Paul Strathern
Author
Series
Pub. Date
c1997
Description
These brief and enlightening explorations of our greatest thinkers bring their ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Philosophical thought is deciphered and made comprehensive 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.
Author
Series
Pub. Date
[1996]
Description
"Immanuel Kant taught and wrote prolifically about physical geography yet never traveled farther than forty miles from his home in Konigsberg. How appropriate that in his philosophy he should deny that all knowledge was derived from experience. Kant's aim was to restore metaphysics. He insisted that all experience must conform to knowledge. According to Kant, space and time are subjective; along with various "categories," they help us to see the phenomena...
Author
Series
Pub. Date
c1996
Description
These brief and enlightening explorations of our greatest thinkers bring their ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Philosophical thought is deciphered and made comprehensive 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.
Author
Pub. Date
c1996
Description
"Rene Descartes spent most of his childhood in solitude, a situation that also came to characterize his adult life. Happily, these countless lonely hours helped Descartes produce the declaration that changed all philosophy: "I think, therefore I am." Eventually convincing himself to doubt and disregard sensory knowledge, Descartes found he could prove his existence through his thoughts. This internal information, he believed, was the true reality;...
Author
Pub. Date
c1997
Description
"Augustine's struggles with sex and a domineering mother, followed by his spiritual crisis and conversion to Christianity - detailed in his Confessions - ultimately led him to his major contribution to philosophy: the fusion of the two doctrines of Christianity and Neoplatonism. This not only provided Christianity with a strong intellectual backing but tied it to the Greek tradition of philosophy. In this way Christianity managed to keep the flame...
Author
Pub. Date
[1996]
Description
In earlier centuries philosophy had been dangerous for philosophers; with Friedrich Nietzsche it becomes dangerous for everyone. Nietzsche ended up by going mad, but his ideas presaged a collective madness which was to have horrific consequences in Europe during the first half of the twentieth century. His philosophy is one of aphorisms and penetrating psychological insights, not a system. But it is as brilliant, persuasive, and incisive as any before...
Author
Pub. Date
©1998
Description
In Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Aquinas's life and ideas, and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Aquinas's writings; a brief list of suggested reading for those who wish to push further; and chronologies that place Aquinas within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.
Author
Pub. Date
©1997
Description
"With Hegel, philosophy became very difficult indeed. His dialectical method produced the most grandiose metaphysical system known to man. Even Hegel conceded that "only one man understands me, and even he does not." Hegel's system included absolutely everything, but its most vital element was the dialectic of the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. This method sprung from Hegel's ambition to overcome the deficiencies of logic, and ascended toward...
Author
Series
Pub. Date
1999
Description
"Francis Crick and James Watson's discovery of DNA - the very building blocks of life - has astounding implications for mankind's future. Their work made possible amazing innovations in cloning, life expectancy, forensics, even the production of foods we eat every day...But what is DNA, and how did Crick and Watson, the Laurel and Hardy of Cambridge, discover it?"--Cover.
Author
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
"By the end of the fifteenth century, Florence was well established as the home of the Renaissance. As generous patrons to the likes of Botticelli and Michelangelo, the ruling Medici embodied the progressive humanist spirit of the age, and in Lorenzo de' Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent) they possessed a diplomat capable of guarding the militarily weak city in a climate of constantly shifting allegiances between the major Italian powers. However, in...
Author
Pub. Date
©1999
Description
In Locke in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Locke's life and ideas, and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Locke's writings; a brief list of suggested reading for those who wish to push further; and chronologies that place Locke within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.