Philosophy

An Illustrated History of Thought (Ponderables)

Tom Jackson

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Hardback

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English

Shelter Publications
01 October 2014

Philosophy

Series: Ponderables

Here is the essential guide to philosophy, an authoritative yet fun reference book and timeline on the compilation of human knowledge. Both art and science attempt answers to the big questions—what is truth, how to be good, and where did we come from?—but philosophy is the interpreter we turn to verify it all. We need it to make sense of the simplest math and the most esoteric of poetry and it has even created a science of information itself. We begin our journey at the boundary of myth and reason and along the way we visit the thoughts of the most high-flying of minds, Socrates, Descartes, Kant and others, who could see that nothing, not ever-changing words, limitless numbers or mystical visions, were beyond examination. And we shall see that philosophy, far from being the work of dead geniuses, is today at the heart of our battle to make sense of the quantum Universe.

Edited by: Tom Jackson
Imprint: Shelter Publications
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 282mm, Width: 240mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 1.293kg
ISBN: 9780985323073
ISBN 10: 0985323078
Series: Ponderables
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 01 October 2014
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Philosophy: An Illustrated History of Thought (Ponderables)

"""This thoughtful and engagingly illustrated large-format book is popular science writer Jackson's (Mathematics: An Illustrated History of Numbers) fifth entry in the series. It chronologically presents '100 Ideas That Changed the World'--from monism and the Tao, through the 'five ways, ' utopia, Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, and Hegel's Spirit, up to philosophical zombies and 'is [existence] a computer simulation?'--each summarized in a half or a whole page or a spread. Jackson rounds out the book with descriptions of the 'schools' of philosophy and brief lives of the great philosophers. The included fold-out wall chart contextualizes the history of philosophy amid world events, science and invention, and culture. The chart's back adds biographies of 35 more exceptional minds that shaped the discipline. VERDICT: A colorful, thought-provoking book that presents the broad sweep of philosophical topics and figures with token attention to non-Western thinkers and women in the field. While suitable for high school and above, the text is occasionally marred by inaccuracies, and some explanations will make sense only to readers already familiar with the concept described. Stephen Law's Philosophy and David Papineau's Philosophy are quality alternatives by established philosophers."" -- Steve Young, McHenry County College, Crystal Lake, IL Library, January 1, 2015"