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A Little History of Philosophy (Little Histories) Paperback – October 30, 2012

by Nigel Warburton (Author)

4.6 1,335 ratings

Part of: Little Histories (13 books)

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For readers of E. H. Gombrich’s A Little History of the World, an equally irresistible volume that brings history’s greatest philosophers to life

“A primer in human existence: philosophy has rarely seemed so lucid, so important, so worth doing and so easy to enter into. . . . A wonderful introduction for anyone who’s ever felt curious about almost anything.”—Sarah Bakewell, author of How To Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer

Philosophy begins with questions about the nature of reality and how we should live. These were the concerns of Socrates, who spent his days in the ancient Athenian marketplace asking awkward questions, disconcerting the people he met by showing them how little they genuinely understood. This engaging book introduces the great thinkers in Western philosophy and explores their most compelling ideas about the world and how best to live in it.

In forty brief chapters, Nigel Warburton guides us on a chronological tour of the major ideas in the history of philosophy. He provides interesting and often quirky stories of the lives and deaths of thought-provoking philosophers from Socrates, who chose to die by hemlock poisoning rather than live on without the freedom to think for himself, to Peter Singer, who asks the disquieting philosophical and ethical questions that haunt our own times.

Warburton not only makes philosophy accessible, he offers inspiration to think, argue, reason, and ask in the tradition of Socrates. A Little History of Philosophy presents the grand sweep of humanity’s search for philosophical understanding and invites all to join in the discussion.

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From the Publisher

Little histories: Explore the histories of the world's most remarkable people, events, and ideas.

Part of the bestselling LITTLE HISTORIES series; photo of stacked books from the series

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Survey the entire history of (western) philosophy through short intellectual biographies of 40 philosophers from Socrates to Peter Singer, in as broadly approachable a style as E. H. Gombrich’s A Little History of the World. A tall order; that Warburton (of the excellent podcast Philosophy Bites) has succeeded so well is a triumph.”—Steven Poole, The Guardian

“Forty short chapters offer an informative, clear guide to forty major Western philosophers. Warburton’s casual, conversational style belies the erudition that has gone into his book.”—Katie Owen, Sunday Telegraph

“This brisk primer is, for the neophyte, a good place to start immersing oneself in the history of Western thought.”—Publishers Weekly

“A charming read.”—Christian Century

“The book has a certain quality that comes from accepting a challenge under severe conditions, then taking it on without making a big deal of the whole thing. And the word for that quality is grace.”—Scott McLemee, Inside Higher Ed

“With this sweeping and enjoyable work the author affirms that deliberating on reality and questioning how our lives are best lived is still worth the trouble.”—PopMatters

“If you are looking for a book about philosophy, Nigel Warburton’s A Little History of Philosophy is the place to begin. . . . Accessible, funny and informative.”—Sacramento News and Review

“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. A wonderful introduction for anyone who’s ever felt curious about almost anything.”—Sarah Bakewell, author of How To Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer

“A lively and eye-catching book, written in an easy style which should have splendid appeal for a young audience.”—Peter Cave, author of Can a Robot be Human?: 33 Perplexing Philosophy Puzzles

About the Author

Nigel Warburton is a freelance philosopher, bestselling author of many popular introductions to philosophy, and co-host of the much-loved Philosophy Bites podcast. He lives in Oxford, UK.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; Reprint edition (October 30, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300187793
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300187793
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #33,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #250 in History of Philosophy & Schools of Thought

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4.6 1,335 ratings

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Nigel Warburton

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Nigel Warburton (1962 - ). Nigel Warburton is a freelance philosopher and podcaster and bestselling author of several popular introductory Philosophy books including A Little History of Philosophy, Philosophy: The Basics, Thinking from A to Z, Philosophy: The Classics, Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction, Philosophy: Basic Readings, Freedom: An Introduction with Readings, and The Art Question. He has also co-edited two books based on his popular Philosophy podcast which he makes with David Edmonds 'Philosophy Bites'. On Twitter he his @philosophybites, and he runs the weblogs Virtual Philosopher and Art and Allusion. His other podcasts include Social Science Bites, Free Speech Bites, Everyday Philosophy, and Philosophy: The Classics - all available on iTunes.

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David E. McCoy

Solid Philosophy Intro Book

Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024

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I love this philosophy book. My buddy and I got it to guide us in some armchair philosophy conversations. We're familiar with most of the people in here, and this just gives us some additional insight and reminders of the big items so we can better discuss them. It's well written and well organized. Incredibly easy to just pick up and flow through some of the philosophers.

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Shazoops

Well written and easy to read for a basic understanding of some of ...

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2015

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This is a real neat Philosophy 101 book. Well written and easy to read for a basic understanding of some of the recognized best philosophers. I found it especially interesting how the author could condense into just a few pages the essence of what these " great minds" took an entire book (s) to expound.

It seems evident that some, like Aquinas and Augustine are now more or less meaningless.

My favorite is Charles Darwin, not a bona fide philosopher for sure, but who had a real good response to a question asked of him about the existence of God. He said: The entire subject is too profound for the intellect of man.

Pretty good answer, heh?

2 people found this helpful

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Temp

Great intro to philosophy!

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2023

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This made philosophy understandable to a regular joe. Fast easy read that is enjoyable for anyone.

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2023

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It seems to me an effective test of the utility of a book is it’s ability to inspire additional learning. By this measure “A Little History of Philosophy” is a rousing success.

Introductory. Well organized. Well simplified. Well synthesized.

One person found this helpful

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Haley Beanie

Buy your books used from Amazon.

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022

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Buy your books used from Amazon. Theyre just roughed up enough as if you went and bought them from a library. Because they CAN come FROM a library! Im glad i got mine this way. Cheaper and not dirty, they come with joyous little surprises, helpful notes, and it's cute to see how helpful what's in your hands now, was to someone else then.. plus this book freakin slaps

One person found this helpful

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Ronald W. Pies

A very good, basic introduction to Western philosophy, written very clearly.

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2021

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A very good, basic introduction to Western philosophy, written very clearly. Some problems with the section on Stoicism, but generally, very well done

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Roland Machold

Western philosophy that is readable and concise

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2013

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This book provides a concise and illuminating history of philosophy. It is a sort of super Cliff Note, in that its 40 chapters cover 46 philosophers (Kant has two chapters) from Socrates to Peter Singer, and they are linked together over time. My own demographic is that of a retired but still curious civil servant who is still trying to catch up on the great span of my own life and learning. My only philosophy course at Yale was taught by the renowned Professor Rorty, and it was incomprehensible to me at the time. This book clarifies and organizes the course of western philosophy from its beginnings in readable chapters. The author is very articulate and even handed. Every one of these thinkers was controversial in their times, and the author notes and balances their thoughts with competing thoughts and shows how they were linked to each other and to the history of their respective times. I give copies of this book to friends, one of whom remarked that it would help him with his cocktail conversation for all time. This is true, but the book is much better than that!

4 people found this helpful

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dcreader

For neophytes only

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2012

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Reading Nigel Warburton's A Little History of Philosophy makes me appreciate even more (if that is possible) EH Gombrich's A Little History of the World. In about 300 pages, Gombrich relayed just about every event of significance in world history in an erudite, extraordinarily humane way. His book has been in print for so long and in so many languages, it has inspired an attempt to do the same for philosophy. Unfortunately, Warburton's efforts fall short in many respects, despite providing a delightful entre for true neophytes.

A Little History of Philosophy tries to accomplish its task by breaking the development of philosophy up into 40 chapters, each focused on one or two philosophers. Each contains some brief biographical material and a discussion of one or two ideas associated with him or her. After reading A Little History, a reader will know the "big names" and become familiar with some of the more interesting questions and ideas raised over the millennia since Socrates hectored his fellow Athenians about what they really understood and believed. Warburton is careful to illustrate philosophical concepts in a manner that assumes no prior knowledge of philosophy.

More specifically, he covers both the famous (e.g. Plato, Aristotle, Kant, etc.) and some lesser known figures to the general public (Spinoza, Pierce, Foot, etc.), and includes even the most modern thinkers such as Rawls and Singer. His concept of "philosophy" is broad enough to cover ethics, political philosophy, economic philosophy, theology, ontology, and even some philosophy of science. He generally tries to pair different approaches or variations (e.g., Bentham and Mill on utilitarianism). A true beginner will certainly finish the book knowing a good deal more than she did when she started, is unlikely to be confused, and will likely be inspired to take a "deeper dive" into those topics or philosophers she found most engaging. This is the good news. Those who are even a little better versed in philosophy, however, will find less of interest.

Even assuming the book is geared towards beginners, though, Warburton could have done even better in certain respects. He fails to introduce readers to the basic vocabulary of philosophy in many cases. A glossary at the end would be helpful. Opportunities to compare one philosopher's views on a particular subject with another are sometimes missed. And, in some cases, Warburton chooses a particularly odd concept to discuss in a chapter. For example, a reader will not learn anything about John Locke's Second Treastise of Government and Locke's views on the contractual nature of government and the consent of the governed. Curiously, Warburton chooses to focus on Locke's views on memory and humanity. The political philosophy of Rousseau is well presented, however, and one wishes Warburton had paired him with Edmund Burke in a chapter that covered both views on 18th century political developments. He omits Peter Singer's most controversial thesis altogether (that perhaps we should permit the killing of severely disabled newborns) despite the point of his final chapter being that philosophy is still a vital force in forcing us to rethink the comfortably familiar.

In sum, A Little History is best left to those looking for a gentle introduction to philosophy in general, with readers looking for depth in any particular subject better off elsewhere.

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Nitram

Good overview

Reviewed in Canada on February 9, 2024

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The layout is good: short descriptions with clear examples.
It reads well and it presents different philosophers in an interesting way.

Ivan M. T. Camargo

Um Belo Resumo

Reviewed in Brazil on August 26, 2021

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O livro é excelente! O autor faz pequenos textos explicando quem eram e como pensavam os grandes filósofos do ocidente. Sócrates, Kant, Marx e Freud são exemplos de filósofos tratado no livro.
O texto é muito bem escrito. Sempre com com bom humor e fazendo a conexão entre as ideias e o que ocorria no momento histórico. Fazia tempo que eu não lia um livro tão bom.

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