Product Description

These concise and enlightening explorations of our greatest thinkers bring their ideas to life in an entertaining and accessible fashion. Philosophical thought is deciphered and made comprehensible and interesting to almost everyone. Far from being a novelty, each book is a highly refined appraisal of the philosopher and his work, authoritative and clearly presented.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #862376 in Books
• Published on: 1997-04-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 89 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781566631488
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"Dr. Strathern manages to make philosophic peaks clear-and philosophers human....Miraculously succinct, informative and valuable books." -- Otto Scott's Compass, 1/1/97

"Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization." -- Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe 10/20/96

"I find them hard to stop reading....Mr. Strathern's books are well-written, clear and informed; they have a breezy wit about them....Good enough for them to provide genuine education." -- Richard Bernstein, New York Times, 7/2/98

"Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise." -- Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal, 3/18/97

A godsend in this era of the short attention span. -- Daryl Royster Alexander, New York Times

Dr. Strathern manages to make philosophic peaks clear-and philosophers human....Miraculously succinct, informative and valuable books. -- Otto Scott's Compass, 1/1/97

I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization. -- Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe 10/20/96

I find them hard to stop reading.... Well-written, clear and informed; they have a breezy wit about them.... -- Richard Bernstein, New York Times, 7/2/98

Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise. -- Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal, 3/18/97

About the Author
Paul Strathern, a former Somerset Maugham prize winner, has written five novels as well as books on history and travel. His own degree in philosophy was earned at Trinity College, Dublin.

Customer Reviews

Too much Strathern not enough socrates
Having a great interest in philosophy,I so looked forward to what promised to be(based on the title)a wonderful experience reading this and 3 other books I purchased with similar titles by Mr. Strathern. Sadly,the experience was a terrible disappointment. One learns more about MR.Strathern's personal philosophical preferences and predjudices then about the men in question. Most good writers and teachers of philosophy I have been exposed to do their best to disengage their personal feelings and try to express the philosopher's ideas. Unfortunately,Mr. Strathern can't bring himself to bo that. These books are not worthy of anyone serious in their quest to learn about these great thinkers. I would recommend Stumpf's "Socrates to sartre" for anyone wanting to know more about these great men in a shorthand format.

I love the Philosophers in 90 Minutes series...
... and this is one of my favorites. I went to the library one day, intent on learning a little bit on philosophy, a subject I knew absolutely nothing about. One of the books I picked up was "Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes" by the same author. In the next few weeks, I read about 12 of Strathern's "Philosophers in 90 Minutes" books, every one the library had. I went to another library and got all the ones they had.

Strathern's books changed my life; it was like going to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and seeing people like myself. I discovered that I like thinking and philosophy. "Socrates in 90 Minutes" is one of my favorites. I went as far as to buy it in hopes that my wife would read it. Since my introduction to Strathern's work, I have started to build a collection of it, one that I hope to have for decades to come.

If you want to start anywhere in philosophy, "Socrates in 90 Minutes" is a great place to start, both because of the subject and the writing. Strathern is witty and well-written, and it comes out brillantly in this book, which I think is the best of his small ones.

No, this book isn't for someone getting their Master's Degree in Philosophy. So what? It's fun to read and you get an idea of what Socrates was really like. Strathern does tend to focus more on the philosophers' lives than their works, but I think this is the best way to get to know them, for you can't understand an idea without its context. "Cogito ergo sum," doesn't seem very impressive when you don't take into consideration a millenium of intellectual thought being stiffled.

In this book, you get to realize how Socrates developed his philosophy, how people reacted to it and how people reacted to him. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read something more meaningful than a Harold Robbins paperback. It's fun and it's a book you'll want to keep forever.

The one who knew he did not know
This book is a quite good introduction to the life of Socrates. It is less good as a description of that method of dialogue , the maieutic method of philosophical midwifery by which Socrates attempted to educe the truth about any given concept or subject. Strathern accurately portrays Socrates role as gadfly- teaching the arrogant complacent citizens of Athens that they really did not understand what they thought they understood or know what they thought they knew. He too is good describing Socrates disturbing social role in Athens. He also retells the story of Socrates trial, drinking of the hemlock and becoming the world's first martyr of philosophy. He does not however stress the important point that Socrates took this action out of his sense of loyalty to the polis,his sense of duty as a citizen of Athens. And that therefore the one who had been tried and accused as disloyal to the state, in effect gave his life in a display ( wisely or not)of loyalty to it. And this when the courage and calm in the face of death is too an essential part of the heroic image of the philosopher Socrates leaves to posterity.