The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
Buy Now for $66.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
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 listeners say about The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Linda Branson
- 19-08-2017
Great overview of philosophy and noted figures
What 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tim Jones
- 19-12-2016
Good, though very brief, overview
This series is comprised of 30min lectures - each covering a different 'great idea', usually through the person that proposed it.
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Russellji
- 23-03-2018
Wordy but informative
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...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Danny
- 05-04-2018
...Have you the time?
I was instructed that this review requires at least fifteen words to rate:
‘Buckle up’
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joshua
- 13-12-2015
Entertaining and informative
In these 50 lectures, Prof. Robinson wittingly illustrates a dialectic of philosophical perspectives comprising issues of knowing, issues of conduct and issues of governance.
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-09-2020
Brilliant - does requiree concentration
Brilliant way to learn philosophy. Engaging lecturer and content. Requires concentration from the listener.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- J
- 28-07-2016
Thoroughly Engaging
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Lewis
- 28-01-2017
Wordy, hard to follow, lots of fluff
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!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Sammee
- 03-07-2019
Dry
He really just didn't bring it yo life for me. It felt 2 dimensional. He's knowledgeable, no doubt, but it didn't really come together.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- evan
- 23-06-2016
the reader excessively uses useless fluff words
As philosophy is plagued by over complication of simple concepts, this is just a prime example. Dumbest collection of what would be great philosophical thoughts in a non-linear, almost non sensical presentation giving a bad name to academia.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful