In a series of 50 accessible and lucidly written essays, Ben Dupre introduces and explains the problems of knowledge, consciousness, identity, ethics, beliefs, justice, language, meaning and aesthetics that have engaged the attention of thinkers from the era of the ancient Greeks to the present day.
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About the Author
Ben Dupre read Classics at Exeter College, Oxford before pursuing a career in reference publishing. He was Children's Reference Publisher at Oxford University Press from 1992 until 2004 and, all told, has more than 20 years' experience of bringing complex and challenging concepts to the widest possible audience.
--This text refers to an alternate
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is not a book of in-depth philosophy. 50 ideas are introduced, but only briefly, with four pages allotted to each idea. These four pages are enough to introduce each idea and get the reader to thinking about them. The 50 ideas are grouped into several sections, namely:
· Problems of knowledge
· Mind matters
· Ethics
· Logic and reasoning
· Science
· Aesthetics
· Religion
· Politics, Justice and Society
Some of the ideas covered in these sections are:
· The Ship of Theseus (When all of the pieces of the ship are replaced is what is now present the same ship?)
· The Turing Test for artificial intelligence.
· Do animals have rights?
· The ontological argument.
· Hobbes' Leviathan.
· The prisoners dilemma (game theory)
· Various logical paradoxes
I found the writing clear and the book highly readable and entertaining. In addition to text, each idea is supplemented with boxes containing some extended discussion of a particular point and some quotations concerning the idea. While someone better versed in philosophy than I may find this book overly superficial. I found that it introduced each idea with a minimum of the mind numbing jargon associated with philosophy. Many of the sections got me to think about things in a new light and made me want to learn more about the ideas that were introduced. I thus recommend this book to those who just want an introduction to 50 philosophy ideas, but are not yet willing to tackle philosophy head-on and in-depth. (Be warned, however, that the section on religion takes on a decidedly anti-theist tone, which may be troublesome reading for some readers. On the other hand, others may find this section quite illuminating.)
· Problems of knowledge
· Mind matters
· Ethics
· Logic and reasoning
· Science
· Aesthetics
· Religion
· Politics, Justice and Society
Some of the ideas covered in these sections are:
· The Ship of Theseus (When all of the pieces of the ship are replaced is what is now present the same ship?)
· The Turing Test for artificial intelligence.
· Do animals have rights?
· The ontological argument.
· Hobbes' Leviathan.
· The prisoners dilemma (game theory)
· Various logical paradoxes
I found the writing clear and the book highly readable and entertaining. In addition to text, each idea is supplemented with boxes containing some extended discussion of a particular point and some quotations concerning the idea. While someone better versed in philosophy than I may find this book overly superficial. I found that it introduced each idea with a minimum of the mind numbing jargon associated with philosophy. Many of the sections got me to think about things in a new light and made me want to learn more about the ideas that were introduced. I thus recommend this book to those who just want an introduction to 50 philosophy ideas, but are not yet willing to tackle philosophy head-on and in-depth. (Be warned, however, that the section on religion takes on a decidedly anti-theist tone, which may be troublesome reading for some readers. On the other hand, others may find this section quite illuminating.)
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have always felt philosophy to be extremely practical and important. My biggest criticisms are that philosopher's tend to make it hard to digest, and that it is taught historically rather than by ideas (except for the entertaining novel "Sophie's World," Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy (FSG Classics)which brings the history of philosophy to life.)
Now along comes this delightful volume: clear, well-written, and entertaining. I could not think of a better selection of the most important ideas, or imagine a better treatment. If there were a weekly discussion group around this book, I would go to every meeting!
Bravo!
Now along comes this delightful volume: clear, well-written, and entertaining. I could not think of a better selection of the most important ideas, or imagine a better treatment. If there were a weekly discussion group around this book, I would go to every meeting!
Bravo!
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If this question has never crossed your mind, then perhaps you need read no further. On the other hand, if you are intrigued about how people can debate the reality of existence (and why) then this may be just the book to introduce you to some fascinating philosophical ideas.
This book is not an exhaustive exploration of philosophy, nor does it attempt a detailed explanation of the ideas introduced. What it does do, and does very well, is introduce fifty separate ideas under nine different headings providing good coverage of some of the most influential thinking documented.
The headings are:
Problems of Knowledge (including the veil of perception and cogito ergo sum)
Mind Matters (including the mind-body problem and the Turing test)
Ethics (including Hume's guillotine and the golden rule)
Animal Rights (do animals feel pain? and do animals have rights?)
Logic and Meaning (including forms of argument and the barber's paradox)
Science (including paradigm shifts and Occam's razor)
Aesthetics (including what is art?)
Religion (including the argument from design and the freewill defence)
Politics, Justice and Society (including positive and negative freedom and the difference principle)
My sentimental favourites are cogito ergo sum, and Occam's razor. But there is much within this book to appeal - including a timeline for the ideas discussed. Mr Dupre's essays are well-written, easy to follow and invite the reader to think and to question.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This book is not an exhaustive exploration of philosophy, nor does it attempt a detailed explanation of the ideas introduced. What it does do, and does very well, is introduce fifty separate ideas under nine different headings providing good coverage of some of the most influential thinking documented.
The headings are:
Problems of Knowledge (including the veil of perception and cogito ergo sum)
Mind Matters (including the mind-body problem and the Turing test)
Ethics (including Hume's guillotine and the golden rule)
Animal Rights (do animals feel pain? and do animals have rights?)
Logic and Meaning (including forms of argument and the barber's paradox)
Science (including paradigm shifts and Occam's razor)
Aesthetics (including what is art?)
Religion (including the argument from design and the freewill defence)
Politics, Justice and Society (including positive and negative freedom and the difference principle)
My sentimental favourites are cogito ergo sum, and Occam's razor. But there is much within this book to appeal - including a timeline for the ideas discussed. Mr Dupre's essays are well-written, easy to follow and invite the reader to think and to question.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Book!
Wonderful, yet simple. This book goes over each topic well enough to be understood. I can't really say anything I dislike about the content here. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Mr. KJ
Great coffee table book
First encountered this book at a Zen tearoom and found it fascinating. Put it on my Amazon wishlist when I returned home. Read more
Published 15 months ago by pilot27k
Just what I was looking for
Even if you already know the 50 ideas, this neat little book makes for a fun read. It's a great book to share with your less philosophical friends and family or at least challenge... Read more
Published on February 6, 2010 by Kevin Lawrence
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