The Handy Western Philosophy Answer Book

The universe and our place in it, the meaning of life, the nature of justice and the good society, and the powers of reason.  Difficult philosophy made easy!

Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Stoicism, Skepticism, Cynicism, Continental philosophy, ethics, government and governing, virtue, love, life, and death. Heidegger, Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, Bertrand Russell, and Michel Foucault. From famous figures in the history of philosophy to the deepest questions of religion to the relationship between knowledge and power, The Handy Western Philosophy Answer Book: The Ancient Greek Influence on Modern Understanding makes esoteric ideas and the jumble of names easy to understand, enriching readers’ lives by and offering answers to questions like these …

What is philosophy?

What is metaphysics?

What is logic?

How is ethics different than morality?

How did Stoicism inspire modern cognitive psychotherapy?

What are the four cardinal virtues?

How, according to Plato, is philosophy like making love?

What are the three parts of the soul?

How does democracy degenerate into tyranny?

How did Alexander the Great change the course of the history of philosophy?

What is an emotion?

Why do we need friends?

What did Aristotle think about money?

What is the meaning and origin of the Serenity Prayer?

What impact did the Epicureans have on the modern world?

What is the postmodern condition?

Philosophy is the pursuit of answers to big questions about the purpose of life, death, and existence. Philosophy is about how to reason and find the answers for yourself. Philosophy is a puzzle. You collect clues. You make connections. An informative, accessible, easy-to-understand guide to the big questions about living, The Handy Western Philosophy Answer Book is a perfect companion for anyone seeking wider truths and happiness!

Ed D’Angelo earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he studied continental philosophy and developed a philosophical theory of human consciousness. He also holds a master’s degree in library science from the State University of New York at Albany. Currently an independent scholar, until his retirement in 2014 Dr. D’Angelo was a supervising librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library, where for the last eleven years of his career he led a philosophy discussion group for the public. Additionally, Dr. D’Angelo taught philosophy at Stony Brook, Rensselaer, SUNY Albany, Sienna College, and Empire State College. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, Lisa.