A Brief History of Philosophy: From Socrates to Derrida

by Derek Johnston

Overview

A fun, concise and attractive introduction to a fascinating and challenging subject. This is the ideal book for teenagers and students coming to philosophy for the first time, or indeed for anyone who just doesn't know where to start. The book examines 18 key thinkers, from Socrates to Derrida, exploring their ideas in relation to each other and to their historical and cultural contexts. Derek Johnston uses clear and accessible language to present an engaging chronological picture of the key figures, events and ideas that have shaped the history of philosophy. No prior knowledge of philosophy is required to enjoy this incisive, reader-friendly introduction. This is the ideal book for general readers looking for a way into this fascinating but very often challenging subject.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826490209
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/09/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.46(d)

About the Author

Derek Johnston is a retired teacher. He was Vice-Principal of Midleton College, Co Cork, Ireland, where he taught for over 30 years.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Plato and Socrates: The Fire and the Sun
2. Aristotle: The Spirit of Rational Enquiry
3. Epicurus and Zeno: How to Lead a Good Life
4. St Thomas Aquinas: The Unified Interpretation of Reality
5. René Descartes: Systematic Doubt as Philosophical Method
6. John Locke and Montesquieu: The Liberal State
7. Benedict de Spinoza: Rigorous Thought and Severe Conclusions
8. David Hume: Empirical Verification
9. Immanuel Kant: The Critique of Reason
10. Karl Marx: The March of History
11. Friedrich Nietzsche: The Will to Power
12. Ludwig Wittgenstein: Language and Reality
13. Martin Heidegger: We Have Forgotten Being
14. Jean-Paul Sartre: Existentialist Anguish
15. Jacques Derrida: Deconstructing Reality
Conclusion
Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

In this accessible text complete with portraits, summary boxes and precise definitions of key terms, Johnston describes the mental workings of 18 of the greats. Working chronologically and also through themes, Johnston describes the trends from Socrates and Plato to Aristotle, Epicurus and Zeno, Aquinus, Descartes, Locke and Montesquieu, Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre and Derrida, opening each chapter with the most basic ideas and building to crisp explanations of some of the most complex ideas to ever hit paper. Although this can be read cover to cover to give high school students and the general public a running start, Johnston's appraisals and summaries also serve as references and refreshers.” —Reference and Research Book News

From the Publisher