Philosophy Bites Back

Description

A sparkling, original tour through 2,500 years of Western thought, from Socrates to Derrida, from happiness and love in ancient Greece to truth and forgiveness in the twentieth century. Twenty-seven of today's leading philosophers each introduce and explore ideas from one of history's greatest minds.

• Interviews with an excellent line-up of philosophers from Britain and North America
• Explores the work and ideas of the most important thinkers in western philosophy
• Lively, engaging, and accessible—will communicate philosophy to a broad readership

About the Author(s)

David Edmonds, Oxford University, BBC, and Nigel Warburton, Open University

David Edmonds is an award-winning documentary maker for the BBC World Service. He is the author or co-author (with John Eidinow) of several books, including Wittgenstein's Poker (short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award), Bobby Fischer Goes To War (long-listed for the Samuel Johnson prize), and Rousseau's Dog (about the relationship between Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume). He is currently a Research Associate at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at Oxford University and a Contributing Editor for Prospect Magazine.

Nigel Warburton is a freelance philosopher, podcaster, and writer. His books include A Little History of Philosophy, Philosophy: the Basics, Thinking from A to Z, Philosophy: the Classics, The Art Question, and Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction. He runs several weblogs including virtualphilosopher.com and artandallusion.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction: 'Who Is Your Favourite Philosopher?'
1:Mary Margaret McCabe on Socrates and the Paradox of Inquiry
2:Angie Hobbs on Plato on Erotic Love
3:Terence Irwin on Aristotle's Ethics
4:Anthony Kenny on Aquinas' Ethics
5:Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli's The Prince
6:Sarah Bakewell on Montaigne
7:A. C. Grayling on Descartes' Cogito
8:Susan James on Spinoza on the emotions
9:John Dunn on Locke on Toleration
10:John Campbell on Berkeley's Puzzle
11:Peter Millican on Hume's Significance
12:Nicholas Phillipson on Adam Smith on What Human Beings are Like
13:Melissa Lane on Rousseau on Modern Society
14:Richard Bourke on Edmund Burke on Politics
15:A. W. Moore on Kant's Metaphysics
16:Robert Stern on Hegel on Dialectic
17:Richard Reeves on Mill on Liberty
18:Clare Carlisle on Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling
19:Aaron Ridley on Nietzsche on Art and Truth
20:Peter Singer on Henry Sidgwick's Ethics
21:Robert B. Talisse on the Pragmatists
22:Barry C. Smith on Wittgenstein
23:Hugh Mellor on Frank Ramsey on Truth
24:Mary Warnock on Sartre's Existentialism
25:Chandran Kukathas on Hayek
26:Jonathan Wolff on John Rawls
27:Robert Rowland Smith on Derrida on Forgiveness

Reviews

"Engaging and accessible... Readers can enjoy each chapter individually or read the entire book for an understanding of major figures of Western philosophy. As was the first, this book is highly recommended for all general readers with an interest in philosophy." - Scott Duimstra, Library Journal

"As a fan of the Philosophy Bites podcast, I'm very pleased to see this publication of conversations with leading scholars on major figures in the history of philosophy. The result is not only a good introduction to that history, but a rare chance to read top-level philosophers speaking extemporaneously about the subjects they know best. Even regular listeners to the podcast will be glad to have this written version of highlights from the series." - Peter Adamson