From Socrates to Sartre : The Philosophic Quest

Rating:
Summary: Very good introduction...
Review: Being philosophy one of my main interests , I have read several introductory books, and this book is , in my humble opinion, one of the best around. It explains in very clear fashion all the concepts and theories and keeps going back to them so that you are always in contact with the main issues presented in the book.
On the other hand , I just love the style and the well balanced way in which Prof. Lavine presents and discusses every topic.

Rating:
Summary: Indepth Overview of 6 Philosophers
Review: I gave the book a 3 in the thought that there are better philosophy overview books than this one here, otherwise, I would give the book a 4. The book isn't necessarily a great start for anyone looking to get a good overview of most Western philosophy. Although, if one were looking to get a more indepth look at the six philosophers of Plato, Descartes, Hume, Hegel, Marx, and Sartre, then, yes, the book is certainly not bad. The book brushes briefly on the philosophers that pertain, at least marginally in some fashion, to the other philosophers mentioned (i.e. Aristotle to Plato, Locke to Hume, Nietzsche to Sartre).

On a side note, from what I've heard the hardcover version of this book, wrriten by a different author, is far better, and as for a good overall introductory philosophy book I recommend Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder instead.

Rating:
Summary: Detailed and easy-to-follow
Review: Lavine's attempt at an overall view of philosophy from the beginnings to the modern day is very successful. What many have tried to do and failed, she comes through in aces. She presents each thinker in such a manner that the reader is informed about the philosopher's "thoughts", the historical significance of each, and the faults of each particular philosophy. Lavine writes this book as if she were speaking to you, never speaking "down" to the reader; her style of writing is innovative. An especially nice touch is the glossary of terms. She educates the novice as well as the "professional". The section on Sartre is the best!!!

Rating:
Summary: a well-balanced survey of the history of philosophy
Review: Professor Lavine, who teaches (or taught) philosophy at George Washington University, invades the late night airwaves once a week on Maryland Public Television's "College of the Air" programming during the regular school year. This is the book on which her television course is based. "From Socrates to Sartre" is a brief, yet thought-provoking analysis of six major Western philosophers: Socrates, Descartes, Hume, Hegel, Marx, and Sartre. Interspersed between the discussions of these six thinkers are brief chapters about transformational periods in Western philosophy and their major figures (e.g., Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Leibniz, Husserl, etc.). Though I regret that some of these other major philosophers are given rather cursory treatment, at least they are mentioned. Had the author given every major philosopher full treatment, she would have written a much less welcoming book for the neophyte student.

That leaves us with Professor Lavine's detailed and candid exploration of the six philosophers she has aptly chosen. Her writing style is straightforward and crafted with just the right mix of serious complexity and common-sense explanation. Some parts of the chapters get overloaded with raised questions, but that is what philosophy is all about. Rather than guide the reader through what ought to be thought, she leaves many of these questions open, prompting the sort of self-examination that is the crucial basis of any introductory philosophical survey. I would recommend this book, really only second to Will Durant's THE STORY OF PHILOSOPHY (and, I guess, Thomas Nagel's WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?, too), to any reader curious about exploring the history of the Western philosophical tradition.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: This book is a great introduction to philosophy. I will even go as far as to say it's the best introductory book I have ever read. The book expounds on concepts that are made more difficult than they should be with other so-called introductory books on philosophy, and makes them easy to understand.

For the first time in my life, I can honestly say I understand the concept of metaphysics and have a good grounding on it. As other reviewers have pointed out, the book is a little bit outdated because it was written a couple of decades ago, but its ease of understanding and very clear prose are what make it worthwhile.

I would highly recommend this book for those who consider themselves laymen as well as for students and those more advanced in philosophy (who are few and far between).

Rating:
Summary: Take the book for what it is
Review: This is a nice little book that examines metaphysics (the philosophy of reality) by a cursory examination of six philosophers. This is not an all-encompassing book on world philosophy (no attention is paid to non-western thought) nor is it an in depth examination of any one school of thought or a particular philospher. This book is an introduction to a segment of philosophy and should be evaluated on that basis.

Thelma Lavine does a nice job of putting the various philosphers (Plato, Descartes, Hume, Hegel, Marx, Sartre) in their historic context; of concisely outlining their major contributions to the advancement of philosophic thought; and then summarizing the critics of each.

What I like about the book is the ability to read it in segments. I started with Descartes then went back to Plato skipped ahead to Sartre and then back to Hume ignoring Marx altogether (not that Marx is unimportant, but I felt that I was already pretty well versed in Marxist thought.) Thanks to this book I am now interested in a more in depth exploration of existentialism and am anxious to delve into the source materials. I feel that I now have a context to read Nausea or the Stranger and hopefully, I will get more out of them with this background.

Rating:
Summary: Worse than the source material.
Review: This survey was our textbook for introductory philosophy this semester. It has two main faults: it's coverage and writing style.

It's coverage lacks in comprehensiveness. Aristotle, Augustine, Aquanis, Kant, and Locke are summarized with about a paragraph each, and many other important philosophers (Nietzsche, Hobbes, Lewis, etc.) are ignored completely. The actual meat of the book is not very valuable either: real insights into the philosophes are nonexistent, and the validity and applicability of their arguments is not emphasized.

The writing style is not conducive to learning, either. Ms. Levine gushingly introduces each philosopher as if they were the real answer, but then by the end of the section she is reduced to lamenting about the silly and pitiful holes in their arguments. Ms. Levine does not come across as an unbiased writer: her contempt for Descartes, for example, shows through. Worse, she spends more ink on the trimmings, context, and history of each philosopher, failing to clearly explain their logic.

The gaping holes in the comprehensiveness of this 'survey', and pervasiveness of Ms. Levine's (...) writing style combine to make reading this book pure torture. Two thumbs down.

Rating:
Summary: From Outward Sensations...to Inward Knowing...
Review: This volume does not present itself as a comprehensive
overview of all of Western (or Eastern) philosophy. It is
rather an excellent focus on several major philosophers
and the major areas which their philosophies examined,
analyzed, and attempted to explain. Additional volumes
which might be added along with this one would be
Bertrand Russell's A HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILSOPHY, Will
Durant's THE STORY OF PHILOSOPHY, and a non-philosophy
book, but an excellent overview and beginning guide to
further more specific reading and research -- Charles
Van Doren's A HISTORY OF KNOWLEGE.
How do we know? And, how do we know -- that we know?
What are the processes by which we take the stimulations
from the external world -- through our eyes, ears, nose,
mouth, skin -- transmit them to our brain, and then have
them decoded, categorized, analyzed, correlated, and
turned into thoughts, ideas, and actions? Most of us
never think about this intricate, and very profound

procedure, because it happens so fast -- and we have
done it so often. But we should think about it carefully
and often. We should question the motives behind our
associations and categorizations of ideas. Do we fall
into "habits" (biases, prejudices) of pleasure or ego
which form the usual basis for our thought formations
and actions...which prevent us from seeing and understanding
things objectively...and more in their fuller light?
This excellent volume examines those same ideas in
light of the philosophies of a select group of deep
thinkers. But the writing in this work is clear,
insightful, and very stimulating to further reading
in the philosophers themselves. The philosophers covered
in this work (after an "Introduction" titled -- "The
Indestructible Questions") are: Plato; Descartes;
Hume; Hegel; Marx; and Sartre. There is a concluding
section titled: The Contemporary Scene in Philosophy.
Each of these major divisions is subdivided into
sections on the important concepts, analyses, and
understandings contributed by the major philosopher.
The sub-sections under PLATO are titled: Virtue is
Knowledge; Shadow and Substance; The Divided Line;
The Tri-Partite Soul; The Ideal State. The sub-sections
under DESCARTES are: Historical Transition to the
Modern World; Doubting to Believe; God Exists; The
Clockwork Universe; Body and Soul. The sub-sections
under HUME are: How do you Know?; "A Well-Meanin'
Critter"; Will the Sun Rise Tomorrow?: Reason--"Slave
of the Passions". The sub-sections under HEGEL are:
A Revolution in Thought; The Real is the Rational;
Master and Slave; The Cunning of Reason; The Owl of
Minerva. The sub-sections under MARX are: The Young
Hegelian; Alienated Man; The Conflict of Classes;
The World to Come. The sub-sections under SARTRE
are: My Existence is Absurd; Nausea; "Condemned to
be Free"; No Exit.
Many people are offended by the idea that Plato
suggested the censoring of dramatists and poets who
play on the passions of their audiences. They have
labeled Plato everything from a Fascist to a proto-
Communist. The author of this text does an excellent
presentation of Plato's point (one which might bear
modern relevance): "Why does Plato so degrade and
devalue the artist? Plato is suspicious of all forms
of communication which use images, such as painting,
poetry, sculpture, drama, religious ritual. These
art forms use images to provide fantasy rather than
truth, and Plato feared that the passions of the
public are easily stimulated, influenced, and controlled
by their persuasive imagery. (What would Plato think
of our public relations industry, which is in the
business of manufacturing images for its clients?)"
One doesn't have to agree with Plato...but one can
certainly see his point through this clear and
objective presentation. It is to our benefit to
examine our own biases and "habits" of thinking
and analyzing -- to keep ourselves keen to seeking
the truth of what is, rather than what we would like
it to be. We need to have a firmer basis for our
thinking and evaluating (giving of value) rather than
what "pleases" us, feeds our own vanity or ego, or
whatever confirms "our group's" way of "seeing" things.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Introduction
Review: To the layman (like myself) looking for an introduction to some (but not all) of the defining philosophic movements of Western Civilization, this book is both exciting and informative.

While the author's style may be a little dense for some people, it is well organized, cohesive and thought-provoking. Ms. Lavine doesn't shy away from presenting each philosopher's contribution in the context of their own time and location, and intersperses a small amount of relevant biographical information for all of them. This makes it much easier for someone who doesn't have much background to relate to and incorporate the ideas that are presented.

Though there are only six philosphers covered in-depth (Socrates, Descartes, Hume, Hagel, Marx and Sartre), other philosophers and their contributions are referenced here and there where it relates to the text. Lots of good names to drop ;-) Each philospher is given several chapters in each section, making it nice and easy to reference.

Although I found some parts to be out-dated (the section on Marx makes one or two mild references to Soviet Russia), tedious and/or uninspiring, they were few and far between. The best compliment I can give is that I am now very excited about learning more on the subject of philosophy in general and I have an excellent frame of reference to get started.