An accessible, engaging, and fully illustrated guide to the most profound and influential ideas in the history of philosophy.
Philosophy explores the deepest, most fundamental questions of life. This guide presents 250 of the most important theories, events, and seminal publications in the field over the last 3,500 years. The concise yet informative entries cover a range of topics and cultures, from the Hindu Vedas and Plato’s theory of forms to Ockham’s Razor, Pascal’s Wager, Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature, existentialism, feminism, Philosophical Zombies, and the Triple Theory of Ethics. Beautifully illustrated and filled with unexpected insights, The Philosophy Book is a treasure trove of the world’s wisdom.
Gregory Bassham is professor of philosophy at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA, where he specializes in the philosophy of law, critical thinking, and the connections between pop culture and philosophy. He is also coeditor of several successful books, including The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (Open Court) and The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy (Wiley), and the lead writer of Critical Thinking: A Student’s Introduction (5th ed., McGraw-Hill). Bassham earned his PhD at the University of Notre Dame, and his articles and essays on philosophy are featured in numerous periodicals and books. Having taught philosophy for 25 years, he has read virtually every major work of philosophy ever written. Gregory lives in PA.