The Little Book of Philosophy: An Introduction to the Key Thinkers and Theories You Need to Know

Tremendous. The author stays objective for the most part, but his occasional finger prints and sense of humour make it less sterile of a read. Bought it for a 13 year old boy but end up reading it as well and I'm getting a comprehensive view of profound philosophical ideas that shaped the world we live in. Really appreciate this book. Kudos to the authors.

Rachel Poulton leads you steadily through the history of philosophical thoughts and ideas, highlighting key figures and theories along the way. I have been hesitant to delve into the world of philosophy for a long time due to the broadness of the topic and the intricate historical underpinning. I found this book to be well written and easy to understand for a beginner, it is clear and informative with subtle hints of Poulton's personality coming through along the way. The narrative follows an easy to follow chronology from ancient pre-Socratic thinkers right up to postmodern philosophy with the defining figures and their ideas laid out in a concise and easy to understand way. What I also think is great about this book is the key writings of each great mind are given throughout, in addition to a further reading section at the end, meaning any ideas of interest can be easily explored! I will definitely be taking my interest in philosophy to the next level with this book as the starting point, and I thoroughly recommend anyone who is considering learning to start here too!

A good simple introduction to the sublties of philosophy. clear and concise with sections on some of the great philosophical thinkers throughout history

This is great little book I've enjoyed reading each chapter just long enough for a break with a coffee. It has a condensed history of each individual with their most memorable or understood moments. It would be great for A Level students to keep poking into to remind themselves. Or a great read in the den or mancave or even better for the She Shed. (These terms are sad aren't they it's 2023 fgs.) You know, those special reading places set aside in your home.

I never got philosophy until I read this book! It is a great place to start and I've learnt so much, read it over a few nights, so quick and easy. Learnt about all the different times, and famous philosophers, some I'd heard of, others not. Highly recommend as a basic introduction.

Entries are simple and concise and come with historical background, so are useful as a starting point for a student planning an essay. The entries are light on actual philosophy - the essential idea is often just a few words. But it's nicely put together, well-written, and does a good job of depicting a continuum of western philosophy from Classical Greece onwards. There are also short, lightweight entries about Eastern philosophy. It is all thoroughly inoffensive, which is great for simplicity, but tougher criticism would give the beginner more of an experience. For more meat, consider the Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy.

Having never studied philosophy, I really enjoyed this book’s brief survey of a vast subject that always crossing my path. Approaches to life’s big questions are all here…it is brief and just a beginning and it has encouraged me to read more on philosophy.

The Little Book of Philosophy is one of series of “little Books of…”. This book provides a short history of the development of philosophy with a short description of the main ideas of key phiosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Confucius and Alain de Botton. There are also short chapters on some key philosophical subjects and areas such as Karma and Political Philosophy. As an introduction to philosophy the book certainly delivers. It provides just enough information so that the reader can decide whether the particular philosopher or subject is something you may want to investigate further. I am not keen on books that are not ‘book size; and would have preferred a thinner book size book but I suppose that idea is a little book of so that may have lost its point. Overall a good book if you want to know more about philosophy but not sure where to start.

Introduces important philosophers and concepts. Easy to understand and clear timeline! This book was inspiring and a good place to start for deeper investigation which I will definitely be doing now. I loved it!

Nice short historical description of the main philosophers, schools and their ideas

It was a very nice book, great and simple

Regt den Kopf an Themen aus unterschiedlichen Branchen und Sichtweisen zu betrachten. Super für alle Leser und nichtleser

Just got the book, and unfortunately came bent and some pages were folded. The other two books I had ordered came just fine, so it was just this one which didn’t have a protective plastic bag.