Martin Cohen

Philosophical Tales

Being an Alternative History Revealing the Characters, the Plots, and the Hidden Scenes That Make Up the True Story of Philosophy
Illustration: Gonzalez, Raul

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Did Plato really write those Socratic Dialogues - or was it Socrates after all? Why is it doubtful that Descartes ever really uttered, "I think, therefore I am"? And what did Sartre ever have against waiters, anyway? The history of philosophy is filled with great tales - many of them fictions, misrepresentations, falsehoods, lies and fibs.

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Enlightening and entertaining,
Philosophical Tales examines a few of the fascinating biographical details of history's greatest philosophers (alas, mostly men) and highlights their contributions to the field. By applying the true philosophical approach to philosophy itself, the text provides us with a refreshing alternative history of philosophy.
Opens up new philosophical debate by applying the true philosophical approach to philosophy itself
Provides summaries of the most celebrated and philosophically interesting tales, their backgrounds, and assessments of the leading players
Explores philosophers and schools of thought in one key philosophical text to supply a solid grounding in philosophical ideas and individuals
Shakes some of the foundations of philosophy with the aim of encouraging the reinvigoration of philosophy itself

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Wiley & Sons / Wiley-Blackwell
• 1. Auflage
• Seitenzahl: 304
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Juni 2008
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 240mm x 161mm x 21mm
• Gewicht: 564g
• ISBN-13: 9781405140362
• ISBN-10: 1405140364
• Artikelnr.: 23561509

Autorenporträt

Martin Cohen is a teacher and writer specializing in philosophy, ethics and education, with a special interest in computing. His books include 101 Philosophy Problems (2nd edn., 2001), Political Philosophy (2001), 101 Ethical Dilemmas (2003), and Wittgenstein's Beetle and Other Classic Thought Experiments (Blackwell, 2005). He has been editor of The Philosopher since 1995.

Inhaltsangabe

Forward. How to Use this Book. [List of illustrations/ About the Pictures]. The Tales. The Ancients. 1. Socrates the Sorcerer (469 BC E). 2. The Different Forms of Plato ( circa 427
347 BCE). 3. Aristotle the Aristocrat (384
circa 322 BCE). More Ancients. 4. Lao Tzu Changes into Nothing (sixth to fifth century BCE). 5. Heraclitus: the dark side of the river (c. fifth century BCE). 6. Pythagoras Counts Up to Ten (c570
495 BCE). 7. Hypatia, holds up half of the sky (circa 370
415 CE). Medieval Philosophy. 7. Augustine the Hippocrite (354
430 C.E.). 8. Thomas Aquinas disputes the Existence of God ( 1225
74). Modern Philosophy. 9. Descartes the Dilettante and More Des Cartes (1596
1650). 10. Hobbes Squares the Circle (1588
1679). 11. Spinoza grinds himself away... (1632
1677) Enlightened Philosophy. 12. John Locke invents the Slave Trade (1632
1704). 13. The Many Faces of David Hume 1711
1776. 14. Rousseau the Rogue (1712
78). 15. Kant, The Chinaman of Königsburg (and his rule
bound existence) (1724
1804). The Idealists. 16. Gottfried Leibniz
the thinking machine (1646
1716). 17. Bishop Berkeley's Bermuda College (1685
1753). 18. Headmaster Hegel
and the dangerous lesson of history (1770
1831). 19. Arthur Schopenhauer and his Landlady (1788
1860). The Romantics. 20. The Seduction of Søren Kierkegaard (1813
circa 1853). 21. Mill's Poetical Turn (1806
73). 22. Henry Thoreau and Life in the Shed (1817
1862). 23. Marx's revolutionary materialism (1818
83). Recent Philosophy. 24. Russell denotes Domething (1872
1970). 25. The Ripping Yarn of Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889
1951). 26. Heidegger's Tale (and the Nazis) (1889
1976). 27. Sapir
Whorf and the colour Pinker (c.1900
1950). 28. Being Sartre and not definitely not being de Beauvoir (1905
80 and not 1908
86). 29. Deconstructing Derrida (1930
2005). 30. Appendix : Women in Philosophy, and Why There Aren't Many. Sources and Further Reading

Rezensionen

"We need more stories in philosophy, and Martin Cohen aims to fill this lacuna with Philosophical Tales . [This book] is intended for a general audience interested in a satirical introduction to overlooked aspects of Western philosophy and the lives of the great philosophers. Philosophical Tales does tell a number of interesting stories, and any instructor of philosophy will find it handy to have these stories available to enliven a class. Instructors will also find it valuable to use these philosophical tales to raise a compelling question: is a philosophy only as good as the philosopher who proposes it?" ( Teaching Philosophy , December 2009)
"Great philosophers only become well known after their deaths. Indeed, to speak of contemporary celebrity philosophers is oxymoronic. Still, one can t help wondering who amongst living philosophers will merit future Philosophical Tales. ( The Philosopher , Autumn 2008)