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

by Bryan Magee (Author)

28 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0192893222

ISBN-10: 019289322X

Why is ISBN important?

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Condition: Used - Acceptable

In Stock. Sold by Next Chapter Ecommerce, Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

35 Used from $2.02

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Select delivery location

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Only 2 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from and sold by awesomebooksusa.

This item ships to France.

List Price: $26.50 Save: $13.01 (49%)

20 New from $16.04

Select delivery location

$13.49 + $3.99 shipping

Turn on 1-Click ordering

More Buying Choices

20 New from $16.04 35 Used from $2.02 1 Collectible from $28.57

56 used & new from $2.02

See All Buying Options

Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

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.

Frequently bought together

Total price: $37.41

These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy by Bryan Magee Paperback $13.49
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by awesomebooksusa.
$3.99 shipping
Western Philosophy: An Anthology by John Cottingham Paperback $23.92
Only 5 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Cherry_Books.

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

John Cottingham

30

Paperback
$23.92
Steven B. Cowan

28

Hardcover
$28.19
Michael J. Murray

17

Paperback
$38.80
Bryan Magee

71

Paperback
$16.96
Bryan Magee

5

Paperback
$25.95
Bryan Magee

55

Paperback
$14.78

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.

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: 28 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #540,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1073 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > History & Surveys
- #1120 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy > History & Surveys
- #1326 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Modern

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Customer Reviews

2 star (0%)

Write a customer review

See all 28 customer reviews

Rated by customers interested in

What's this?

Philosophy

3.3 out of 5 stars

Philosophy Books

3.5 out of 5 stars

Reference Books

3.3 out of 5 stars

Is this feature helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Mark Nadja

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.

Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Amazon Customer

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

June 12, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

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

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

Yes

N. Mozahem

Great, but...

November 26, 2007

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Anyone interested in philosophy should read this book. It is very interesting and very hard to put down. However, the main factor that makes this book unique has a negative effect, and hence the four stars. The book is basically a dialogue between Magee and other philosophers. This is a very interesting approach and the result was a great book. The problem is that I don't think that the best way to introduce philosophy is to have two philosophers talk about it. Magee always tries to clarify things when he feels that the discussion is getting a bit too complicated and succeeds most of the time, but some times this didn't pay off. I found the chapters concerning the philosophers that I had a little background information of much easier than those concerning philosophers that I knew nothing of. I know that this is logical, but in a book that is meant to be an introduction, the novice reader should find it easy to read about what he/she does not know. Apart from this little difficulty, the book is an amazing one. Magee is a great host and his guests are extremely knowledgeable about their subjects. The most important thing is that this book covered most great philosophers as the title promises.

Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Terrence W.

Five Stars

January 26, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great for philosophy students!

CommentWas this review helpful to you?

Yes

Pierre

I loved this book

May 13, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have a non-professional interest in philosophy. I loved this book. It provides a short and clear introduction to a dozen major philosophers. Magee loves his subject and is a great explainer. Highly recommended.

Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Bill

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.

Comment 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Peter A. Pav

SATISFIED

February 24, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

GREAT

CommentWas this review helpful to you?

Yes

milagros

Five Stars

August 9, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

excellent

CommentWas this review helpful to you?

Yes

Customer images

See all customer images

Most recent customer reviews

brandon

was great, not exactly for the beginners

recently watched the show on youtube. was great, not exactly for the beginners. but if your familiar with the big names and have a general idea of the concepts you'll be able to...Read more

Published 1 month ago

GLRPHD

Meh ...

Meh ... a waste of money

Published 11 months ago

Bibliophile

Unique Approach

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.

Published on January 3, 2012

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

thames

Excellent

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

Published on March 31, 2010

J. J. McDonell

History of Western Philosophy

A most comprehensive overciew of the great philosophical minds of the Western World. It gives not only the philosophical stance of each, but puts them in their respective...Read more

Published on September 5, 2009

Jomo K

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

Published on December 28, 2008

GangstaLawya

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

Published on December 12, 2008

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

John Cottingham

30

Paperback
$23.92
Bryan Magee

71

Paperback
$16.96
Bryan Magee

5

Paperback
$25.95
Bryan Magee

55

Paperback
$14.78
Bryan Magee

18

Hardcover
$13.00
Stephen Law

10

Hardcover
$10.89

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: ancient philosophy, modern westerns

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

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

About the Author

Product details

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Customer images

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

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

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $11.00 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $13.49 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

About the Author

Product details

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Customer images

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$11.00 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$13.49 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open