A Little History of Philosophy

By: Nigel Warburton

Narrated by: Kris Dyer

Philosophy begins with questions about the nature of reality and how we should live. These were the concerns of Socrates, who spent his days in the ancient Athenian marketplace asking awkward questions, disconcerting the people he met by showing them how little they genuinely understood.

This engaging book introduces the great thinkers in Western philosophy and explores their most compelling ideas about the world and how best to live in it. In forty brief chapters, Nigel Warburton guides us on a chronological tour of the major ideas in the history of philosophy. He provides interesting and often quirky stories of the lives and deaths of thought-provoking philosophers from Socrates, who chose to die by hemlock poisoning rather than live on without the freedom to think for himself, to Peter Singer, who asks the disquieting philosophical and ethical questions that haunt our own times.

Warburton not only makes philosophy accessible, he offers inspiration to think, argue, reason, and ask in the tradition of Socrates. A Little History of Philosophy presents the grand sweep of humanity's search for philosophical understanding and invites all to join in the discussion.

©2011 Nigel Warburton (P)2014 Audible Studios

Great recap of introductory philosophy

This book does not stick out in any spectacular way. It was well written but not prosaic. It was funny but not hilarious. It was informative, but it did not explore new frontiers. Still, I quite liked this book. Each chapter dealt with one or two of the usual suspects in the history of philosophy. Following the Western philosophical tradition, it begins, with Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and a few other Greek dudes. I was slightly disappointed that Democritus, a personal favorite, did not get a chapter. He then moves on, chronologically, devoting chapters to Machiavelli, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Hume, as well as Darwin and William James who I consider to be more like scientists (though I guess that scientists are in some sense philosophers). The author also devotes chapters to some modern scholars such as Bertrand Russell, Wittgenstein, Turing, and Peter Singer who is still trying to poke the world with his version of utilitarianism.

Since chapters are short and economically written, you rarely get bored as a reader. This is quite hard to do, and it seems to me that many authors lack the ability to only keep the most relevant text. Apart from a brief comprehensible description of the ideas of each philosopher, the author also provides the historical context. Unlike Bertrand Russell's History of Western philosophy, which is much much longer, this book does not give a detailed analysis of the validity of every idea. Typically it merely describes the ideas and leaves the rest to the reader.

If you have forgotten your introductory philosophy or if you would like to get an introduction to philosophy, but you don’t have weeks to spend then this book is an excellent choice.

Surprisingly entertaining

I was expecting a dry introduction/review of philosophy. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a light hearted sometimes funny review as if thought by a popular college professor. My only complaint was the inclusion of some "modern philosophers" like Darwin and Freud who although they had philosophies were not actually philosophers.

A great introduction to philosophy and philosipher

If you have an interest in learning more about philosophy and individual philosophers, this is a great place to start.

Amazing witty and fun summary

Loved this book- a great summary of famous philosophers delivered with British wit. Excellent listen!

Great for someone like me, with no prior knowledge

This was exactly what I was after. I appreciated the chronological telling and learned quite a few things that I shared with friends who also learned.

A really brief but comprehensive history indeed

This book provided an easily understandable and properly summarized history on philosophies. Highly recommended if you are like me, not preferring to be stacked by too much details yet wish to know what the western philosophy is about.

good for getting acquainted with philosophy

A smooth ride through the highlights and history of major philosophers. It stops before most contemporary, modern thinkers post 1950s. Definitely a book for beginners, look elsewhere for more in-depth analysis as this is a merely tour through history to help you get started. Nonetheless it it is a great starting point, presenting each philosopher without bias or judgement.

Broad overview of philosophy

Paints with a broad brush the history of philosophy. Nothing new, but a convenient refresher to put things in a useful context. It is about all of the philosophy that I need to know.

Readable, Simple Introduction to Philosophy

The title says it all: a brief introduction to the major philosophers and their major ideas, from Socrates to Peter Singer. Warbuton assumes you are a novice when it comes to philosophy, and writes in a conversational, non-academic style. It was an engaging, easy read, but a little too simple for me. I also question his inclusion of Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud, since they were not philosophers - at least not in the traditional sense. Still, it has whet my appetite for a more heavy course of philosophy.

Kris Dyer's narration is well-done, although when he recites quotes, he uses a gravely, somewhat garbled inflection. It was strange and unnecessary.

relevant

concise, very informative, a pleasure to listen to would listen to it again this is how philosophy should be explained