A Dictionary of Philosophy

For the undergraduate setting out on a Liberal Arts degree, studying philosophy or any related subject in the humanities, this important reference is absolutely valuable. It is my own experience that understanding the foundational terms of a subject is paramount in the attainment of grasping the whole. I remember as a first year university student, sitting down in my first philosophy class, expecting to learn the secrets of the ages, and the young professor flippantly entering the classroom, only to hand us a list of technical terms, and giving us our first assignment: "Learn these terms. Come back in a week and expect to be tested. If you receive anything less than 100%, I would sincerely advise dropping this class and taking up psychology or something." He then left the lecture hall. Needless to say, I worked the entire week learning or more so, memorizing these terms, such as, Idea in the Platonic sense; Socratic Method; dialectic, reminiscence, anamnesis, justice, truth and aesthetics. A week passed and the test consisted of the word and enough blank space to write the answer. Only eighty percent of us passed the test (an extraordinary outcome) and over half ended up dropping the course. Looking back at the blood sweat and tears of this first year class, I only wished I had owned this valuable reference then - it would have made life a lot easier. However I had learned a valuable lesson: no matter what the subject may be, before embarking on the particular ideas and basic tenets, learn the foundational terms, and the journey will be a lot less difficult. A Dictionary of Philosophy will make the journey of learning philosophy or the history of ideas much easier. It includes the classic thinkers, Plato, Aquinas, Descartes Spinoza, Kant, through to James, Pierce, Russell, and Wittgenstein. The definitions are clear and straightforward, encompassing thousands of years of western thought. Unfortunately, this dictionary is heavily cross-referenced. This will be a great chore for some individuals; however, the editors have used an asterisk... "Preceding a text word or name to indicate that the word or name itself constitutes a separate entry, where additional relevant information will be found, which indicate a separate entry." In a dictionary that defines terms in so many disciplines, including the more recent encroachment of the "social sciences", cross-referencing is unavoidable. But this is part of the process in learning philosophy as one school of thought invariably moves into another and so forth. For the student this text is highly recommended.

As a beginner in studying philosophy I found this book of great value and the price is fantastic too! I've seen other Philosophy Dictionairies but they failed in comparison to Antony Flew's version "A Dictionary of Philosophy" You will find yourself searching for one thing and before you know it you're off on a dozen different delightfully written tangents. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this book for any friends or family members who are interested in philosophy. It IS worth the read and I do NOT say this that often when it comes to books. *wink*

I have just logged in 30 hours of studying this book, and it has given me, a philosopher by hobby, an unprecedented level of insight into the extremely challenging but highly rewarding study of philosophy. This book is well organized, and impressively written. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about philosophy.

This 400 page dictionary is a real bargain. The editor Antony Flew has done a great service for philosophy lovers. A bible for philosophy students.Flew is one of the best known specialists of linguistic philosophy. In this carefully researched work he assists readers to clarify meanings and understand known and well known terms and issues on philosophy.