A Young Person's Guide to Philosophy : "I Think Therefore I Am"

Jeremy Weate

ISBN 10: 0751357790 / ISBN 13: 9780751357790

Published by Dorling Kindersley, 1998

About this Item

Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Seller Inventory # GRP12457015

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Young Person's Guide to Philosophy : "I Think Therefore I Am"
• Publisher: Dorling Kindersley
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0751357790
• ISBN 13: 9780751357790
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Peter Lawman
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 1.188 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

Which philosopher threw himself head first into a volcano to prove he was a god? Who formed a secret society and banned its members from eating beans? Is it true that one philosopher operated on his friend's liver and fitted it with a silver tap? Which philosopher insisted that his students sit in deckchairs? Why did another have to have a special niche cut into his table? Who was cut to pieces by sharpened seashells? These are just a few of the intriguing facts you will discover about philosophers in this fascinating book.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-An overly ambitious attempt to answer questions that kids may not even be asking. This title takes DK's "snippet" approach to nonfiction, offering little bits of loosely correlated information along with attractive illustrations. In this case, the complexity of the subject and its unfamiliarity to readers make this title problematic. Major Western philosophers (e.g., Plato, Socrates, Nietzsche, Aquinas) are introduced on two-page spreads, while those less well known (e.g., Thales, Anaximander) are treated in smaller paragraphs. The cartoon illustrations of each of these thinkers are highlighted with chatty personal tidbits reminiscent of Kathleen Krull's "Lives of..." books (Harcourt). However, the format is not as successful here. Short captioned illustrations depicting important symbols, occurrences, or people of the time appear as sidebars. A section titled "Philosophy Today" provides a few scant sentences about modern-day thinkers such as Michael Foucault and Jacques Derrida. In the final chapter, schools of thought (e.g., the Empiricists and the Rationalists) are broken down chronologically. In addition to introducing new concepts, this portion goes into greater detail on some of the philosophers presented earlier. It is distracting to have to flip back and forth to get all of the information on an individual. Although this visually appealing book might catch the eye of an otherwise uninterested child, the difficult subject matter and complicated presentation limit its audience.
Christy Norris Blanchette, Valley Cottage Library, NY
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