The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

A fascinating book to read through or delve into randomly. The chronological layout makes sense for readers new to the subject. The book presents the subject in a manner which has sufficient detail without making it heavy going and boggling the mind. Plenty of clear and illuminating diagrams augment the text. The lightly glossed paper has a quality feel and with the sturdy hardcover the book is good to hold and read. I buy most of my books on Kindle these days, but this is one of those which is definitely better to have in the hard copy.

This series of Big Ideas books by DK is very good. So far I have purchased a number of them and found them all highly informative and easy to read. This volume on philosophy is particularly good, covering all the main philosophers and many of their ideas in a clear, simple language that is not too difficult for any one to understand, and the illustrations and pictures only add to the overall quality of the text. I have learned a lot from this book and would thoroughly recommend it to others. I hope you find my review helpful.

This book dealt with groups of philosophers, categorised by era. It gave an overview of the main thoughts of each philosopher, which was clearly explained, with the help of very easily understood and concise diagrams. Most of the information given was quite thorough, inspiring me to look up some more detail elsewhere. My only complaint is that the index at the back could be better; it generally contained just the philosophers names, with very few generic topics listed, such as time, reality, the soul...that sort of thing. All in all, a good, broad introductory book.

The book is written as an introduction to the work of many philosophers, not just western ones, and gives a simple explanation of their way of thinking as well as mentioning some of their main points of view in philosophy. It makes excellent use of well presented flow diagrams and text and gives a time line for you to place these philosophers in. Although it is clearly not as in depth as the original works of many of these thinkers (who's quotes are interspersed in the text) it is clearly just an introduction to the subject, and a colourful and concise one at that!!! Excellent book.

This book is fantastic. It starts in the ancient world and comes right up to the present! It explains complicated ideas and thought in a simplified way. Anyone wanting to know more about Philosophy should start with this book.

I've really enjoyed reading this, it's resized a lot of questions that I can't wait to find out the answers to. I think the book in particular is good broadening your knowledge on the types of philosophy out there and providing a basic explanation of theories from the origins to contemporary philosophy but with enough information in order find out more elsewhere

I thought it was for kids but it is not really simple enough though it's certainly a good book for adults with slightly simplified cooncepts

A great book with lots of easy to digest info. If you'd like to have a easy introduction to philosophy this is your book, or equally if you are a philosophy fan then its just a great book to have. Love this range, arrived really quickly too. Would buy again and recommend.

très bien fait, simple à lire et à comprendre, surtout pour des personnes comme moi toujours pris par le temps (boulot et enfant) - et avec le confinement en ce moment je prend le temps de bien le lire, y compris la notice de ma TV.

Clearly the product of considerable efforts, this book superbly succeeds in attractively presenting major philosophers and their chief ideas in chronological order from Antiquity to the 21st century. One to six pages are devoted to each philosopher. In addition to a short but significant essay, each of these sections includes: • a ‘context’ box pointing out the applicable philosophical branch and approach as well as main predecessors and followers; • a short biography; • a list of key works; • references to linked thinkers discussed elsewhere in the book; • short quotations in bold script. The colourful and lively lay-out is fully worthy of current technological possibilities. Illustrations are abundant: cartoons, diagrams, photos of paintings or of philosophers’ portraits, etc. The book also includes timelines, a glossary, an index and a ‘directory’ of noteworthy truth-seekers who are not covered in individual sections. This work is warmly recommended to all: those familiar with philosophy will benefit from a unique synthesis and others will be stimulated to further their exploration of the topic.

Este libro es un buen compendio en inglés de la historia de la filosofía. Es sintético, claro y viene muy bien para tener una idea genérica de los principales pensadores occidentales y orientales también. No se necesita tener un nivel muy alto de inglés para entenderlo y tampoco de filosofía. Ideal para docentes y alumnos no universitarios y para toda aquella persona que esté interesada en tener un primer contacto con nuestra historia del pensamiento.

Book is great, looks appealing yet has a school / manual kind of feel. The book was to be a present but came bent. What is more, it squished the small box it was packed with so I had to restick seals and reinsert contents - that was a completely different order and meant for a different child. Box and book were not packed with foresight, either by seller or repacking facility. They both ended up smashed around corners and in an embarrassing state

An excellent text with great overviews of many philosophers and the basic premises of their views and philosophies. Fantastic for the student to get an overall understanding.