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A Little History of Philosophy

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A Little History of Philosophy

By: Nigel Warburton
Narrated by: Kris Dyer
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About this listen

Philosophy begins with questions about the nature of reality and how we should live. These were the concerns of Socrates, who spent his days in the ancient Athenian marketplace asking awkward questions, disconcerting the people he met by showing them how little they genuinely understood.

This engaging book introduces the great thinkers in Western philosophy and explores their most compelling ideas about the world and how best to live in it. In forty brief chapters, Nigel Warburton guides us on a chronological tour of the major ideas in the history of philosophy. He provides interesting and often quirky stories of the lives and deaths of thought-provoking philosophers from Socrates, who chose to die by hemlock poisoning rather than live on without the freedom to think for himself, to Peter Singer, who asks the disquieting philosophical and ethical questions that haunt our own times.

Warburton not only makes philosophy accessible, he offers inspiration to think, argue, reason, and ask in the tradition of Socrates. A Little History of Philosophy presents the grand sweep of humanity's search for philosophical understanding and invites all to join in the discussion.

©2011 Nigel Warburton (P)2014 Audible Studios History Philosophy Thought-Provoking Metaphysical Suspenseful Humanism Mathematics Morality Tradition Western Philosophy

Editor reviews

The fascinating subject of Philosophy is revealed in A Little History of Philosophy, written by British philosopher and best-selling author Nigel Warburton with an audiobook narration by Kris Dyer. Taking listeners all the way back to the philosophers of ancient Greece and working his way through the most notable philosophers in history, hear the fascinating topics that have been discussed over the course of time and see the parallels between them – for at its core, philosophy is an attempt to answer those fundamental questions - who are we? Why are we here? Who or what created us? Available now from Audible.
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Most relevant

What did you like most about A Little History of Philosophy?

I can understand it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author and his funny, clear way of presenting difficult philosophical ideas.

What about Kris Dyer’s performance did you like?

The voice has character---an old fashioned word my father use to use to judge people.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Well--philosophy isn't a novel but great ideas esp the discussion of Witgenstein was outstanding.

Any additional comments?

Great book, great listen--so much better than Bertrand Russell's who is just too smart for me. HIs discussion always fly over my head.

A Great History of Philosophy

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Great bite-sized intro to major philosophical threads from ancient world to present. Doesn't dwell on individuals but presents the ideas chronologically and simply.

Great intro

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A first class simple and easily comprehensible survey of the known philosophy of the world from ancient Athens to 21st century Western thinking

Brilliant

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Where does A Little History of Philosophy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Better than average

If you’ve listened to books by Nigel Warburton before, how does this one compare?

First book from this author and would certainly read more.

Any additional comments?

Very nice book. Well written and factual. Nicely narrated.

Pretty much what it says on the cover

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Really excellent introduction to some of the big ideas and debates in philosophy and a great way to whet the appetite. Very clearly laid out, and very easy to cross reference. Really enjoyed and will listen again before digging deeper.
Great narrator too, very clear and completely drew me in as if I was in the room.

Does exactly what it says and does it so well.

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