Lots of smart people with muddled ideas

An interesting overview of philosophy which highlights just why sitting down and thinking about the world and then dogmatically defending your views is no substitute for sitting down and thinking about the world and falsifying that world view. Still, well written and performed.

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3 people found this helpful

Simply outstanding, and Keeble is pitch perfect

Wonderful book made all the more engaging by Jonathan Keeble's superb narration. This is an epic tour de force not simply of philosophy but of the very history and development of Western thought. Russell's prose is witty, erudite and thought provoking, while Keeble adds a dramatic flair and brings the subject matter to life. A great combination.

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1 person found this helpful

brilliant

a common sense look at the whole of western philosophy.
This is the ideal framework for the study of philosophy.
Investigate a couple of works of the more notable thinkers in a little more detail you can lean the whole of western philosophy in a fair detail with this book.
Took me about two years, eight hours a day, six days a week.
You can learn the subject as well as you can at college, without spending hundreds of thousands.
I spent maybe two hundred pounds on books. A lot are available free.
Buy this book.

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1 person found this helpful

Illuminating

An excellent synopsis of philosophical ideas from antiquity to the mid-twentieth century. The relationship between philosophy and, variously, science, religion, politics and ethics is carefully analysed. It is interesting to compare Russell's predictions of how philosophy would develop to subsequent events in the second half of the twentieth century, and of what has passed in the current one.

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Extensive well researched account of philosophy

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I am studying Philosophy at the Open University and found this account very interesting. It gives the background, personal details of philosophers which makes it come alive and memorable. It was a long listen but well worth the effort and I might very well listen to it again.

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16 people found this helpful

A complex story superbly told.

Expertly addresses editorial biases created by political and religious overlaps. So well narrated that you forget that you are not reading the book yourself. Makes for a useful reference book in the future.

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9 people found this helpful

Perfect Overview

Bertrand Russell’s fantastic overview presented in Jonathan Keeble’s clear and engaging manner made this the perfect audio book to get an extensive overview, allowing me to decide which philosopher and philosophies I might want to delve deeper into. The closing chapter on Nietzsche was particularly beautiful.

I also think this is precisely what makes audible so perfect, this might have been a little too intimidating otherwise.

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2 people found this helpful

Thoroughly Interesting

This is a great look at the history of Western philosophy. Highly recommend to listen to this.

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great

A great narrator. The book gave lots of insights into major contributions to philosophy in the last 2500 years from Western philosophers.

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Brilliantly written and very well-read

I love the way this is written, from a position of great confidence and sometimes sly humour. I downloaded it years ago and still listen to some part of it most weeks. It’s interesting to see whom Russell omits too.

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