Art Review (UK)
"On at least some level, [Baggini offers] the remedy to what the likes of Peterson or Malcolm Gladwell do: soberly appreciating ‘the sheer difficulty of thinking well’ - never reducing his counsel to hot takes or simple life hacks."
on 'The Great Guide: What David Hume Can Teach Us about Being Human and Living Well' - Los Angeles Review of Books
Bright, engaging, and reliable.
on 'The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten' - Publishers Weekly
Hugely entertaining.
Irish Times
"A witty primer on the art of thinking [and] an excellent guide to reasoning better as an ethical imperative."
Richard Holloway
If more philosophers wrote with the power and elegance Baggini achieves in this book, more of us would learn to think like them. Well, now we can!
on 'Freedom Regained: The Possibility of Free Will' - Wall Street Journal
A British philosopher who specializes in translating academic theories for a popular audience.
Metascience
"How to Think Like a Philosopher exemplifies the skills and virtues it describes: throughout Baggini offers a clear, precise, open-minded, context-sensitive, well-reasoned and well-supported defense of philosophical thinking. He draws on the insights of others, maintains a healthy perspective on philosophy’s strengths and occupational hazards, cites relevant facts, treats a range of views fairly, and is modest and reflective throughout. He walks his philosophical talk. . . The principles and virtues Baggini discusses will benefit anyone willing to put in the effort to improve their thinking. While not what we would normally call a ‘self-help’ book, How to Think Like a Philosopher is designed to help us help ourselves by being a bit more attentive, thoughtful, precise, and, in the end, philosophical."
Choice
"An interesting and fairly easy book to read, this could potentially be a kind of advanced introduction to philosophy, as there are many basic theories referenced. . . . Highly recommended."
The Herald (UK)
"In lively and engaging prose, the book distills some of history’s most important philosophical ideas. . . . This is an important book. Much more than a guide to critiquing other people’s arguments, it explains how we can each sharpen up our own act by becoming more attentive and—crucially—more generous in our thinking. It should be required reading for commentators, politicians and anyone who risks becoming too enamored with their own rectitude."
Anil Seth
Nobody thinks about thinking like Baggini. His latest book gives us an urgently needed guide to clear thinking, brought to life by a cast of our finest philosophers and illuminated by his gentle, humane, and accessible writing. Essential reading, both for making sense of a confusing world, and for living your everyday life. I’ll be returning to this brilliant book again and again.
Sarah Bakewell
An essential, inspiring guide to the challenges of our time, drawing on interviews with contemporary philosophers, and filled with the author’s insights and reflections. It is exactly the book that we need.
on 'The Great Guide: What David Hume Can Teach Us about Being Human and Living Well' - Foreword Reviews
[This book] has practical, life-changing applications.
on 'Freedom Regained: The Possibility of Free Will' - Observer
Baggini is that happy thing—a philosopher who recognizes that readers go glassy-eyed if presented with high-octane philosophical discourse. And yet [it] is in all our interests to consider crucial aspects of what it means to be human.
on 'The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten' - Entertainment Weekly
Bite-size nuggets of meditation . . . provocative.
