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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive, concise and enlightening - excellent., 28 Sep 2002
I borrowed this book from my library, and ended up buying it for myself. With each viewpoint being summarised in 5 - 15 pages, it's a good reference book, that can be dipped into when you like. As a personal coach, who works particularly with how people think about their world, this book offers me many alternative views of life. I'd only picked at bits of philosophy before, and this collection of 32 western philosophers fills in the gaps. I realised that many of the concepts have become our background assumptions about 'life, the universe and everything', originated in from the writings of these historical figures. Ideas that I though were quite modern, I discovered have their origins a long time back. I'd say that my clients come with some collection of these philosophies in their unconscious assumptions about our existence. Limitations: This collection is, however, only from European history. There's nothing of Eastern, other ethnic cultures viewpoints, or more spiritualist thinking. The book summarises intellectual thinking well, but doesn't explore broader or more experiential models of the world. Although I found the writing and explanations at an appropriate level, this I not a simpleton's book. It is clearly written, but expect to use your mind to grasp the concepts being distinguished. Summary: an excellent outline of the development of western thinking, in a concise but comprehensive format.
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