
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
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Buy Now for $66.99
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Narrated by:
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Daniel N. Robinson
About this listen
Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions - without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.
Professor Robinson guides you through more than 2,000 years of philosophical thinking and gives you a coherent, comprehensive, and beautifully articulated introduction to the great conversation of philosophy. Every lecture contains substance that can change your view of the world and its history.
You'll journey from the early philosophical ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; chart the origins of Christian philosophy and investigate the Islamic scholars who preserved and extended Greek thought during the Middle Ages; and venture through Enlightenment contributions to philosophy, from Francis Bacon to Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, and Adam Smith.
Then shift your attention to the modern era, where you see groundbreaking ideas like psychoanalysis, pragmatism, and nihilism, as well as the collision between the inherently social understanding of meaning created by Wittgenstein, the vastly different estimation of human thought developed by the code-breaking genius Alan Turing, and the subtle response to him made by the American philosopher John Searle.
While the lectures cover an enormous range of key thinkers and ideas, they always focus on the most important ideas. The result is a course that gives you everything you need to finally grasp humanity's exciting philosophical history - without years of intense academic study and piles of dense reading.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great CoursesWhat did you like most about The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition?
A great intro to philosophy for people who haven't studied it before (like me). Goes through a lot of history and how it relates to present day thinkers, which is very enlightening.Narrator is excellent; very thoughtful explanations and demonstrates different sides of philosophical arguments.
Really enjoyable reading.
Great overview of philosophy and noted figures
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As can be guessed, this time is not really sufficient to get a decent look at the idea or person, but is a good reference as who to look into later. Some ideas get good coverage; others are very brief with the choices the lecturer made about what to cover (thought the one on Nietzsche was unfocused, for example) and sometimes the lecturer uses a throw-away line at the end of some lectures that you wish he'd gone into more.
Good, though very brief, overview
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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
It was a bit of an effort. I think I am better for it, but my head hurts...Wordy but informative
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‘Buckle up’
...Have you the time?
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This was my first exposure to philosophical thought and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The subject quality aside, these lectures were delivered expertly. I frequently found myself laughing due to the wit with which these arguments were conveyed; the arguments themselves being fascinating.
Prof. Robinson you have created in me a student of philosophy. I endeavour next to consume the Homeric epics and Greek dramatists that constituted as you put it "pre-philosophical" thought.
Entertaining and informative
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Brilliant - does requiree concentration
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Very engaging, a quick survey of the most important philosophical ideas in history, probably good for someone new to the world of philosophy.What did you like best about this story?
The narrative is very engaging.Have you listened to any of Professor Daniel N. Robinson’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No.Thoroughly Engaging
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What disappointed you about The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition?
The lecturer's language was unnecessarily complex and he spent a lot of time discussing 'fluff'. So the lectures were difficult to follow and in the end he didn't communicate very much of substance. Unfortunately, I found them to be low-yield.Has The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition put you off other books in this genre?
No, but it has put me off other books by this lecturer.Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Professor Daniel N. Robinson?
Definitely Professor David K. Johnson. I've listened to a lot of philosophy lectures by the Great Courses and he is the best by FAR - excellent communicator, philosopher and teacher.If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition?
There was so much 'fluff' in each lecture. He spent so much time telling stories, discussing dramas and characters, digressing from the core issues. I would have preferred a much more detailed discussion of the actual philosophical ideas, arguments for and against each idea, whether there is any modern expert consensus regarding the ideas and how the ideas have developed over time.Any additional comments?
Please get Professor David K. Johnson to do a similar lecture series. I would purchase anything written and narrated by him!Wordy, hard to follow, lots of fluff
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Dry
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the reader excessively uses useless fluff words
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