributors for further revisions and improvements. The result is a delightful book that easily exceeds one's expectations, and mine were not so high given the fact the book is a series of conversations with academics about a particular philosopher or school of philosophy. In the wrong hands, this can be certain death by boredom. But in the right hands . . .
Can academics keep our interest while discussing philosophy? They can easily do so when: (1) they are allowed to rework and improve their material; and (2) when they are talking with Bryan Magee. Magee is no mere interviewer; he prods, interjects, disagrees, and yet allows his subject to shine when conversing about their subject. This is no mean feat; it takes a delicate skill to pull this off and still keep it entertaining. And this is exactly what Magee does. Whether he's asking Anthony Kenny his opinion on why so many great medieval philosophers come from The British Isles, asking Anthony Quinton to more exactly define Leibniz's Monad, debating Schopenhauer's philosophy with Frederick Copleston, or just sitting back and allowing Geoffrey Warnock to explain Kant's mataphysics, Magee keeps his readers not only entertained, but delightfully informed.
The highlights of the book are Passmore's explanation of Hume, Magee's defense of Schopenhauer during his conversation with Copleston (was included because he penned book, albeit hostile, about Schopenhauer), Warnock's easy explation of Kant's sometimes difficult metaphysics, Hubert Dreyfus on Husserl and Heidegger, and John Searle explaing the wonder that is Wittgenstein. Quite a lot of highlights for such a book, but as I said before, this is no ordinary book.
One final word: Magee is often described as a popularizer, a word that is often used disparingly, as in "He's not an expert, he's just a popularizer." Nonsense. A popularizer is at root a teacher, and to be a popularizer, one must really have a firm grasp of the subject matter. There are good popularizers and bad popularizers. Magee is among the very best. He not only knows his subject matter, but has the unique talent of making the experts not only entertaining, but also amazingly lucid.
This book is a bargain at any price.

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A really good text for some basics on the subject I would ...

A really good text for some basics on the subject I would recommend to any starting student, or advanced enthusiast of this particular science

Published 6 months ago

Meh ... a waste of money

Published 7 months ago

I loved this book

I have a non-professional interest in philosophy. I loved this book. It provides a short and clear introduction to a dozen major philosophers.Read more

Published on May 13, 2015

bronx book nerd

Great Introduction to the Great Philosophers

This book is basically the transcript from the show of the same name on the BBC. Philosopher Bryan Magee interviews 15 other philosophers who give their take on the great...Read more

Published on July 7, 2011

I'd recommend this over Bertrand Russell's celebrated history and any number of series that attempt to give the general reader a good overview of Western Philosophy.Read more

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A Surface Simplicity that Belies Depth and Maturity

Why, you may ask, yet another supportive review of this outstanding text? Surely we have enough to go by. Indeed.Read more

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Great transcripts from a great show.

Contained herein is perhaps the clearest exposition of Heidegger available. The transcript is taken from a show that broadcasted in the 1970s and is available on youtube.Read more

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Philosophy made interesting

I must admit I usually struggle to enjoy philosophy. The "philosophy made easy" books are too simplistic, but the original writings are very difficult.Read more

Published on February 28, 2008

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