A Little History of Philosophy
ISBN: 9780300177541
Platform/Publisher: JSTOR / Yale University Press
Digital rights: Users: unlimited; Printing: chapter; Download: chapter
Subjects: Philosophy -- History; Philosophers;

A readable if unremarkable addition to the increasingly crowded shelves of philosophy primers. Warburton (Philosophy Bites) provides a history of the major philosophers of the West from Socrates to Peter Singer-with a few surprising exclusions (Bentham but no Foucault, Philippa Foot but no Martin Heidegger). However, in his effort to make the work accessible, the author veers into a sophomoric style that tends to grate quickly. Furthermore, in the quest for brevity, Warburton's decisions about what exactly to emphasize in each philosopher are sometimes questionable; for example, his treatment of John Locke reduces the political philosopher's contributions to a series of musings on how memory influences identity. Still, this brisk primer is, for the neophyte, a good place to start immersing oneself in the history of Western thought. Others may find themselves wishing for a philosophical history that would combine such accessibility with a little more substantiality. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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.

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