- Unknown Binding
- Publisher: Oxford Univ Press; First Edition edition (1995)
- ASIN: B002KDODJE
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am studying philosophy at University and cannot recommend this book more highly. It is an extraordinarily erudite and lucid exploration of ideas. One of the great successes of the book I believe is that it provides first a brief historic overview and outline of the intellectual contribution of the thinker/or school of thought and then discusses some of the more detailed ideas in relative depth and relates and compares them to both contemporary opinions and more recent developments in analytic philosophy (at least this is what happens in the more extensive entries). Therefore it is equally useful as both a quick reference guide and as a tool for finding out about more specific and detailed dare I say technical components of ideas. One of the great highpoints of the book is the treatment of the philosophy of science; the topic is very clearly explained without the excessive and misleading jargon that dominantes so many books that attempt to explore this subject. Oxford University have, however, thankfully not just restricted themselves to Plato, Kant, Russel and Wittgenstein... they also have covered a huge selection of thinkers from almost every conceivable culture. A number of extracts are dedicated to the exploration of even obscure African and Asian thinkers. I was recently delighted to find that the 19th century philosopher and poet Solovyov is included, having encountered one of his poems by chance I was pleasantly surprised that my faithful Oxford companion could provide a point of reference yet again! At the back of the edition there is also a series of maps of philosophy that explore how different facets of the subject inter-relate to one another. These maps are very useful for people new to the subject. I would recommend this over the Cambridge Dictionnary to philosophy which I also own, although find much less extensive and informative. In conclusion: A great buy!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Speaking as a layperson I found this book gave an extremely wide coverage of recent, & past, philosophy. The varied entries are easy enough for an intelligent layperson to understand, yet they had the depth that would be useful for undergrad philosophy students.
As well as covering the greats, and different branches of philosophy, there was good coverage of contemporary philosophers - something lacking other encyclopaedias/Dictionaries. Also, an eye-opener, was the coverage of some [possibly] curious problems [e.g. death] which, again, are not found in many other works of reference.
In contrast to another recent popular tome [the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy] this book is definitely NOT dry and boring. This is important, as it combats the image of the philosopher as a dull academic with nothing of interest to say about life.
As well as covering the greats, and different branches of philosophy, there was good coverage of contemporary philosophers - something lacking other encyclopaedias/Dictionaries. Also, an eye-opener, was the coverage of some [possibly] curious problems [e.g. death] which, again, are not found in many other works of reference.
In contrast to another recent popular tome [the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy] this book is definitely NOT dry and boring. This is important, as it combats the image of the philosopher as a dull academic with nothing of interest to say about life.
50 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a second year university student studying Philosophy and after an exhaustive search for an extended general reference aid to the subject, I believe that the Oxford Companion to Philoshophy is head and shoulders above similar texts on the market (e.g. Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philoshophy). It is not only informative, but in an easy to understand and accessable format, which lends itself equally well to the beginner as to the more advanced philosophy student. In my opinion this constitutes an indispensible reference to anyone interested in the subject of philosophy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Oxford companion to Philosophy
This was a second-hand item, in good but not excellent condition, nevertheless, very good value for money. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ted
Excellent
Packed full of the essential directions one needs to explore Philosophy in more detail, this book is a treasure. A *must have* imho and a treasure for life.
Published 10 months ago by Mr. Raymond L. Hall
Great reference work.
This volume sits somewhere in-between an introduction to philosophy and a more comprehensive dictionary of philosophy such as Audi's Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. Read more
Published 20 months ago by T. Blackburn
A sexagenarian's sourcebook!
My Philosophy days at the University of Sydney in 1965 were fascinating but have faded! With this solid gem from OUP I can quickly dip into the column on Epiphenomenalism or... Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2010 by David Thomas
I have doubts as there are factual errors
Up until recently I would have agreed with the other reviewers but now I have doubts as I have started reading entries in my own field rather than just looking up entries in... Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2010 by Savita
I love this book!
At once detailed and insightful, this book truly is the best out there as a reference guide for Philosophy. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2005 by Mr. J. Featherstone
Indispensable for any student of philosophy
This is a must have for any student of Philosophy or History of Ideas. This book provides a reliable and comprehensive overview of the central subjects in philosophy and covers... Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2004 by "yalbadaoth"
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