Looking At Philosophy: The Unbearable Heaviness of Philosophy Made Lighter

Philosophy - made lighter, made mainly comprehensible - though there remain a few figures in philosophical narrative, even made lighter, who achieve only the status of a decaf skinny latte: why bother? But Palmer overcomes the incomprehensibility of most Western philosophers (well maybe not Heidegger) and makes the journey worthwhile. In 75% of cases he even whets the appetite for more - all with humour and delightful drawings. That and a zany font. This is a wonderful book, and while some philosophy undergrads might turn up their noses at its deceptive simplicity, they should not do so: it makes philosophy an enjoyable discourse.

An excellent (to my uneducated mind) summary of a bunch of important philosophers and their relation to "the tradition" and their own movements. Does a great job of making some of their major ideas relatively understandable. The drawings are pretty goofy but sometimes do actually help to illuminate the text. Enjoyed it a bunch.

2 criticisms:
- It mentions Freud quite a few times but never really describes anything about him
- Doesn't challenge Western orthodoxy - treats the Dark Ages as, well, "dark" when this isn't true and mostly ignores Muslim works, giving them short shrift even when they're essential to what others wrote

This is a very helpful book on major philosophers and philosophies up through post-structuralism. It explains philosophies lucidly while simultaneously mocking them. Highly recommended.

A useful overview of some of the major Western philosophical movements. It’s not a complete look, but it is a great place to get a sense of where to go next and who you’ll need to look up and read more of.

I never realized that Philosophy was so closely related to Mathematics, at least in the early years. That makes it difficult for me to digest a lot of it. The idea of philosophy as an exercise in pure logic dulls its appeal for me. I always thought of philosophy as a more romantic endeavor.

It seems like Plato and Aristotle said it all, and since then philosophers just alternated between the two. Not exactly, but that's about right. Plato was the more ethereal one, and Aristotle the more practical. This covers a couple dozen philosophers, from 6th c. B.C Thales (of earth, air, fire, and water, water is the most basic) of Greek Anatolia, to Wittgenstein (language allows philosophy to become absurd) and the modern day.

Ooit gekocht in een tweedehandswinkel - biedt een heel licht overzicht van de belangrijkste evoluties in de filosofie, en heeft al vaak dienst gedaan als geheugensteun. Wel niet aan te raden voor details.