NOT SOPHIE'S WORLD
I am looking for a book that focuses on :
- EXPLAINS philosophical jargons(solipsism, syndicalism or whatever the fuck) in SIMPLE manor (explaining their etymology)
- Categorizing every sub-disciplines of philosophies like metaphysics, logic, epistemology, etc… (I don't know how many there are)
- General timeline of philosophers and what did they focus on (which sub categories for example)
- Their influences and what was going on around the world that impacted them, other philosophers they agreed/disagreed on
- Assumes no prior knowledge on philosophy
I am NOT looking for exhaustive series of books like Copleston series.
What I've seen recommended generally on internet :
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The History of Philosophy – A.C. Grayling – 2019 – 720 Pages
-
A History of Western Philosophy – Bertrand Russell – 1945 – 895 Pages
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The Story of Philosophy – Will Durant – 1926 – 538 Pages
-
A Little History of Philosophy – Nigel Warburton – 2011 – 261 Pages
If you've read any of these books, please tell me how do they suffice the criteria.
by thatiskute
1 Comment
I’ve read AC Grayling’s one and I’d say it’s pretty good and along the lines of what you’re looking for: gives a pretty comprehensive and easy to read summary of the western canon + has extra chapters on specific areas in contemporary philosophy e.g. philosophy of mind etc.
It also has chapters on eastern/african philosophy which you may find interesting. You could always just pick out some the chapters you want and skip others.
I’d also recommend using the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy for more info on specific topics and concepts (the entries vary in complexity). Additionally, if you want a good up-to-date summary of a particular area of philosophy then the Routledge Contemporary Introductions are great.