Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Introduction & Overview of Philosophy
Review: REVIEW: It's not often that I refer to a book as "beautiful", but that's the first word that comes to my mind for this book. I wish more books that tackle serious subjects were written in this style. It opens up learning of the subject to a broader audience. Magee's book seems almost perfect as an introduction, overview, and rough history of philosophy. It should make an excellent introduction and light reference book to the non-expert reader. I have often read books (e.g. books by Peter Drucker) that refer to various philosophers and their writings and I typically felt I had an inadequate understanding since I had very little knowledge of philosophy. So I borrowed this book from a library and enjoyed it so much that I decided to purchase it. I especially like the way the book is organized into small, easy to read chapters with many graphics, and short sidebars. Magee also does an excellent job of tying the philosophers into the context of the art, religion, and history of each period (in a basic, not too detailed way). STRENGTHS: Easy to read; very well organized; lots of supporting graphics (e.g. photos of period art) and sidebars; excellent index and list of suggested further readings for each philosopher; just the right level of detail for an introduction. WEAKNESSES: Academics or those more knowledgable of philosophy may find the book too simple, or even childish (easy to read and lots of pictures). WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: Those who do not have an existing knowledge base of philosophy and who are looking for an easy to read general introduction, overview, or history of philosophy. [feedback welcome]
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Introduction & Overview of Philosophy
Review: REVIEW: It's not often that I refer to a book as "beautiful", but that's the first word that comes to my mind for this book. I wish more books that tackle serious subjects were written in this style. It opens up learning of the subject to a broader audience. Magee's book seems almost perfect as an introduction, overview, and rough history of philosophy. It should make an excellent introduction and light reference book to the non-expert reader. I have often read books (e.g. books by Peter Drucker) that refer to various philosophers and their writings and I typically felt I had an inadequate understanding since I had very little knowledge of philosophy. So I borrowed this book from a library and enjoyed it so much that I decided to purchase it. I especially like the way the book is organized into small, easy to read chapters with many graphics, and short sidebars. Magee also does an excellent job of tying the philosophers into the context of the art, religion, and history of each period (in a basic, not too detailed way). STRENGTHS: Easy to read; very well organized; lots of supporting graphics (e.g. photos of period art) and sidebars; excellent index and list of suggested further readings for each philosopher; just the right level of detail for an introduction. WEAKNESSES: Academics or those more knowledgable of philosophy may find the book too simple, or even childish (easy to read and lots of pictures). WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: Those who do not have an existing knowledge base of philosophy and who are looking for an easy to read general introduction, overview, or history of philosophy. [feedback welcome]
Rating:
Summary: "Everyman's" (and student's) guide to understanding philosop
Review: The teacher in me, and the student in me, LOVES this book. I like the way it's organized, the pictures, the perspective. It's a beginner's look at the subject without being simplistic or patronizing. Easy to read - straight through or in parts. I wish I could buy this book for my own reference library, but it's not available!!!???
Rating:
Summary: Great Intro to Philosophy
Review: This book is the reason I love philosophy. Written by Bryan Magee, this book covers philosophy from Early history all the way to present times. And the best part is, it's easy to understand! It gives a chief philosopher or groups of philosophers a couple a pages and goes into a casual kind of history and basic idea of the belief held by the philosophy. And it's DK published, so it's loaded with pictures and other interesting facts. Must have for anybody interested in philosphy.
Rating:
Summary: A great introduction to philosophy
Review: This book provides an excellent introduction to philosophy. There are also many beautiful photographs, which add to the quality and general appearance of the book. Bryan Magee captures the essence of the thought of literally dozens of philosophers who lived over a span of more than 2,000 years. He is able to translate complex ideas into a format that is interesting to the nonprofessional. If one could read just one book on western philosophy, this one would be a good choice. As someone who has studied philosophy at both the undergraduate and doctoral levels, I can say that this is one of the best books I have read on the subject. Magee's writing style is to be commended. He makes reading a pleasure. I have added most of his other books to my list of books to read.
Rating:
Summary: A great one volume introduction to philosophy
Review: This is quite simply the easiest and best one volume introduction to philosophy there is. All the major philosophers are covered in concise and beautifully illustrated essays. It is a shame that it is out of print, but one can still obtain it through the Quality Paperback Book Club.
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