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50 Philosophy Classics: Your shortcut to the most important ideas on being, truth, and meaning (50 Classics) Paperback – May 30, 2017

by Tom Butler-Bowdon (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 451 ratings
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50 Philosophy Classics: Revised Edition (50 Classics)
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From Aristotle to Wittgenstein, 50 Philosophy Classics provides a lively entry point to "The King of Disciplines," helping readers comprehend key questions - and possible answers - at the center of human existence.

For over 2,000 years, philosophy has been our best guide to the experience of being human, and the true nature of reality.

From Aristotle, Plato, Epicurus, Confucius, Cicero and Heraclitus in ancient times to 17th century rationalists Descartes, Leibniz and Spinoza, from 20th-century greats Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean Baudrillard and Simone de Beauvoir to contemporary thinkers Michael Sandel, Peter Singer and Slavoj Zizek, 50 Philosophy Classics explores key writings that have shaped the discipline and had an impact on the real world.

Philosophy can no longer be confined to academia, and 50 Philosophy Classics shows how powerful it can be as a tool for opening our minds and helping us think. Whether you are fascinated or daunted by the big questions of how to think, how to be, how to act and how to see, this is the perfect introduction to some of humanity's greatest minds and their landmark books.
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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Nicholas Brealey
  4. Publication date
    May 30, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781473655423
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1473655423
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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This book explains and discusses briefly, but with remarkable lucidity, some of the ideas of fifty philosophical thinkers from ancient times to the present-day. Complex views on a whole range of important and enduring issues are made accessible to the general reader. A sympathetic account is given of each thinker and his or her thoughts, conveying the insights and capturing some of the excitement of seeing the world and human life from novel, distinctive, or unusual perspectives. The book is both enjoyable and instructive.―C.L. Ten, Professor of Philosophy, National University of Singapore

About the Author

Tom Butler-Bowdon is recognised as an expert on the personal development literature. His 50 Classics series has been hailed as the definitive guide to the literature of possibility, and has won numerous awards including the Benjamin Franklin Self-Help Award and the Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award. A graduate of the London School of Economics and the University of Sydney, he lives and works in both the Oxford, UK and Australia, and runs a successful website: www.butler-bowdon.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1473655420
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nicholas Brealey; Reissue edition (May 30, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781473655423
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1473655423
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 451 ratings

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  1. Tom Butler-Bowdon

    Tom Butler-Bowdon

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  2. Tom Butler-Bowdon

    Tom Butler-Bowdon

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    Through his award-winning "50 Classics" books, including 50 Business Classics (2018), 50 Economics Classics (2017), 50 Politics Classics (2015), and Philosophy Classics (2013), Tom Butler-Bowdon has devoted his life to “more people knowing more.”

    Tom’s work is based on the idea that every subject or genre will contain at least fifty books that encapsulate its knowledge and wisdom. By creating a list of those landmark titles, then providing intelligent commentaries on them, readers are led to great writings they may not have discovered otherwise.

    Tom was working as a political adviser in Australia when, at 25, he read Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Captivated by it and other books in the personal development field, he left his career to write the bestselling 50 Self-Help Classics, the first guide to the personal development literature and a winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award. This book was followed by 50 Success Classics (2004); 50 Spiritual Classics (2005); 50 Psychology Classics (2007); 50 Prosperity Classics (2008); and 50 Psychology Classics (2013) all published in the US and UK by Nicholas Brealey. Bringing important ideas to a wider audience, the 50 Classics series has sold over 500,000 copies in English and is in 23 languages.

    Tom is a graduate of the London School of Economics (International Political Economy) and the University of Sydney (Government and History).

    Visit his website www.Butler-Bowdon.com

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
451 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

jenny
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2019
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I love this book. I ordered it because I also have another book in this series called 50 Psychology Classics which is also fantastic. On each classic, you get a super short overview called "in a nutshell" which incredibly (in usually one simple sentence) sums up the essence of the work being described. Then you get a straight forward break down of the work's most important ideas. Interestingly enough, the descriptions are pretty easy to understand. There is also a section called "In a similar vein" which helps you to group together similar works. This is very useful for cross-referencing. Highly recommended!
2 people found this helpful
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Fred Mellender
4.0 out of 5 stars Good summary
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019
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This provides a two page summary of the thoughts of some major (and minor) philosophers. It is well written and useful in leading you to works for deeper study.
One person found this helpful
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Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars Just amazing the way this is laid out
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2014
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Cannot put this book down. If I had to write a book, I'd do it exactly in this manner. Everything is in bite-sized pieces so that someone interested in philosophy does not have to read extensive books by these 50 authors. He boils their ideas down to about three pages, then spends one page for the biography of them, and one page discussing the strengths or weaknesses of their theory. Just amazing the way this is laid out, and has all the great philosophers. I could go on and on about all the mind-blowing lines in this book - if I were highlighting, my marker would be dry lol - but you should just read this for yourself. I rarely ever read books twice, but this will be one of them. After getting my hands on this, I immediately bought the 50 Spiritual Classics book and plan to purchase a few more by this author eventually. Just a brilliant guy who did his homework and gives every theory in a nutshell for us. This book will make you think. If you love philosophy, you need this book!
9 people found this helpful
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James A. Brannan
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book - Well Written
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2015
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Okay, I bought the book and listened to the audio book. It's good. Nothing crazy, nothing earth shattering, but nice executive summaries on important books - including some gems you have probably never considered. It's superficial, which is to be expected, but it was nicely written and I liked that he included folks such as Chomsky and Taleb as part of the 50 classics. Although, I think the Unabomber Manifesto probably should have been included as well. As abhorrent as his acts were, the Unabomber Manifesto is one of the most lucid descriptions of the faustian bargain of progress I have ever had the fortune to read. But I liked this book, it presented great "wikipedia-style chunks" so I can refer to the book as needed in the future. Well written and good.
14 people found this helpful
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truthtrumpspc
3.0 out of 5 stars not an outstanding digest of philosophies
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2013
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Someone could easily find more information throughout the internet compared to the short summary pages given for the 50 philosophers' books. This philosophy volume is a replication to Mr. Butler-Bowden's other books on psychology and personal growth. Not only the cover, but the format throughout. It's as if the book was written to fit a form rather than a natural flow of information. I've read the psychology volume and will say it was more clear and coherent than this one. I think it's because the 50 psychologists' books typically deal with a singular concept whereas the philosophers' books are multi-conceptual and the author crams too many ideas together in the mini-space form he uses.

If you do read the book, especially cover to cover, I'd suggest to read the introduction after reading the chapters. The introduction ties together the common threads of the philosophers. Instead of the silly alphabetical order of philosophers by name he might have taken the lead of his introduction which interestingly organized a format according to the three common aspects of the human condition: thinking, feeling (he translates this into being?), and acting. The philosophers could be grouped into these three main sections according to the main content of their book. Furthermore, for example, aspects of "acting" include power, liberty, fairness, and ethics so that a sub-division could be used to further transition the common threads of philosophers for comparative purpose. Certain philosopher's books might not fit this suggested format, but I would offer that this is because he adds minor players to the book to fit the 50 form?

Critical evaluation is practically absent for each entry. In a three paragraph section he calls "Final comments", he states a token comment by Robert Nozick supporting individual rights over Rawl's "veil of ignorance' derived abstract social rights. He then interprets Nozick's comment, but that's it? Amazingly he concludes by equating Rawls with Plato? Mr. Butler-Bowdon seems to barely hide his left leanings on social or political matters. For example, feminists are seen as beyond criticism. In this regard some chapters come appear more like a propaganda piece. For a more penetrating point-counterpoint treatment I recommend Nigel Warburton's introductory Philosophy: The Basics which is a delight to read.
33 people found this helpful
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G. James
5.0 out of 5 stars A great conversation starter!
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2013
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This collection of summaries of 50 Philosophical classics is a fascinating read and a great conversation starter. The skillful summaries contain sufficient information to give the reader a working understanding of the key ideas in each volume, as well as a feel for the life and times of the author. I've found that the clever "In a nutshell" section captures the thesis of each book in a single sentence, and serves as a useful hook to start a discussion with like minded friends. Tom Butler-Bowden is using a very effective formula for his series of "50 Classics" and this latest example is highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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Robert Lipscomb
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2017
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Well done and very informative.
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James Rick
5.0 out of 5 stars Like taking a roller coaster ride through some of the greatest minds in the world
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2013
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Tom is one of the best researchers and synthesizers of complex works I have ever known. He does a wonderful job of simplifying the complex, no easy feat when you look at the philosophers covered here. He makes important but obscure works accessible to the masses, and for that he truly is helping to move humanity forward. This is a definite must read along with his other "50 classics" books.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Tapasya
5.0 out of 5 stars Lives up to the caption- shortcut to few best philosophy works
Reviewed in India on October 8, 2021
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The way this books is structured and compactness is ideal for anyone looking to know about the vast amount of philosophy works available for us. it's a good entry book for anyone interested in philosophy as it covers wide range of works and one can pick the works which intrigues them after looking at wide perspectives
3 people found this helpful
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Resumido
Reviewed in Spain on December 29, 2018
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Resumen . Y guía . Muy interesante
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S Moses
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect introduction to the field of philosophy, giving an overview of the subject and signposting further learning...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2017
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I’m a huge fan of the ‘50 Classics’ series. There’s so much learning out there in the world, but we don’t all have time to read widely in every field that interests us. We no longer need to. Tom Butler-Bowdon has done the hard work, so we can reap the rewards. As with the other books in this series, 50 Philosophy Classics gives the reader an excellent overview of the field - which, as well as acting as a guide for further reading, will help the reader identify the key texts by each author.

Each classic gets a quote or two, followed by a one-sentence ‘in a nutshell’ summary and a list of other books ‘in a similar vein’. Then there’s the main body of the summary, which lasts for around five pages, including a brief biography. The structure of 50 Philosophy Classics makes it ideal to dip into even if you’ve only got a few minutes to spare. It will even help you divine thematic threats, for example, I was most interested in learning more about Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation, which 50 Philosophy Classics helped me to identify as being similar to Noam Chomsky’s Understanding Power, so now I want to read them both to see two ways of approaching the similar ideas.

In addition to the individual chapters there is an introduction, which gives an overview of the field. I found this easier to read after I’d read the rest of the book, as there’s a lot of information to take in and it’s easier to understand the wood, when you already know about the individual trees. There’s also a list of ‘50 More Philosophy Classics’, each of which come with a paragraph-long commentary. This is followed by a two-page glossary.

This book is perfect for anyone with an interest in the field of philosophy, but who doesn’t know where to start. I’m going to keep it on my bookshelf and return to it again and again, as it contains so many insights it is impossible to ingest them all in one reading.
16 people found this helpful
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JOHN PEREIRA
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on October 10, 2017
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Happy with the book,let's me peek into the world of philosophy.
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Gazza
4.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2018
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There are several books covering fifty or one hundred philosophers, but this is one of the best I’ve read. What makes it different is the format Butler-Bowdon uses and the fact that his writing is always easy to understand. That is, everything is explained well so that the average person (like me) can get a good grasp of the what is being said, and the subheadings throughout the text also help in this respect. The book differs from others in that it also covers philosophers that seem particularly new on the scene—two examples being Julian Baggini and Sam Harris. I must admit, though, that I was somewhat surprised to see Noam Chomsky and Daniel Kahneman included. I would have thought they were more related to politics and psychology, respectively. But Butler-Bowdon makes a good case to show their relevance. If there is one shortcoming, it must be that the book is not long enough for me. I would like to see the extra 50 philosophers and their works (50 More Philosophy Classics—listed at the end of the book) also included in the text, making it a more substantiation volume. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed reading this text and I’m hoping that Butler-Bowdon covers fifty history and sociology classics in future publications.

I hope you find my review useful.
34 people found this helpful
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