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  • A Little History of Philosophy

  • By: Nigel Warburton
  • Narrated by: Kris Dyer
  • Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,781 ratings)

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A Little History of Philosophy

By: Nigel Warburton
Narrated by: Kris Dyer
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Summary

Philosophy begins with questions about the nature of reality and how we should live. These were the concerns of Socrates, who spent his days in the ancient Athenian marketplace asking awkward questions, disconcerting the people he met by showing them how little they genuinely understood.

This engaging book introduces the great thinkers in Western philosophy and explores their most compelling ideas about the world and how best to live in it. In forty brief chapters, Nigel Warburton guides us on a chronological tour of the major ideas in the history of philosophy. He provides interesting and often quirky stories of the lives and deaths of thought-provoking philosophers from Socrates, who chose to die by hemlock poisoning rather than live on without the freedom to think for himself, to Peter Singer, who asks the disquieting philosophical and ethical questions that haunt our own times.

Warburton not only makes philosophy accessible, he offers inspiration to think, argue, reason, and ask in the tradition of Socrates. A Little History of Philosophy presents the grand sweep of humanity's search for philosophical understanding and invites all to join in the discussion.

©2011 Nigel Warburton (P)2014 Audible Studios
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Editor reviews

The fascinating subject of Philosophy is revealed in A Little History of Philosophy, written by British philosopher and best-selling author Nigel Warburton with an audiobook narration by Kris Dyer. Taking listeners all the way back to the philosophers of ancient Greece and working his way through the most notable philosophers in history, hear the fascinating topics that have been discussed over the course of time and see the parallels between them – for at its core, philosophy is an attempt to answer those fundamental questions - who are we? Why are we here? Who or what created us? Available now from Audible.

What listeners say about A Little History of Philosophy

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tremendous overview of western philosophy

If you could sum up A Little History of Philosophy in three words, what would they be?

Engaging, thought-provoking and concise.

What did you like best about this story?

I've heard nearly all of the their names, but really I never had a clear concept of the ideas of the major western philosophers, until I listened to this book. In a remarkably easy-to-listen-to style, the author presents a neat, somewhat superficial but pithy summary of arguably the 40 most important and influential western philosophers in modern history. From Socrates and Plato through to Peter Singer, he introduces the person, his key ideas and contributions to thought, and how others received his or her ideas.I know more now than I did before, and have enjoyed listening to this book so much I'm going to listen to it again.

Have you listened to any of Kris Dyer’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Haven't listened to any of Kris's other performances. I thought he had some slightly unusual pronunciation - a long 'a' in "Isaac" and two equally-emphasized syllables in "at-om" jarred slightly for me, but he is a clear, warm-voiced reader and I would happily listen to more.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me thirsty for more of the same - and I wonder if there is a similarly concise, masterly overview of eastern philosophy available in a similar format?

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended - accessible, interesting, and thought provoking stuff, which makes me realise a lot of the moral or intellectual questions which we all ponder from time to time are well-rehearsed, categorised, and have been thoroughly explored by philosophers who - for the most part - have something to say on the subjects which merits a bit of our attention. Five stars.

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36 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A great entry into philosophy

A great entry into philosophy which leaves me wanting to learn more on the subject.

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16 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very Insightful

A little history but very insightful and interesting. This is my first dive into the world of philosophy having only been aware of points prior to this and it’s left me wanting to dive in deeper now.

Very fascinating book with a lot of information and insight. I look forward to exploring philosophy more and have this book to thank for my new interest!

Kris Dyer did a great job of narrating this one and I don’t think it could’ve had a better choice of narrator. Very easy to follow and listen to, some accents thrown in where needed. It was great!

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brilliant nicely summed up and explained

I loved the narration, very agreeable voice and pace.
loved the book and the link between the various philosophies.
note that the focus is very much on western philosophy (mostly Europe) which was what I was interested in so not unhappy about it.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Western philosophy.

should really be titled "a little history of western philosophy". well written and narrated it is really a small taster of what philosophy is all about. would have loved for it to include a more global perspective but guess that might be another book.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

fantastic intro intro philosophy

For those that want a introduction in philosophy, from Socrates to Singer. well written, well read would recommend to anyone

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    5 out of 5 stars
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a nice and easy history of philosophy

I really enjoyed this book, so easily explained, I really recommend it for those who just want a quick explanation

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Loved this and will listen again. It's a great book to hear different views of many philosophers from over the years

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

interessting story but a little much repetition.

Not a wook i wouldve read probably. Narrator conveyed the message better than the text.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

very enjoyable

I loved it. I highly recommend it. Chapters have a suitable length to listen on your way to work and make this time more productive and enriching.

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