A Brief History of Philosophy

by Derek Johnston

Book Overview

A fun, concise and attractive introduction to a fascinating and challenging subject. This is the ideal book for teenagers and students coming to philosophy for the first time, or indeed for anyone who just doesn't know where to start. The book examines 18 key thinkers, from Socrates to Derrida, exploring their ideas in relation to each other and to their historical and cultural contexts. Derek Johnston uses clear and accessible language to present...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826490204
• ISBN13: 9780826490209
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Continuum
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Major ideas clearly presented

This history of Philosophy presents the basic ideas of a number of major philosophers in a very clear and simple way. The feeling is that the book is for the General Reader who wants some basic conception of Philosophy. Clarity of course can be misleading, and the complexity of thought of most of the thinkers presented is not encompassed here. While most of the Philosophers presented are truly in the main tradition of Western Philosophy there are some whose place there I would strongly question. Marx is a social thinker , and Derrida a Literary Critic as I understand their work. However the main point is that it is certainly possible to learn from this work basic conceptions of major philosophers.