
Scepticism
A Very Short Introduction
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $11.17
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Dennis Kleinman
-
By:
-
Duncan Pritchard
About this listen
Throughout history scepticism and the urge to question accepted truths has been a powerful force for change and growth. Today, as we are bombarded by adverts, scientific studies praising the latest superfoods, and political rhetoric, a healthy amount of scepticism is widely encouraged. But when is such scepticism legitimate - for example, as a driver of new ideas - and when is it problematic? And what role might adopting a sceptical outlook play in leading an intellectually virtuous life?
In this Very Short Introduction Duncan Pritchard explores both the advantages of scepticism, in challenging outdated notions, and also how it can have unhelpful social consequences, in generating distrust. He considers the role of scepticism at the source of contemporary social and political movements such as climate change denial, post-truth politics, and fake news. Pritchard also examines the philosophical arguments for a radical form of scepticism which maintains that knowledge is impossible, and explores some of the main responses to these arguments. Finally, he considers the part scepticism might play in applying better thinking and learning to achieve a more meaningful life.
©2019 Duncan Pritchard (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Hegel
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Peter Singer
- Narrated by: Christine Williams
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hegel is regarded as one of the most influential figures on modern political and intellectual development. After painting Hegel's life and times in broad strokes, Peter Singer goes on to tackle some of the more challenging aspects of Hegel's philosophy. Offering a broad discussion of Hegel's ideas and an account of his major works, Singer explains what have often been considered abstruse and obscure ideas in a clear and inviting manner.
-
-
Great introduction
- By I'm all ears on 02-17-22
By: Peter Singer
-
Kant
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Roger Scruton
- Narrated by: Kyle Munley
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kant is arguably the most influential modern philosopher, but also one of the most difficult. Roger Scruton tackles his exceptionally complex subject with a strong hand, exploring the background to Kant's work and showing why the Critique of Pure Reason has proved so enduring.
-
-
Comprehensive, Well Read, But Very Abstract
- By Drone Boy on 09-09-21
By: Roger Scruton
-
John Stuart Mill
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Gregory Claeys
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Stuart Mill (1806-73) is widely regarded as the leading liberal philosopher, economist, and political theorist of nineteenth century Britain. In his lifetime, he was best known for his System of Logic (1843) and the Principles of Political Economy (1848). Today Mill is chiefly identified with On Liberty (1859), perhaps the definitive text of modern liberal statement of its subject, and probably the single most important work of modern political thought.
By: Gregory Claeys
-
A History of Western Philosophy
- By: Bertrand Russell
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 38 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Considered to be one of the most important philosophical works of all time, the History of Western Philosophy is a dazzlingly unique exploration of the ideologies of significant philosophers throughout the ages - from Plato and Aristotle through to Spinoza, Kant and the 20th century. Written by a man who changed the history of philosophy himself, this is an account that has never been rivaled since its first publication over 60 years ago.
-
-
Russell's Philosophy, Some History Included
- By Donald on 06-19-21
By: Bertrand Russell
-
Nothing
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Frank Close
- Narrated by: Ray Chase
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This short, smart book tells you everything you need to know about "nothing". What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - "nothing" - exist? To answer these questions, eminent scientist Frank Close takes us on a lively and accessible journey that ranges from ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research, illuminating the story of how scientists have explored the void and the rich discoveries they have made there.
-
-
Wow
- By Tracey Norris on 11-16-24
By: Frank Close
-
Nietzsche
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Michael Tanner
- Narrated by: Christine Williams
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With his well known idiosyncrasies and aphoristic style, Friedrich Nietzsche is always bracing and provocative, and temptingly easy to dip into. Michael Tanner's introduction to the philosopher's life and work examines the numerous ambiguities inherent in his writings and explodes many of the misconceptions that have grown in the hundred years since Nietzsche wrote "do not, above all, confound me with what I am not!"
-
-
I liked the narration and the contents of the book
- By Kindle Customer on 10-19-24
By: Michael Tanner
-
Hegel
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Peter Singer
- Narrated by: Christine Williams
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hegel is regarded as one of the most influential figures on modern political and intellectual development. After painting Hegel's life and times in broad strokes, Peter Singer goes on to tackle some of the more challenging aspects of Hegel's philosophy. Offering a broad discussion of Hegel's ideas and an account of his major works, Singer explains what have often been considered abstruse and obscure ideas in a clear and inviting manner.
-
-
Great introduction
- By I'm all ears on 02-17-22
By: Peter Singer
-
Kant
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Roger Scruton
- Narrated by: Kyle Munley
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kant is arguably the most influential modern philosopher, but also one of the most difficult. Roger Scruton tackles his exceptionally complex subject with a strong hand, exploring the background to Kant's work and showing why the Critique of Pure Reason has proved so enduring.
-
-
Comprehensive, Well Read, But Very Abstract
- By Drone Boy on 09-09-21
By: Roger Scruton
-
John Stuart Mill
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Gregory Claeys
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Stuart Mill (1806-73) is widely regarded as the leading liberal philosopher, economist, and political theorist of nineteenth century Britain. In his lifetime, he was best known for his System of Logic (1843) and the Principles of Political Economy (1848). Today Mill is chiefly identified with On Liberty (1859), perhaps the definitive text of modern liberal statement of its subject, and probably the single most important work of modern political thought.
By: Gregory Claeys
-
A History of Western Philosophy
- By: Bertrand Russell
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 38 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Considered to be one of the most important philosophical works of all time, the History of Western Philosophy is a dazzlingly unique exploration of the ideologies of significant philosophers throughout the ages - from Plato and Aristotle through to Spinoza, Kant and the 20th century. Written by a man who changed the history of philosophy himself, this is an account that has never been rivaled since its first publication over 60 years ago.
-
-
Russell's Philosophy, Some History Included
- By Donald on 06-19-21
By: Bertrand Russell
-
Nothing
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Frank Close
- Narrated by: Ray Chase
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This short, smart book tells you everything you need to know about "nothing". What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - "nothing" - exist? To answer these questions, eminent scientist Frank Close takes us on a lively and accessible journey that ranges from ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research, illuminating the story of how scientists have explored the void and the rich discoveries they have made there.
-
-
Wow
- By Tracey Norris on 11-16-24
By: Frank Close
-
Nietzsche
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Michael Tanner
- Narrated by: Christine Williams
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With his well known idiosyncrasies and aphoristic style, Friedrich Nietzsche is always bracing and provocative, and temptingly easy to dip into. Michael Tanner's introduction to the philosopher's life and work examines the numerous ambiguities inherent in his writings and explodes many of the misconceptions that have grown in the hundred years since Nietzsche wrote "do not, above all, confound me with what I am not!"
-
-
I liked the narration and the contents of the book
- By Kindle Customer on 10-19-24
By: Michael Tanner
-
Schopenhauer
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Christopher Janaway
- Narrated by: Kyle Munley
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Schopenhauer is considered to be the most accessible of German philosophers. This book gives a succinct explanation of his metaphysical system, concentrating on the original aspects of his thought, which inspired many artists and thinkers including Nietzsche, Wagner, Freud, and Wittgenstein. Schopenhauer's central notion is that of the will-a blind, irrational force that he uses to interpret both the human mind and the whole of nature.
-
-
Get familiar with the greats
- By Jessen Fox on 03-04-25
-
Hume
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: James A. Harris
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Hume, philosopher, historian, economist, librarian, and essayist, was one of the great figures of the European Enlightenment. Unlike some of his famous contemporaries, however, he was not dogmatically committed to idealized conceptions of reason, liberty, and progress.
By: James A. Harris
-
Outlines of Pyrrhonism
- By: Sextus Empiricus
- Narrated by: Michael Lunts
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout history philosophers have sought to define, understand, and delineate concepts important to human well-being. One such concept is "knowledge." Many philosophers believed that absolute, certain knowledge, is possible—that the physical world and ideas formulated about it could be given solid foundation unaffected by the varieties of mere opinion.
By: Sextus Empiricus
-
Wittgenstein
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: Kyle Munley
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was an extraordinarily original thinker, whose influence on 20th-century thinking far outside the bounds of philosophy alone. In this engaging Introduction, A. C. Grayling makes Wittgenstein's thought accessible to the general listener by explaining the nature and impact of Wittgenstein's views. He describes both his early and later philosophy, the differences and connections between them, and gives a fresh assessment of Wittgenstein's continuing influence on contemporary thought.
-
-
Track -ta- toose?
- By sleight on 07-13-22
By: A. C. Grayling
-
Philosophy of Science (2nd Edition)
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Samir Okasha
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How much faith should we place in what scientists tell us? Is it possible for scientific knowledge to be fully "objective"? What, really, can be defined as science? In the second edition of this very short introduction, Samir Okasha explores the main themes and theories of contemporary philosophy of science and investigates fascinating, challenging questions such as these.
-
-
VSI#67
- By Darwin8u on 10-29-24
By: Samir Okasha
-
The Enlightenment
- The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790
- By: Ritchie Robertson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 40 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This magisterial history - sure to become the definitive work on the subject - recasts the Enlightenment as a period not solely consumed with rationale and reason, but rather as a pursuit of practical means to achieve greater human happiness.
-
-
The quickest 40 hour audio book I’ve listen to
- By Joey Caster on 04-02-21
-
The Virtues
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Craig A. Boyd, Kevin Timpe
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the philosophy of Aristotle and Confucius, to Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, to the paintings of Raphael, Botticelli, and many more, fascination with the virtues has endured and evolved to fit a wide range of cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts through the centuries. This Very Short Introduction audiobook introduces listeners to the various virtues: the moral virtues, the intellectual virtues, and the theological virtues, as well as the capital vices.
-
-
A terrific overview of the central tenet of ethical thought
- By Peter Parker on 10-11-24
By: Craig A. Boyd, and others
-
The Birth of Classical Europe
- A History from Troy to Augustine
- By: Simon Price, Peter Thonemann
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To an extraordinary extent we continue to live in the shadow of the classical world. At every level, from languages to calendars to political systems, we are the descendants of a “classical Europe,” using frames of reference created by ancient Mediterranean cultures. As this consistently fresh and surprising new audio book makes clear, however, this was no less true for the inhabitants of those classical civilizations themselves, whose myths, history, and buildings were an elaborate engagement with an already old and revered past - one filled with great leaders and writers....
-
-
Excellent overview of the Classical World
- By David I. Williams on 01-12-14
By: Simon Price, and others
-
Ethics (2nd Edition)
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Simon Blackburn
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This second edition of the Very Short Introduction on ethics has revised and updated aspects of the original to reflect changing times and mores. It highlights the importance of an understanding of approaches to ethics and its foundations, confronted as we are with a fluid and uncertain world of eroding trust, swirling conspiracy theories, and a dismaying loss of respect in public discourse.
-
-
True to the title this is a very short introduction
- By cpk on 09-12-24
By: Simon Blackburn
-
Critical Thinking
- Skepticism, Moralism, Objectivity, and More
- By: Melissa Robertos
- Narrated by: Jada Antoine
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What is cognitive relativism? How does one use objectivity effectively? How can we analyze ourselves and time? These and a myriad of other questions related to the topic of critical thinking will be answered in this guide. You will be able to understand yourself and your thought processes better, as well as step away from subjective reasoning more often. If more people would take a closer look at these kinds of qualities, a lot of problems in society would be solved. Be unique in that sense and give this a go.
-
-
Skeptical thinking
- By Timothy on 04-20-20
By: Melissa Robertos
-
Epistemology
- An Audio Guide
- By: Robert M. Martin
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Epistemology is the philosophical study of knowledge. Without knowledge, scientific enquiry is meaningless and we can’t analyse the world around us. But what exactly is knowledge and how do we obtain it? Should we trust our senses? When is belief knowledge? Presuming no prior experience, Robert Martin covers everything in the topic from scepticism and induction to Kant’s transcendentalism. Clear and readable, this audiobook is essential for philosophy students and a much needed introduction for the general reader.
-
-
Going to hear it again
- By R Durero on 08-02-14
By: Robert M. Martin
-
Consciousness, 2nd Edition
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Susan Blackmore
- Narrated by: Zehra Jane Naqvi
- Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Exciting new developments in brain science are continuing the debates on these issues, and the field has now expanded to include biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers. This controversial book clarifies the potentially confusing arguments, and the major theories, while also outlining the amazing pace of discoveries in neuroscience. Covering areas such as the construction of self in the brain, mechanisms of attention, the neural correlates of consciousness, and the physiology of altered states of consciousness, Susan Blackmore highlights our latest findings.
-
-
Biased in its conclusions, judgemental of conflicting opinions while still having a lot of science in there
- By Robert B Hayes on 10-30-24
By: Susan Blackmore
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Ethics (2nd Edition)
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Simon Blackburn
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This second edition of the Very Short Introduction on ethics has revised and updated aspects of the original to reflect changing times and mores. It highlights the importance of an understanding of approaches to ethics and its foundations, confronted as we are with a fluid and uncertain world of eroding trust, swirling conspiracy theories, and a dismaying loss of respect in public discourse.
-
-
True to the title this is a very short introduction
- By cpk on 09-12-24
By: Simon Blackburn
-
Wittgenstein
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: Kyle Munley
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was an extraordinarily original thinker, whose influence on 20th-century thinking far outside the bounds of philosophy alone. In this engaging Introduction, A. C. Grayling makes Wittgenstein's thought accessible to the general listener by explaining the nature and impact of Wittgenstein's views. He describes both his early and later philosophy, the differences and connections between them, and gives a fresh assessment of Wittgenstein's continuing influence on contemporary thought.
-
-
Track -ta- toose?
- By sleight on 07-13-22
By: A. C. Grayling
-
Logic
- A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition
- By: Graham Priest
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 4 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Logic is often perceived as having little to do with the rest of philosophy, and even less to do with real life. In this lively and accessible introduction, Graham Priest shows how wrong this conception is. He explores the philosophical roots of the subject, explaining how modern formal logic deals with issues ranging from the existence of God and the reality of time to paradoxes of probability and decision theory. Along the way, the basics of formal logic are explained in simple, non-technical terms, showing that logic is a powerful and exciting part of modern philosophy.
-
-
A bit disappointing.
- By MarshallP1991 on 12-16-21
By: Graham Priest
-
Buddhist Ethics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Damien Keown
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Damien Keown explores how Buddhism approaches a range of moral issues of our age, including our relationship with our environment, our treatment of animals, and our stance on abortion, on sexuality and gender, on violence and war. This new edition also includes a discussion of the ethical challenges posed by cutting-edge developments in science and biomedical technologies, including neuroscience, artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and gene editing.
-
-
EXCELLENT
- By JK on 12-05-23
By: Damien Keown
-
Chaos
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Leonard Smith
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The beauty of fractal patterns and their relation to chaos, as well as the history of chaos, and its uses in the real world and implications for the philosophy of science are all discussed in this Very Short Introduction audiobook.
-
-
Great story - terrible reader
- By Thanksohio on 06-20-23
By: Leonard Smith
-
Homer
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Barbara Graziosi
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Homer, Barbara Graziosi considers Homer's famous works and their impact on readers throughout the centuries. She shows how The Iliad and The Odyssey benefit from a tradition of reading that spans well over two millennia, stemming from ancient scholars at the library of Alexandria, in the third and second centuries BCE, who wrote some of the first commentaries on the Homeric epics. Summaries of these scholars' notes made their way into the margins of Byzantine manuscripts; from Byzantium the annotated manuscripts traveled to Italy.
-
-
Outstanding introduction
- By Tad Davis on 08-18-19
By: Barbara Graziosi
-
Ethics (2nd Edition)
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Simon Blackburn
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This second edition of the Very Short Introduction on ethics has revised and updated aspects of the original to reflect changing times and mores. It highlights the importance of an understanding of approaches to ethics and its foundations, confronted as we are with a fluid and uncertain world of eroding trust, swirling conspiracy theories, and a dismaying loss of respect in public discourse.
-
-
True to the title this is a very short introduction
- By cpk on 09-12-24
By: Simon Blackburn
-
Wittgenstein
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: Kyle Munley
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was an extraordinarily original thinker, whose influence on 20th-century thinking far outside the bounds of philosophy alone. In this engaging Introduction, A. C. Grayling makes Wittgenstein's thought accessible to the general listener by explaining the nature and impact of Wittgenstein's views. He describes both his early and later philosophy, the differences and connections between them, and gives a fresh assessment of Wittgenstein's continuing influence on contemporary thought.
-
-
Track -ta- toose?
- By sleight on 07-13-22
By: A. C. Grayling
-
Logic
- A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition
- By: Graham Priest
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 4 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Logic is often perceived as having little to do with the rest of philosophy, and even less to do with real life. In this lively and accessible introduction, Graham Priest shows how wrong this conception is. He explores the philosophical roots of the subject, explaining how modern formal logic deals with issues ranging from the existence of God and the reality of time to paradoxes of probability and decision theory. Along the way, the basics of formal logic are explained in simple, non-technical terms, showing that logic is a powerful and exciting part of modern philosophy.
-
-
A bit disappointing.
- By MarshallP1991 on 12-16-21
By: Graham Priest
-
Buddhist Ethics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Damien Keown
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Damien Keown explores how Buddhism approaches a range of moral issues of our age, including our relationship with our environment, our treatment of animals, and our stance on abortion, on sexuality and gender, on violence and war. This new edition also includes a discussion of the ethical challenges posed by cutting-edge developments in science and biomedical technologies, including neuroscience, artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and gene editing.
-
-
EXCELLENT
- By JK on 12-05-23
By: Damien Keown
-
Chaos
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Leonard Smith
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The beauty of fractal patterns and their relation to chaos, as well as the history of chaos, and its uses in the real world and implications for the philosophy of science are all discussed in this Very Short Introduction audiobook.
-
-
Great story - terrible reader
- By Thanksohio on 06-20-23
By: Leonard Smith
-
Homer
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Barbara Graziosi
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Homer, Barbara Graziosi considers Homer's famous works and their impact on readers throughout the centuries. She shows how The Iliad and The Odyssey benefit from a tradition of reading that spans well over two millennia, stemming from ancient scholars at the library of Alexandria, in the third and second centuries BCE, who wrote some of the first commentaries on the Homeric epics. Summaries of these scholars' notes made their way into the margins of Byzantine manuscripts; from Byzantium the annotated manuscripts traveled to Italy.
-
-
Outstanding introduction
- By Tad Davis on 08-18-19
By: Barbara Graziosi
-
Philosophy of Science (2nd Edition)
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Samir Okasha
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How much faith should we place in what scientists tell us? Is it possible for scientific knowledge to be fully "objective"? What, really, can be defined as science? In the second edition of this very short introduction, Samir Okasha explores the main themes and theories of contemporary philosophy of science and investigates fascinating, challenging questions such as these.
-
-
VSI#67
- By Darwin8u on 10-29-24
By: Samir Okasha
-
The Roman Republic
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: David M. Gwynn
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rise and fall of the Roman Republic occupies a special place in the history of Western civilization. From humble beginnings on the seven hills beside the Tiber, the city of Rome grew to dominate the ancient Mediterranean. Led by her senatorial aristocracy, Republican armies defeated Carthage and the successor kingdoms of Alexander the Great, and brought the surrounding peoples to east and west into the Roman sphere. Yet the triumph of the Republic was also its tragedy.
-
-
Great pithy introduction
- By ABrar on 05-08-24
By: David M. Gwynn
-
Myth
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Robert A. Segal
- Narrated by: Ben Esner
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this Very Short Introduction, Robert Segal introduces the array of approaches used to understand the study of myth. These approaches hail from disciplines as varied as anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, philosophy, science, and religious studies. Including ideas from theorists as varied as Sigmund Freud, Claude Levi-Strauss, Albert Camus, and Roland Barthes, Segal uses the famous ancient myth of Adonis to analyze their individual approaches and theories.
-
-
Good But Very North-American Centred
- By Drone Boy on 07-23-22
By: Robert A. Segal
-
Foucault (2nd Edition)
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Gary Gutting
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Gary Gutting presents a wide-ranging but nonsystematic exploration of some highlights of Foucault's life and thought. Beginning with a brief biography to set the social and political stage, he then tackles Foucault's thoughts on literature, in particular the avant-garde scene; his philosophical and historical work; his treatment of knowledge and power in modern society; and his thoughts on sexuality.
-
-
VSI # 122
- By Darwin8u on 10-29-24
By: Gary Gutting
-
Existentialism
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Thomas Flynn
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the leading philosophical movements of the 20th century, existentialism has had more impact on literature and the arts than any other school of thought. Focusing on the leading figures of existentialism, including Sartre, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, and Camus, Thomas Flynn offers a concise account of existentialism, explaining the key themes of individuality, free will, and personal responsibility, which marked the movement as a way of life, not just a way of thinking.
-
-
NOT an Intro to.
- By RAYMOND BARRY on 01-02-25
By: Thomas Flynn
-
Kant
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Roger Scruton
- Narrated by: Kyle Munley
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kant is arguably the most influential modern philosopher, but also one of the most difficult. Roger Scruton tackles his exceptionally complex subject with a strong hand, exploring the background to Kant's work and showing why the Critique of Pure Reason has proved so enduring.
-
-
Comprehensive, Well Read, But Very Abstract
- By Drone Boy on 09-09-21
By: Roger Scruton
-
Aristotle
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Jonathan Barnes
- Narrated by: Phil Holland
- Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this book, Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context.
-
-
Great Book Moderate Storyteller
- By Brad on 08-23-24
By: Jonathan Barnes
-
Continental Philosophy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Simon Critchley
- Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this enlightening Very Short Introduction, Simon Critchley shows us that Continental philosophy encompasses a distinct set of philosophical traditions and practices, with a compelling range of problems all too often ignored by the analytic tradition. He discusses the ideas and approaches of philosophers such as Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Habermas, Foucault, and Derrida. He also introduces key concepts such as existentialism, nihilism, and phenomonology, by explaining their place in the Continental tradition.
-
-
narrator and book 5 star
- By Wesley Bishop on 10-11-24
By: Simon Critchley
-
Philosophy of Religion
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Tim Bayne
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this very short introduction, Tim Bayne introduces the field of philosophy of religion and engages with some of the most burning questions philosophers discuss.
By: Tim Bayne
-
Critical Theory (Second Edition)
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Stephen Eric Bronner
- Narrated by: Justin Price
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Critical theory emerged in the 1920s from the work of the Frankfurt School, the circle of German-Jewish academics who sought to diagnose—and, if at all possible, cure—the ills of society, particularly fascism and capitalism. In this book, Stephen Eric Bronner provides sketches of leading representatives of the critical tradition (such as George Lukács and Ernst Bloch, Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse and Jurgen Habermas) as well as many of its seminal texts and empirical investigations.
-
-
A Superfluously Grandiloquent Exegesis of an Ostentatiously Verbose Tome
- By Anonymous User on 03-01-25
-
Ovid
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Llewelyn Morgan
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Llewelyn Morgan explores Ovid's immense influence on later literature and art, spanning from Shakespeare to Bernini. Throughout, Ovid's poetry is revealed as enduringly scintillating, his personal story compelling, and the issues his life and poetry raise of continuing relevance and interest.
-
-
great, but technical
- By Jonathan L. on 08-15-24
By: Llewelyn Morgan
-
Philosophical Method
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Timothy Williamson
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timothy Williamson tackles some of the key questions surrounding philosophy in new and provocative ways, showing how philosophy begins in common sense curiosity, and develops through our capacity to dispute rationally with each other. Discussing philosophy's ability to clarify our thoughts, he explains why such clarification depends on the development of philosophical theories, and how those theories can be tested by imaginative thought experiments, and compared against each other by standards similar to those used in the natural and social sciences.
-
-
Excellent what's philosophy intro
- By Matjaz Potrc on 10-05-20
Ingenious, Engaging, and Incisive Introduction
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.