Father of existentialism or the Eeyore of philosophy?Known as the first modern theologian, SørenKierkegaard was a prolific writer of the Danish ''golden age''. A philosopher,poet and social critic, his key concepts of angst, despair, and theimportance of the individual, influenced many 20th-century philosophers andliterature throughout Europe.Dave Robinson and Oscar Zarate''s brilliant graphicguide explains what Kierkegaard means by ''anti-philosophy'', and tells anilluminati...
Our knowledge comes primarily from experience - what our senses tell us. But is experience really what it seems?The experimental breakthroughs in 17th-century science of Kepler, Galileo and Newton informed the great British empiricist tradition, which accepts a ''common-sense'' view of the world - and yet concludes that all we can ever know are ''ideas''.In Introducing Empiricism: A Graphic Guide, Dave Robinson - with the aid of Bill Mayblin''s brilliant illustrations - outli...
Bertrand Russell changed Western philosophy forever. He tackled many puzzles—how our minds work, how we experience the world, and what the true nature of meaning is. In Introducing Bertrand Russell we meet a passionate eccentric, active in world politics, who had outspoken views on sex, marriage, religion, and education.
Essential illustrated guide to key ideas of political thought. Philosophers have always asked fundamental and disturbing questions about politics. Plato and Aristotle debated the merits of democracy. The origins of society, the state and government authority were issues addressed by Hobbes, Rousseau, Hegel, Marx and many other philosophers. Introducing Political Philosophy explains the central concepts of this intriguing branch of philosophy and presents the major political t...
"Introducing Plato" begins by explaining how philosophers like Socrates and Pythagoras influenced Plato''s thought. It provides a clear account of Plato''s puzzling theory of knowledge, and explains how this theory then directed his provocative views on politics, ethics and individual liberty. It offers detailed critical commentaries on all of the key doctrines of Platonism, especially the very odd theory of Forms, and concludes by revealing how Plato''s philosophy stimulated...
Addresses such questions as: What is the place of individual choice and consequence in a post-Holocaust world of continuing genocidal ethnic cleansing? Is "identity" now a last-ditch cultural defence of ethnic nationalisms and competing fundamentalisms? And how do we define "rights", self-interest and civic duties?
Philosophers have always enjoyed asking awkward and provocative questions, such as:What is the nature of reality?What are human beings really like?What is special about the human mind and consciousness?Are we free to choose who we are and what we do?Can we prove that God exists?Can we be certain about anything at all?What is truth?Does language provide us with a true picture of the world?How should we behave towards each other?Do computers think?Introducing Philosophy is a co...
