Publication date: 14th September 2011 Contact: Jessica Lee
£14.99 / 40 illus. / 288 pp. (E)
ISBN: 9780300152081 (T) 020 7079 4900
“A primer in human existence; philosophy has rarely seemed so lucid, so important, so worth doing and so easy to enter into. It's refreshing to see the subject presented in terms of the history of ideas rather than of timeless concepts; it makes a wonderful introduction for anyone who's ever felt curious about almost anything.”— Sarah Bakewell, author of How To Live, or, A Life of Montaigne
Following the phenomenal success of the English language translation of ‘A Little History of the World’ Nigel Warburton picks up E. H. Gombrich’s wonderfully engaging style as well as his spirit of playfulness, to take the reader on a journey through the history of philosophy.
Philosophy begins with questions about the nature of reality and how we should live. In this engaging introduction Nigel Warburton takes the reader chronologically through some key moments in Western philosophy’s history, from the execution of Socrates to the present day animal rights movement. In 40 short chapters Warburton explores the most compelling ideas of some of the most brilliant minds humanity has known. Written in clear language and an accessible style, A Little History of Philosophy is not just a survey of ideas, but encourages readers to think for themselves.
Many people feel intimidated by philosophy, but this book makes difficult concepts easy to understand through an entertaining narrative. Recurring themes throughout history, such as ‘what is reality?’ and ‘how should I live?’ emphasize the fact that philosophy is relevant to all and its questions remain pertinent today. A Little History of Philosophy presents the grand sweep of humanity’s search for a bigger understanding and invites all to join in.
This book is the second book published by Yale to have been inspired by E.H. Gombrich’s A Little History of the World. A Little Book of Language by David Crystal was previously published, in March 2010.
Nigel Warburton is a senior lecturer in philosophy at The Open University. He is the author of several popular introductions to philosophy and is the interviewer on the Philosophy Bites podcast www.philosophybites.com. He also has over 14,000 followers on Twitter www.twitter.com/philosophybites