100 Philosophers: A Guide to the World's Greatest Thinkers

What is the nature of good and evil? What is the meaning of existence and who are we really? For thousands of years philosophers have struggled with questions such as these, weighing every thought against virtually every rational alternative. Here, presented for non-academic readers, is an easy-to-understand survey of ideas put forth by 100 important philosophers, from the pre-Socratics of ancient Greece to the analytic philosophers of the present day.

Each thinker is summarized in a single illustrated page, or in many instances, in an illustrated two-page spread. Each entry includes the philosopher's birth and death dates, titles of major works, major influences, a capsule biographical sketch, and a brief summary of his or her most important ideas. The glossary will help readers quickly navigate and organize their learning.

In addition to philosophers in our own Western tradition, readers will find Chinese sages, including Confucius and Lao-tzu, the Indian Buddhist philosopher Ngrjuna, and thinkers representing other cultures.

Peter J. King (D.Phil. Oxford) was born in Boston, Lincolnshire. He currently teaches philosophy at Christ Church and Somerville Colleges, Oxford, and is Visiting Lecturer at the University of North London and the University of Reading. He has published academic papers in the philosophy of religion, metaphysics and philosophical logic as well as more popular articles on political philosophy and parapsychology. He's currently working on an introduction to the philosophy of religion. He is a member of the Humanist Philosophers' Group.