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Customer Reviews (3)

Philosophy in the real world
When my 11 year old son brought home his sixrg grade "suggested reading" kust, this book was one of the recommenfations. We could not agree more with that choice after having gone through the creative stories within which the rich ideas of several philosophies have neen woven and clearly explained. This is a book that one comes back to in order to answer everyday questions and solve daily problems. This book should be read by evry 11 year old, as well as by their parents.

New ideas for children
This book fills a void between original children's stories and the ideas that hold them tohethedr. It is a great learning experience for children who, for the most part, have never been exposed to the rich ideas of philsophy and can now relate to these concepts through storoes that they can enjoy reading and retelling.

A disappointment
The font was extremely difficult to read. The topics covered do not adequately represent even the major areas of philosophy. Assuming the reader survives the eye straining font, he or she might walk away with the impression that Socrates' ideas are all about secular humanism and modern liberalism.Included in this book are discussions of Zen Buddhism, being kind to trees, and the hackneyed "diversity is good." ... Read more

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This fresh outlook on Socrates' political philosophy in Plato's early dialogues argues that it is both more subtle and less authoritarian than has been supposed. Focusing on the Crito, Richard Kraut shows that Plato explains Socrates' refusal to escape from jail and his acceptance of the death penalty as arising not from philosophy that requires blind obedience to every legal command but from a highly balanced compromise between the state and the citizen. In addition, Professor Kraut contends that our contemporary notions of civil disobedience and generalization arguments are not present in this dialogue. ... Read more

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Balanced defender of a democratic Socrates
In accordance with Plato's 'Apology', Kraut gives a quite convincing rendition of events in 4th century (BC) Athens.Although I favour an oligarchic Socrates, in terms of evidence (from Baker, Xenophon, Aristotle,Vlastos and Guthrie, to name a few) Kraut's argument is feasible.Heclaims that Socrates was a reluctant friend of democracy, due to theprofound epistemological pessimism that he possessed.The status quo inAthens was intolerable to Socrates and his circle, but until a betteralternative could materialise, it would have to 'do' for the meantime. Unfortunately, his pessimism meant that the 'meantime' could be for ever,ergo,Athenian democracy could not be improved on.

Well written, withexcellent usage of illustrative quotation, but for the more idealisiticreader: Let's face it, Socrates was far from being a democratic angel. ... Read more

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The significance of Plato's Apology of Socrates is impossible to overestimate. An account of the famous trial of Socrates in 399 b.c., it appeals to historians, philosophers, political scientists, classicists, and literary critics. It is also essential reading for students of ancient Greek.

This new commentary on Plato's canonical work is designed to accommodate the needs of students in intermediate-level Greek classes, where they typically encounter the Apology for the first time. Paul Allen Miller and Charles Platter, two highly respected classicists and veteran instructors, present the Apology in its traditional thirty-three-chapter structure. They amplify the text with running commentary and glosses of unfamiliar words at the bottom of each page; brief chapter introductions to relevant philosophical, historical, and rhetorical issues; and a separate series of thought-provoking essays, one on each chapter. The essays can serve as bases for class discussions or as starting points for paper topics or general reflection.

By integrating background material into the text at regular intervals rather than front-loading it in a lengthy initial overview or burying it in back-of-the-book endnotes, the authors offer students a rich encounter with the text. Their commentary incorporates the latest research on both the trial of Socrates and Plato's version of it, and it engages major philosophical issues from a contemporary perspective. This book is not only a much-needed aid for students of Greek. It is also the basis of a complete course on the Apology. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (7)

Repetition is bequeathed; the legacy repeated...
Contrary to the reviews thus far reported in regards to this "work in the traditions of Finnegans Wake," i would reccomend reading this book to all who are interested in Derrida's philosophy of ethics. Herein we may find ephemerally expounded glimpses at Postmodernism's notions of continuity and of the legacy of ideas: a gift which we neccessarely both receive and reinscribe - "What is tragic is not the possibility but the neccessity of repetition" (Writing and Difference). Many Derrida readers have shied away from this text because of its disparate and fragmented stuttering...Don't if you have patience to listen read this treasure. It is a pastiche, a montage and a rebus. An exquisite rendition on tradition and inheritance, on presence and absence. A reminder to never stop giving and giving and giving because the most ethical one can be is through the dissemination of ideas, the transformation of the recurring within which each becomes a relative of all and none. Finnegans Wake approximates the same themes with Vico's philosophy of history as an addendum. By the way Vico was an avid reader of the Cabbala...Only Walter Benjamin can better inspire the re-visions that we need for a tragic becoming tragic. This book is extremely personal and one of Richard Rorty's favorites I might add...he was not very fond of the early Derrida...Rorty understands Derrida as only Caputo and Bennington have...This is our modern day Novalis, we may dream of dreaming our dreams!

The first time is still best
It took me a long time to crack the Derrida nut. But when I did, I did it with this book. Thus it will always be my favorite philosophical novel by Derrida. When I finished this book I picked up Badiou's book on Deleuze and he said I got everything right, only he said it better than I would have.

So far, all the other readers seem to have missed the point. First, this book is not about anything so feminine and smacking of vulgar Christianity as love and cushy feelings. Derrida says it's a poison pen letter. It's about hate. It may be "between lovers," but it's published for the whole world to admire and appraise, a radically different context than the relationship of husband and wife. Which the careful Derrida-phile will note was handled very carefully, almost cynically, in the Derrida "documentary." (Has there ever been a greater and more hilarious take on oral sex?)

One wag commented that the book is only good for beach-reading. But that misses the serious side of Derrida, which is also the point. Rhetoric can be philosophy. Derrida is one hundred percent hilarious. But he's always pushing the philosophical envelope with his puns. To resort to a distinction that has a pragmatic value even though it utterly lacks any philosophical foundation, the use-mention distinction, when Derrida uses the word 'this,' he also means _that_. (Why does the use-mention distinction make no sense? Because when you say 'horse,' a _horse_ comes out of your mouth. As per Wittgenstein and the Stoics.) It's up to us lesser mortals to tease out the strands and levels until we can produce something as thoroughly competent. And simultaneously beautiful and ugly. Like orgasm.

Which brings us to Lacan. Some say he's a charlatan. And you have to be suspicious of anyone who declares that they're not interested in truth, but falsity. But when the postmodernists say this what they mean is that the truth, which can potentially be known, is in being aware that you actually don't know. The idea goes back to Plato and his early Socratic dialogues. Stated like that, it isn't too far from Kant, who also believed that we can't actually know much, other than that there are stars above and some sort of moral rules within. (Nobody has ever agreed with him on his rules, including his great heir John Rawls.) Derrida doesn't differ much from Lacan. He abandons Oedipus for the same reasons as Deleuze (it's a self-fulfilling prophecy and alienated from real life). But the argument on the postal system only looks different from Lacan's account because Derrida says it is. That he got Lacan to agree with him says something about Derrida's prestige, so there must be something there. (Though Lacan's submission looks suspiciously like he doesn't submit--republishing the Ecrits in an edited down version where the offensive passages have been actively forgotten.) But when Lacan says that a letter always gets to its destination he means that it always misses its destination, because the person it's intended for is going to sometime pass away. ("The living is a species of the dead." Nietzsche.) Which is also Derrida's point. I haven't read Derrida's latest writings on Lacan but apparently there's a whole lot of a rapprochement. In his interviews with Roudinescu, A Quoi Demain, he considers his style to be Lacanian and a lot of his conclusions to be similarly disposed.

Here's hoping the most consistently amusing of the post-Heideggerians remains a liberal individualist. Though it's probably going to be tough for him, given that the Straussists of the Whitehouse talk a similar talk and walk a similar walk. ("Jewgreek is Greekjew.") I believe the fact that Derrida is explicitly against the death penalty is the deciding difference. QED.

A book which can only be read among *other* books.
Derrida has stated that one of the main purposes of his decontructive readings, writing, and ruthless re-contextualization of various philosophical ideas is to minimize the "violence" of various philosophical practices- those ways of speaking, writing, which silently privilege various terms, and ideas and, perhaps unknowingly repress others. Given the other "esoteric" reviews here, its my duty to minimize the "violence" for those people who really want to know about the book, and not about namedropping, three lines of praise.

The Postcard is a "collection" of various love-letters, supposedly burned in a fire, which has left pieces of text missing. Derrida has also included a few essays which he believes continues the analysis begun in the loveletters [envois]. The content of the loveletters covers a broad range of philosophical and personal questions - from philosophy of language - to the relation b/w Socrates and Plato - to personal encounters in (I suppose) Derrida's life as a philosopher. But the over all effect of this - this "re-contextualization" or in other words, this casting of philosophical questions in a format not usually considered "serious" -> love letters... the profundity, the importance, the dissemination of the questions take on a wholly different feel and effect. The feel and effect, of course, is hard to describe, but it is a way of playing with "philosophical sensibilities" -- what is "real" philosophy? What is "serious" philosophy? And what is the meaning of such questions in the most private of all communications - love letters between two intimate lovers.

Of course, in typical Derridean style, he puns, and jokes his way, throwing punchlines out of every page. The envois are not an easy read. They can be tough, and confusing, especially with the 'missing text" which link ideas. The other essays included in The Postcard are equally a tough read, with a very interesting, but treacherous deconstruction of Lacan's analysis of Poe's "The Purloined Letter".

The Postcard can only be understood as continuation of previously examined (Of Grammatology), argued (Limited Inc.), and illustrated (Glas) philosophical strategies employed by Derrida. And yes, Richard Rorty (an american post-enlightenment philosopher) totally misses the boat on this one. While, i believe Derrida is attempting to "play" with various aspects of the philosophical tradition (Derrida is by far the funniest philosopher, since, Nietzsche), The Postcard is merely an new way of asserting those same ideas Derrida laid out in Limited Inc and other books, that conceptual meaning is not fixed but disseminated and deferred [differance] to all possible contextual usages and instantiations.

I know, this is merely one small aspect of Derrida's enterprise. But it is, I believe, the main purpose of The Postcard: to see how the meaning of philosophical questions regarding language, history, and the sequence of events, take on new meanings in the context of lost love lettes-- the same way a Post Card, which never reaches its destination-- takes on new meanings for the unintended third reader.

A book which can only be read among *other* books.
Derrida has stated that one of the main purposes of his decontructive readings, writing, and ruthless re-contextualization of various philosophical ideas is to minimize the "violence" of various philosophical practices- those ways of speaking, writing, which silently privilege various terms, and ideas and, perhaps unknowingly repress others. Given the other "esoteric" reviews here, its my duty to minimize the "violence" for those people who really want to know about the book, and not about namedropping, three lines of praise.

The Postcard is a "collection" of various love-letters, supposedly burned in a fire, which has left pieces of text missing. Derrida has also included a few essays which he believes continues the analysis begun in the loveletters [envois]. The content of the loveletters covers a broad range of philosophical and personal questions - from philosophy of language - to the relation b/w Socrates and Plato - to personal encounters in (I suppose) Derrida's life as a philosopher. But the over all effect of this - this "re-contextualization" or in other words, this casting of philosophical questions in a format not usually considered "serious" -> love letters... the profundity, the importance, the dissemination of the questions take on a wholly different feel and effect. The feel and effect, of course, is hard to describe, but it is a way of playing with "philosophical sensibilities" -- what is "real" philosophy? What is "serious" philosophy? And what is the meaning of such questions in the most private of all communications - love letters between two intimate lovers.

Of course, in typical Derridean style, he puns, and jokes his way, throwing punchlines out of every page. The envois are not an easy read. They can be tough, and confusing, especially with the 'missing text" which link ideas. The other essays included in The Postcard are equally a tough read, with a very interesting, but treacherous deconstruction of Lacan's analysis of Poe's "The Purloined Letter".

The Postcard can only be understood as continuation of previously examined (Of Grammatology), argued (Limited Inc.), and illustrated (Glas) philosophical strategies employed by Derrida. And yes, Richard Rorty (an american post-enlightenment philosopher) totally misses the boat on this one. While, i believe Derrida is attempting to "play" with various aspects of the philosophical tradition (Derrida is by far the funniest philosopher, since, Nietzsche), The Postcard is merely an new way of asserting those same ideas Derrida laid out in Limited Inc and other books, that conceptual meaning is not fixed but disseminated and deferred [differance] to all possible contextual usages and instantiations.

I know, this is merely one small aspect of Derrida's enterprise. But it is, I believe, the main purpose of The Postcard: to see how the meaning of philosophical questions regarding language, history, and the sequence of events, take on new meanings in the context of lost love lettes-- the same way a Post Card, which never reaches its destination-- takes on new meanings for the unintended third reader.

Read This Book
I'm all for mindboggling esoteria and the impenetrable Finnegan's Wake but we should let leave the Post Card alone from these everlasting gobstoppers.

The Post Card is a great book for anyone obessed with language, butnot because it will help them do research, but because it great fun to readwhile sunning on the beach or joke about while getting a cup of joe.

Ididn't have any epiphanies while reading this book but I did get a tan. ... Read more

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Socrates' Education to Virtue argues that Plato's account of Socrates offers the fullest account of virtue and of the place of virtue in political life. Focusing on Platonic dramas such as the Symposium, Alcibiades Major, and the Republic, Lutz recounts how Socrates came to understand the longing for the "noble" and to believe that this longing is best satisfied by the search for knowledge or wisdom. By scrutinizing how Socrates' conversations allow him to acquire, extend, and confirm his knowledge of eros and of noble virtue, the book recovers a powerful, concrete, and nondogmatic Platonic reply to ancient critics of philosophy such as Aristophanes and suggests a further Platonic response to modern critics of classical rationalism such as Nietzsche and Rorty. Moreover, it shows how Socrates' education to virtue teaches him that the philosopher must always respect and examine alternative accounts of nobility and excellence. The book argues that the recovery of Socratic education can strengthen liberal democracy not only by broadening and invigorating political, moral, and religious debate but also by serving as an example of virtue in an open society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

One of the best contemporary books on philosophy.
This book succeeds in bringing out the very core of Socrates' philosophy and makes a powerful case for its importance for our time. When I first picked up the book, I thought that it was overly ambitious. But I am veryimpressed by the subtelty and rigor with which it shows how Plato answersNietzsche and Rorty. Anyone who wishes to know what the philosophesactually know should read it. It may be the best book about Socrates orPlato in the last twenty five years. ... Read more

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Voltaire, the pen name of François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), uses the great philosopher Socrates's crusty persona, trial, and death as a forum to criticize his enemies and restate his Deism. A drama that deserves a modern re-staging. ... Read more

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ApologyOn the death of Socrates ... Read more

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Candid, aggressive, and modern defense for Socrates' philosophy
The "Apology" is ancandid, aggressive, and modern defense for Socrates' philosophy, vs. the intolerance of the Athens, that has many similarities in modern persecution on morally corrupt grounds. The Phaedo, a sad effort in comparison, as Socrates defends a rather unimpressive argument for the immortality of the soul, immediately prior to his own demise by hemlock. The reader does an excellent job on both counts.

Strange that the translator is not mentioned anywhere...
This appears to be the Jowett translation. Why should the potential buyer not be provided with that information? It is truly weird to offer a translation without letting anyone know where it came from. Why hide it? It raises my suspicions when the origin of the text is withheld. It seems Amazon is awash with unattributed texts. I realize that many of these texts are now in the public domain--but then all the more reason to be honest. The cover photograph is appealing, but the font for the body of the text is a typewriter font--why?

Great Work but Not the Best Edition
"Apology" is Plato's least philosophical and most unrepresentative work but arguably his most important and is among many readers' favorites, including mine. However, the fact that it is widely anthologized -- e.g., in The Trial and Death of Socrates -- makes it hard to justify a standalone, but some may be taken by the translation.

The work purports to be Socrates' self-defense at his trial. It is historically priceless if so, as it gives his last public statements and some background about his life and the lead up to the trial. Even if not, it is of immense worth as a passionate, sound defense of individualism and free speech; its timeless evocation of these all-important concepts is forever associated with Socrates and the main reason he has been immortalized. The work also piercingly examines the often vast law/conscience gap and is thus an early higher law document. Finally, it is a sort of mini-dialogue in itself touching on and in several ways tying up classic Socrates/Plato themes like the nature of piety and goodness, responsibility toward the gods and the state, interpersonal relations, and life vs. death issues. It sums up Socrates and perhaps Plato better than any other work.

The ever-important translation issue must also be kept in mind. It goes without saying that anyone who cares about intellectual issues, especially applied ones, must know Plato, as should anyone who wants to be even basically well-read. However, this is far easier said than done for most; he is so different from what now passes for literature, to say nothing of pop culture, that he is virtually inaccessible to general readers. Yet the importance of persevering cannot be overemphasized; the payoff is well worth the effort. As nearly always in such cases, reading him becomes far easier after the initial difficulty; no attentive reader will ever think Plato easy reading, but he is utterly absorbing once we get used to his style. He has a near-poetic beauty that all agree has never even been remotely approached in philosophy, and such mesmerizing prose is rare in any genre. His dialogues are an incredible form at once intellectually and aesthetically pleasing - an inspired combination that has perhaps never been bettered; many have appropriated it, but none have matched it. All this means that picking the right translation is probably more important with Plato than any other writer. For the average reader, the more recent, the better is generally true, but older translations like W. H. D. Rouse's and Benjamin Jowett's are still very accessible. The important thing is to read Plato in some form, and those who happen on a translation that does not work for them should keep trying until their mind opens in a truly new way - and once done, it will never close again. ... Read more

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The trial and condemnation of Socrates (469-399 B.C), on charges of heresy and corrupting the minds of the young...Plato has preserved for us the essence of his teachings of the logical system of question and answer in order to define the nature of virtue and knowledge. ... Read more

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A part of JaspersÂ’s planned universal history of philosophy, focusing on the four paradigmatic individuals who have exerted a historical influence of incomparable scope and depth. Edited by Hannah Arendt; Index. Translated by Ralph Manheim.Amazon.com Review
Arguably the four most influential individuals in humanhistory, Socrates, the Buddha, Confucius and Jesus have cast shadowson history that are nearly inescapable even today. Who were they, whatwere their doctrines, and what was their influence? These are some ofthe questions that the 20th-century philosopher Karl Jaspers exploresin this short excerpt from his larger volume, GreatPhilosophers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent introduction to world-historical figures of interest
Karl Jaspers was a somewhat unusual and enigmatic thinker.While being an excellent philosopher, he strongly distanced himself from the dominant philosophical schools of his time, both the continental and the analytical and positivist movements which dominated academic discourse.This was somewhat unfortunate and relegated Jaspers to being a lonely and marginalised figure, yet Jaspers published many works which are of enduring interest.

Of these are his four volumes on the history of philosopy and studies of great philosophers.In this volume Jaspers looks at Jesus, the Buddha, Socrates and Confucius as 'paradigmatic' figures who unleashed new visions which changed the world forever.Jaspers also adopts a somewhat unusual hermeneutical approach to these philosophers, taking the facts of scientific history not as starting points which constrain what can be said about these philsophers, but assessing their thought instead from Jasper's own existentialist framework.It is hard sometimes not to see Jaspers reading his own philosophy and philosophical viewpoint into that of these past philosophers, an approach closer to that of Nietzsche and Kierkegaard than that favoured by modern historians of philosophy.

Even so, Jasper's analysis of these philosopher-sages is fascinating and repays careful study.

There's scholarship and there's scholarship
The previous reviewer, in reminding us of recent scholarship on Jesus and the Gospel tradition, raises several pertinent considerations.Jaspers' book generally reflects the more modern scholarship that has focused increasingly on certain parallel sayings in Matthew and Luke as "Q Gospel" remnants and on the earliest Vaticanus and Sinaiticus manuscripts of the earliest extant Gospel, Mark.Yet recent similarly focused studies on the other three paradigmatic figures covered here don't seem reflected in Jaspers' book to the same extent.Personally, I am not as disturbed as the previous reviewer may be by applying modern scholarship to the Gospels.Rather, what I miss is the same strictness applied to the other three written traditions.Confucius, for example, is eventually described as having held high office only when we get to relatively late texts in the Confucian tradition.Yet Jaspers accepts this description of him without question.In fact, if, as Jaspers does by inference in his Jesus chapter, we are to set some of what we read in the Gospel of John aside, then oughtn't we set aside similar texts describing Confucius as having had conspicuous political success?If the "Q Gospel" passages in Matthew/Luke and the earliest manuscript tradition for Mark are to be highlighted as delineations of the "historical Jesus", then only Chapters 3 through 9 of the Analects of Confucius, generally regarded as the earliest stratum of Confucian text, should be the primary basis for the kind of modern philosophical scrutiny Jaspers purports to offer.Jaspers' Confucius chapter does not confine itself to the kind of wandering, almost homeless, figure found in these seven earliest chapters.To be consistent, shouldn't it?While it's useful for Jaspers, at the outset of his Buddha chapter, to single out the Digha-Nikaya collection as the earliest stratum of Buddha sermons, the rest of the Buddha chapter goes well beyond the Digha-Nikaya collection, even flirting occasionally with Buddha traditions lying outside the Pali tradition, let alone the Digha-Nikaya collection!There's nothing inherently wrong with this, but it becomes inconsistent in the light of Jaspers' tacit adoption of certain tenets of modern historical criticism in his Jesus chapter.(To do Jaspers justice, he never explicitly offers quite the detailed textual background on the Gospel tradition that I attempt here.)What, IMO, might prove a more creditable effort -- since I would agree that these four figures indeed emerge as the most strongly verified human beings in history to live an essentially blameless life oriented toward an entirely self-made, and therefore inherently courageous, ethic -- would be a survey based exclusively on those fifteen or so sermons in the Digha-Nikaya regarded by modern scholars as the earliest for Buddha, on Chapters 3 through 9 of the Analects for Confucius, on the earliest, least "spun", Plato dialogues, such as the Charmides, the Hippias Minor, the Euthyphro, the Apology and the Crito, for Socrates, and on the Vaticanus/Sinaiticus Mark tradition plus the "Q" passages in Matthew/Luke for Jesus.It is unfortunate that Jaspers' book, with all its modern trappings (not in itself a bad thing, IMO), fails to do this rigorously.Hence, my three-star rating.Jaspers should be given credit, though, for a worthwhile start at the important task of evaluating perhaps the four finest human beings ever to walk this earth.

Interesting idea, but is it trustworthy scholarship?
Karl Jaspers has undertaken an interesting study in the little book.He looks at the teachings of four men who have had the most far-reaching impact on our world.He claims that the greatness of their influence is measured in centuries as well as globally.The four great men he chose for this book are, as the title suggests, Socrates, Buddha, Confucius and Jesus.He entertained the thought of including Mohammed but chose not to.He explains that Mohammed "might be comparable in historical importance but not in individual depth (p. 87)."One other interesting insight comes from Jaspers on the same page.We have no writings from any of the four themselves - what we do have comes from their disciples after they died.

So much for the interesting, now for the question of trustworthiness.

Jaspers examined the biblical accounts of Jesus through the lens of higher criticism.In other words, Jaspers did not deal with the biblical text itself when he studied Jesus, he dealt with the text after sifting through what others thought was truly the teaching of Jesus.The reason this poses a problem is important to all readers, not merely to Christians.If he did not take the teachings of Jesus (as recorded by his disciples) at face value, did he take the teachings of Socrates, Buddha and Confucius (as recorded by their disciples) at face value?Is the reader really getting Socrates, Buddha, Confucius and Jesus, or is the reader getting Karl Jaspers?Knowing the aspects of Jesus' teachings that have been ignored in this study, and their importance to understanding Jesus' view of himself and the world around him, makes me wonder what we may have lost, in this study, from the other three great men included here.

This book is a very interesting idea.But, is it trustworthy scholarship?Not in my humble opinion.However, those who do not wish to sift through the original writings will inevitably want to read Jasper's abridgement of those writings.This may be to the readers' benefit, or to their detriment.

Made a big impression on me!
Aside from being an intelligently written book, I gave this book 5 stars because it made a big impression on me.Jaspers explanation of Confucius made the strength of Confucious's teaching clear.Now I'm very interested in Confucious and am reading more books about him. In that respect, this slim volume changed my life: It brought Confucious to life.What's more, by explaining Confucius's feelings about Taoism, this slim book did more to explain classic Taoism than the 2 books on the Tao I've already read.

Be aware that this book is due to the editing of Hannah Arendt. This means that Jaspers did not put this book out and say "Ta Da, the 4 Greatest!"No, Jaspers wrote a 2 volume book on the great philosophers due to his post War interest in increasing tolerance among men (per the Encyclopedia Britanica). This book does not appear to have any noticable Existentialist influence.

Finally, if you are a fundamentalist Christian, be warned that it is clear from his writing that Jaspers does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, nor does he believe the Bible is free of error. He is not disrespectful of Jesus nor of Christianity, but do not think that because Jesus is in this book that the book is strongly pro-Jesus.

Well Written
This book is a joy to read.Jaspers has a real talent for breaking down complex thoughts into detailed, easy to read format.Jaspers presents a broad overview that should be attractive to newcomers.More advanced readers will appreciate his style and his refreshing perspective. ... Read more

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From Solon to Socrates is a magisterial narrative introduction to what is generally regarded as the most important period of Greek history. Stressing the unity of Greek history and the centrality of Athens, Victor Ehrenberg covers a rich and diverse range of political, economic, military and cultural issues in the Greek world, from the early history of the Greeks, including early Sparta and the wars with Persia, to the ascendancy of Athens and the Peloponnesian War.

Customer Reviews (2)

Very aceesible guide to Classical Greece
This book is accessible both to history students and to laypeople. I find it enjoyable to read even on topics I don't know much about as well as being useful for my studies.

An excellent introduction to classical Greek history
One of the better surveys of classical Greek history available, this book begins with short introductory chapters on the 8th and 7th centuries B.C. before moving on to a chronological history ending with the death of Socrates in 399 B.C.Topics include Athens under the tyrants, the Persian Wars, the rise of the Athenian Empire, the Peloponnesian War, and a fascinating final chapter on the "revolution of the mind" which culminated in Socrates and signaled a great change in Greek history and civilization.Ehrenberg wrote this book later in his career, so it can be seen as a summation of a lifetime of study, thought, and research.The text is littered with very precise, enlightening observations--he has a gift for distilling complicated ideas into manageable gems without trivializing or losing their core meaning.Not many historians have this talent.

Ehrenberg's style is engaging and will appeal to the specialist as well as the educated general reader.Unlike so many surveys, he wisely uses endnotes rather than extensive footnotes and keeps the source references within the text to a minimum, allowing interested readers to turn to the appropriate notes on their own without disrupting the narrative for those who may not care about the scholarly arguments on particular points.This makes the book far more readable than many similar studies.Ehrenberg also peppers the text with wonderful accounts of the literature of each period discussed, showing how drama and poetry can illuminate our understanding of Greek history as a whole.This also gives the reader some relief from political and military analysis, which is sometimes a bit dry and hard to follow since the surviving evidence is often inadequate and controversial.Ehrenberg does a wonderful job of sustaining the reader's interest, and his obvious passion for his subject comes through.

This book is a standard text in many British universities, and I suspect it will remain required reading for many years to come.The strength of this study, and what sets it apart from so many others, is that it is equally accessible to the general reader who may not have the benefit of regular lectures to supplement it.Ehrenberg provides here a series of his own lectures in a sense, and there are many suggestions for further reading and study.If you are looking for a good general history of this critical period in Western history, Ehrenberg's book is an excellent choice. ... Read more

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In the tradition of grand sweeping histories such as From Dawn To Decadence, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, and A History of God, Hecht champions doubt and questioning as one of the great and noble, if unheralded, intellectual traditions that distinguish the Western mind especially-from Socrates to Galileo and Darwin to Wittgenstein and Hawking. This is an account of the world's greatest ‘intellectual virtuosos,' who are also humanity's greatest doubters and disbelievers, from the ancient Greek philosophers, Jesus, and the Eastern religions, to modern secular equivalents Marx, Freud and Darwin—and their attempts to reconcile the seeming meaninglessness of the universe with the human need for meaning,

Customer Reviews (49)

A Wonderful Read
This very rich and varied history gives the gist of all the great thinkers down through the ages, not only from the European perspective, but also from the Mid East and the Far East.Philosophers whom one has encountered in other readings are explained and put into their time and place.And this great synthesis is accomplished with great good humor and joy. I stongly recommend this wonderful book.

Ubi dubium ibi libertas
There is a word on the back of this book to describe the contents therein:Magisterial.One would be hard pressed to bring forth a more appropriate term for the opus by Jennifer Michael Hecht on the subject of religious doubt.

It appears from a few of the reviews of the book that they were not aware of the nature of the doubt discussed in this book before buying it, then gave it a low review rating because it was not up to their expectations.It is about RELIGIOUS DOUBT, and perhaps should have been titled to reflect that more accurately.Even the reviewer above from the Washington Post seems disgruntled since she did not cover doubt of scientific inquiry or other types of doubt.

Hecht published this book in 2003, before all of the "New Atheist" books were released, starting with Sam Harris's "End of Faith" in 2004.It is somewhat disappointing that she did not get as much attention for this book as Harris, Dawkins, Dennett, or Hitchens, but perhaps that is because this is not a polemic and is more scholarly than the works by the so-called "Four Horsemen," though their works are thoroughly enjoyable for what they are.Well, the book by Dennett is quite scholarly, as well, to make a clarification.

"Doubt" strives to cover various forms of doubt from as far back as the 6th-7th centuries BCE up until the publishing of the book, from ancient philosophers in Greece, India, and China to today's Ibn Warraq, Steven Weinberg, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Natalie Angier.She breaks things up according to the West and East, with attempts to categorize further by timespan.The range of doubt spans from doubting only certain dogmas within a person's religion to doubting the entire religion, including the gods.

Being a scholarly account, it should be no surprise Hecht covers tremendous amounts of information in a very thorough manner, so some parts are a bit dry.Regardless, the information is worthwhile for anyone interested in the broad history of doubt in the civilized world.That religions did not entirely stomp out all of the information, though they succeeded in obliterating a great deal, is most fortunate.

"Doubt"....a remarkably thorough review
This completely thorough and in-depth review of religiosity is an essential historical background for anyone interested in the fact that religions have so many different constructions, so many different cultural perspectives.This volume illuminates the enlightenment phases of world religions in a spectacular way.Being thorough, it requires reading intensity, but is worth every minute spent on it; a highly valuable source of knowledge in a subject of significance to all of us.
Carl Bauer, PhD, Prescott Valley, Arizona

Indubitably excellent
This is a brilliant, cogent and very accessible book spanning the Classical period to the current. Where the book is weakest is as it approaches the present day, which though still thoughtful and invigorating becomes thinner. As with all 'history', distance allows for greater commentary and ability to culturally digest. Still, though Marx was covered in good detail (Lenin and Stalin too) it would seem more balanced if other, non-authoritarian examples were given. This is just a minor point, as the text is excellent. This is a text that will not require vast erudition simply to understand it, and a welcome one it should be for all readers or listeners. I would give it more stars if possible.

Must read for the serious doubter
This is a must read for anyone who wonders if they are the only one who is doubting the religion they grew up with.We have a long and significant history of doubters comprised of some of the greatest thinkers from the past few thousand years.It will make you feel proud of your heretical heritage. ... Read more

Product Description
This helpful manual assists instructors that teach a course using the case method.It helps instructors explore what it means to teach by discussion leadership.It has a focus on higher education with a professional orientation.It also helps instructors consider a range of possible teaching materials, but emphasizes case studies.The focus is on learning, not teaching. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Socrates' Muse: Reflections on Effective Case Discussion
Prof. Robert F. Bruner's ideas on teaching are excellent, and more importantly, they work! (My own course ratings improved dramatically when I followed his advice under pacing and preparation.)
He has written a book for teachers who care about student learning . It's great for ideas on self-improvement. I've given it as a gift to faculty who are interested in making the switch to case teaching. It also has a really good section on how to watch other faculty teach. ... Read more

Product Description
Since its publication in 1966, "Socrates to Sartre" has maintained its position as a clear, accessible and historically arranged undergraduate introduction to philosophy. This fifth edition adds coverage of 20th-century philosophers such Richard Rorty and Maurice Merlea-Ponty. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good Read
This is a great beginners book for anyone interested in the history of philosophy. The concepts are well introduced in an easily read format. I could definitely see this book in the personal library of any college student.

A quick analysis of author S. Stumpf
Professor Stumpf has done an excellent job at clearly describing all the key philosophical ideas and the awsome men who introduced them... beginning with the early Greek thinkers and moving chronologically to late 20th century philosophers. So the title of his latest edition should probably be slightly changed to reflect this latest reality.

Stumpf has taken the fog out of philosophy and instead has given the interested reader mostly sunlight from which to study these great ideas that have guided civilization to its present state.

Ironically, though, I find it odd that Stumpf book is not widely used, as I believe that it should be, throughout U.S. colleges and universities!

This may be due to the old silent fact that most college professors order textbooks for students that are exceedingly difficult to read, thus hoping that students will spend more time reading these foggy textbooks when in reality students end up not reading these foggy books at all.So college professors must begin changing their textbook selection criteria and start ordering textbooks that are, above all, well written and easy to follow as Stumpf's book clearly is.

Gerard J. Sagliocca, P.E.
Social Critic

The Desktop Reference to Philosophy
Socrates to Sartre is a great book to use to understand the basic thought of any philosopher.The greatest strenghts of the book lie in the analysis of philosophy up to the modern period.In particular the book seems thinon the areas of existential philosophy and post-modern thought.Thoselimitations acknowledged, I would recommend this book for any person tryingto crack the world of philosophy.Make sure you get another book if youwant to understand the thought of19th century or 20th centuryphilosophers.

Great for any Philosophy student
I recommend this book to anyone studying Philosophy. I majored in Phil in college and owe a great deal to "Socrates to Sartre" for helping me understand so many abstract concepts. It is writen in contemporaryenglish so it is much easier to understand than many of the philosophers'own writing. The reader can follow the book as a historical text or use itas an encylopedia. All major theories by all major western philosophers areconcisely broken down and explained. Examples are given. The book isstructured in order of schools of thought and historical order. I swear oneof my instructors must used this book for his lectures beacuse I used itfor his classes and did very well. I don't mean to sound like I'm relatedto the author but this book is the best guide around.

Good info, but a little dry
Strumpf has proved himself to be a master of making somtimes dificult philosophical problems easy to understand. I found this book very helpful, it set out major points, and the basic philosophy of the most importantphilosophers from pre-socratic times up into the present. It is one of thefew history of philosophy textbooks to include philosophers who are stillliving today, and most people haven't heard of (e.g. Quine). I appreciatedthe way in which Strumpf sets up the philosophies in referance to the past,as well as its respective present. The book was just a bit dry, but it waschock full o' info. Well worth it for anyone interested in getting intophilosophy, or the college student looking for an easy to understand guide. ... Read more

Product Description
There is no better way to understand our present world than by exploring the Great Books written by the great minds that have made it. There is no better way to study the beginning of modem political philosophy than by studying its foundations in Machiavelli's The Prince. There is no better way to study the Great Books than with the aid of Socrates, the philosopher par excellence. What if we could overhear a conversation in the afterlife between Socrates and Machiavelli, in which Machiavelli has to submit to an Oxford tutorial style examination of his book conducted by Socrates using his famous Socratic method of cross-examination? How might the conversation go? This imaginative thought-experiment makes for both drama and a good lesson in logic, in moral and political philosophy, in how to read a book , and in the history of early modern thought. Thus this book is for readers ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A nice teaching aid
I always thought Machiavelli was over-rated and generally provided ideas that would, in the long run, prove to be counter-productive. Kreeft, a master of Socratean logic, provides both a presentation of Machiavelli's perspective and an application of logic that corroborates my thinking. Naturally, then, I like this small booklet. ;)

The best use of this book is after studying the logic of Socrates (it will give you an example of its application) and reading "The Prince" (so you get a chance to form your own judgment). You may find yourself re-reading sections so as to get better clarity of how logic builds on itself. The book is small enough to allow that without feeling like you are falling behind and will never get through it.

This book is amazing
I don't have time to go into much detail.I do want to write that I read this book in two sittings.It was very enlightening.I was able to finish my mid-term essay on Machiavelli and Plato using this book as one of my resources.
I highly recommend this book to all philosophy students--or those just interested in philosophy or politics.

An enjoyable little pamphlet
This was a thoroughly enjoyable little book, and the first I read in Kreeft's series. The funny thing I found in this pamphlet is the personalities of the characters are the exact opposite of what I expected. Both fellows I've always suspected were a bit mental. You may remember Socrates standing in the middle of a street for several hours deep in thought. The Socrates in the book would more likely have stepped into a Starbucks, looking less conspicuous. There are some emotional moments where at one point I was in shock. At other times, I would break out in laughter. Because Machi is a funny guy. I look forward to future volumes one of which was mentioned by Socrates. I was thinking it would be great to see Socrates cross-examine Neitzsche, but Kreeft mentioned another philosopher whom Socrates would meet--Kant. I can't wait. ... Read more