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Sat 5 Sep, 2009 05:15 pm
The Great Philosophers: From Socrates to Turing
ISBN-10: 0753811367
ISBN-13: 978-0753811368
Overview
This book orginally started life as a serious of essays published as monographs entitled the The Great Philosophers. Each of the 12 essays places focus on one area of each of the chosen Philosopher's work. For example, the section on Wittgenstein places focus on Wittgenstein & Human Nature, while the section on Russell deals with his quest to reduce Mathematics to logic. All essays are written by topic academics with an impressive list of accomplished Professors including Ray Monk, Bernard Williams, Terry Eagleton, and Peter Hacker.
Positives
- I felt that by looking at one particular aspect of each Philosopher's work, a much more detailed account could be given than if an attempt was made to summarise all aspects of a Philosopher's work.
-The quality of the contributors is strong, with all the contributors having great knowledge about their particular Philosopher. Many of the contributors also have a great written style.
-Being a collection of separate essays allows the reader to drop into the book at any point they pick, which is a plus for those who have interest in particular philosophers.
-The choice of philosophers included is also very good, with many important figures covered. Turing was a good pick as well, though not often considered a Philosopher his work has had huge influence on Philosophy of Mind.
-Some very challenging subjects are handled with great skill. I found that Monk's chapter on Russell's Philosophy of Mathematics explained a very complicated subject to me, a person who is not very mathematically minded.
Negatives
-The book will make for quite a challenging read for many a beginner and it is difficult to tell what the intended audience of the book is. So it is probably not the best read for someone looking for a basic introduction to Philosophy. But the essays will also be of interest to even the more versed reader.
-The quality of the book varies, with some essays not being quite up to standard compared with some of the more impressive essays included in the book.
Overview - 8.0/10
@RDanneskjld,
Turing of all people? but not Kant or Aristotle?
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