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Rating: 
Summary: Dictionary of Philosophy
Review: A helpful reference book for the beginning philosophy student. It lists philosophical terms in alphabetical order and is easy to use as a dictionary. Great if you are memorizing terms or looking up the names of philosophers and need a quick answer.
Rating: 
Summary: Oxford University Press at its best!
Review: Apparently Blackburn's purpose is to provide a dictionary that is helpful to the novice and general reader, and his dictionary admirably succeeds in making the language of philosophy accessible. Although the graduate student and the professional will probably not find the book to be especially useful, much good can come from bringing philosophy to the non-specialist. Oxford University Press should be commended for adding this title to the many books it has published in an effort to bring knowledge to the novice and general reader. Because Blackburn's dictionary meets its objective, this one gets five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Witty? Yes. But vague and insufficient as well.
Review: I own and have been extremely happy with Oxfords "Dictionary of World Religions" (J. Bower ed.) and was hoping for something similar with Blackburn's dictionary. However, I'm sadly disappointed. Rather than the concise, informative, flowing style of Bowker's work, I find broad generalizations, questions rather than statements and several entries ended in "this is much debated." Of course, to those completely new to Philosophy this may be far more useful than direct, clear definitions of terms, but to any student of philosophy, this text will soon prove more frustrating than useful. I would suggest the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, (R. Audi ed.) for a much broader, clearer, (albeit less charming) Dictionary.
Rating:
Summary: Witty? Yes. But vague and insufficient as well.
Review: I own and have been extremely happy with Oxfords "Dictionary of World Religions" (J. Bower ed.) and was hoping for something similar with Blackburn's dictionary. However, I'm sadly disappointed. Rather than the concise, informative, flowing style of Bowker's work, I find broad generalizations, questions rather than statements and several entries ended in "this is much debated." Of course, to those completely new to Philosophy this may be far more useful than direct, clear definitions of terms, but to any student of philosophy, this text will soon prove more frustrating than useful. I would suggest the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, (R. Audi ed.) for a much broader, clearer, (albeit less charming) Dictionary.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: Philosophy is, at best, a difficult business. Whether one is a professional philosopher (whatever that means), or a casual reader, any discussion of philosophy requires familiarity with a huge number of specialized terms. A philosophical dictionary allows the reader to quickly ground himself in the vocabulary without losing the train of thought. The various encyclopedias of philosophy are more comprehensive, but they serve a completely different purpose. If you are looking for in depth analysis, turn to an encyclopedia, but for a quick definition, this volume is perfect. The entries contain just the perfect amount of information. You are quickly gotten up to speed, without bogging down in endless peripheral issues. In short, a valuable supplement to philosophical studies, both for the novice and for the more experienced reader of philosophical texts.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: Professor Blackburn has written a concise, clear, and witty dictionary of philosophical and political terms covering a wide array of traditions, both Eastern and Western. And like all the best reference works, it carries the flavor of an individual author, displaying, here and there, touches of idiosyncratic wit and charm. Many of Blackburn's definitions are masterpieces of concision and fairness--see, for instance, his entry on Nietzsche, which squeezes a century's worth of scholarship into two-and-a-half lucid columns. This delightful book has earned a permanent place on my desktop.
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