Story of Philosophy

At first sight, this book may appear as a colorful, photo-packed elementary book on philosophy but it is much more. Bryan Magee elegantly and, most important, fairly presents the philosophers, their beliefs, their influence, and the 'eternal' questions they left us. Above the excellent summarization and presentation, the great feature of the book is he clearly traces the development of ideas through generations of philosophers. Even for someone like me, who has taken philosophy courses at University level, this book is a great way to get a quick overview. The pictures and side boxes also add the historical context to the formation of the philosophers' ideas.

My father found this book in the trash where he works, and he took it out. I know people buy and sell things like this, and my father gave it to me when someone else had discarded it, but to me it is priceless! There have been nights when I've fallen asleep and this book was next to me, and I believe I dreamed of all the glorious thoughts which have come before me. To consider that someone must have been the first to think of the fact that nothing is constant in this world, that we can't know this or that for certain... I myself have come up with some ideas, on my very own, which I have found to have been original in past centuries. This book will give anyone who cares a deeper understanding of where their own ideas originated. All these ideas which we so take for granted were NEW at one time or other. This book will only make the curious mind long for more. The author does a wonderful job of making something very confusing easy to comprehend, and the supplemental information shows how thought and the rest of the world are inseparable. This book is a treasure. And to think someone actually threw it away...

Philosophy Populariser Bryan Magee has come up with what can best be described as a 'Philosophy for Dummies' book. It is an excellent introduction to philosophy and philosophers, starting with the great Greek thinkers such as Socrates and Plato through to modern 20th-century analytic and existential philosophy. The book is marvellously illustrated, swathed with beautiful paintings and fascinating sidelights on famous scientific, literary and political figures. Magee also, unlike Russell in his famous 'History of Philosophy', recognizes the fundamental importance of Immanuel Kant to philosophy, as well as the greatness of Kant's follower and critic, the 'pessimist' Schopenhauer. Magee also doesn't misunderstand or attack the philosophies of Hegel and Nietzsche, something many philosophers unfortunately tend to over-react to in a negative manner.There is little to whine about so far as this wonderful book is concerned, apart from one or two minor flaws. One let-down was the rather superficial discussion of some key movements in 20th century philosophy, such as the existential movement, phemenology, analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, which is extremely important to much of contemporary thought and work in the arts. Also dissapointing was the omission of important philosophers of science, such as Kuhn and Feyerabend. Magee also tended to swideswipe the rather important and difficult questions raised by 'postmodernism' about the possibility of truthful, factual and eternal truths and knowledges, and also tended to leave out important feminist thinkers, or only give them cursory examination.Aside from this the book remains an excellent introduction and overview to the seemingly arcane and difficult subject of philosophy, and Magee excellently shows that rather than being a pointless armchair exercise in speculation or self-indulgent worldviews, philosophy is something profoundly human and bound up intimately in everything in life.

REVIEW: It's not often that I refer to a book as "beautiful", but that's the first word that comes to my mind for this book. I wish more books that tackle serious subjects were written in this style. It opens up learning of the subject to a broader audience. Magee's book seems almost perfect as an introduction, overview, and rough history of philosophy. It should make an excellent introduction and light reference book to the non-expert reader. I have often read books (e.g. books by Peter Drucker) that refer to various philosophers and their writings and I typically felt I had an inadequate understanding since I had very little knowledge of philosophy. So I borrowed this book from a library and enjoyed it so much that I decided to purchase it. I especially like the way the book is organized into small, easy to read chapters with many graphics, and short sidebars. Magee also does an excellent job of tying the philosophers into the context of the art, religion, and history of each period (in a basic, not too detailed way).STRENGTHS: Easy to read; very well organized; lots of supporting graphics (e.g. photos of period art) and sidebars; excellent index and list of suggested further readings for each philosopher; just the right level of detail for an introduction.WEAKNESSES: Academics or those more knowledgable of philosophy may find the book too simple, or even childish (easy to read and lots of pictures).WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: Those who do not have an existing knowledge base of philosophy and who are looking for an easy to read general introduction, overview, or history of philosophy.[feedback welcome]

Philosophy is a subject that influences our lives on a daily basis, yet how many of us have time to sit around in a coffee shop and think about enlightenment or to wonder and ask "why?" This is a book about fundamentals we normally take for granted. Has anyone ever asked you: "Yes, but what do we actually mean by freedom?" If we are all free to do exactly what we want, will that not lead to the loss of freedom for some. These types of questions intrigue me to no end. Denis Diderot said that freedom has no meaning. Jean-Jacques Rousseau said that man was born free and everywhere he is in chains. He also believed man was naturally good. Immanuel Kant seems to disagree and says that out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing can ever be made. When people start to talk like this, they are beginning to think philosophically. They embark on a journey of thought that opens the mind and allows us to see the mind of another. You will find a soul mate philosopher within the pages for sure. How you think could in fact be linked to the thoughts of a philosopher whose views are presented here. "Philosophy begins in wonder." -Plato The Story of Philosophy will entice your mind into reading the entire work! Not, however in one sitting, but as the need arises. First, I wanted to see if I would actually use this book in discussions...and sure enough, within a few days I had already discussed humanism at a discussion board. It was helpful to know how humanism has evolved from the philosophy of Epicurus. As in: "Is he (God) willing to prevent evil, but not able?" or "Is he both able and willing?" .....then "Whence then is evil?" They note that the to us now, Epicureanism is very similar to the liberal humanism of the 20th century. Art is a highlight of Bryan Magee's work and spaces out some rather deep concepts. This is not light reading, but rather aimed towards those willing to spend the time to discover the record of philosophy through the ages. First The Greeks and their World chapter presents the views of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, The Cynics, The Sceptics, The Epicureans and The Stoics. Christianity and Philosophy is followed by a chapter on The Beginnings of Modern Science. The thoughts of Isaac Newton, Machiavelli, Francis Bacon, Saint Augustine, Boethius, Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Burke, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Kant, Schopenhauer, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Rusell and Bergson and others....are found in this work. Quotes are sprinkled throughout and many of the pictures have an information block to explain how they relate to the discussion. A fascinating look at how we have evolved as thinkers. As I always have said: When you find truth, you will know it for what it is. This work contains truth AND ideas that are false. It is for you to decide what you will believe! ;> <br /> <br />Professor Bryan Magee was educated at Oxford University, England. he took a degree