Mini Philosophy: A Small Book of Big Ideas

Description

'Engaging, smart and wise, Mini-Philosophy is a diverse taster menu of ideas on life, the mind and the world. Nutritious, bite-sized portions of philosophy that whet the appetite for more' - David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks Why do people enjoy watching scary movies? Should we bet on the existence of God? Why is pleasure better than pain? And when is a duck not a duck? Mini Philosophy is a fascinating journey into what some of the greatest minds of the last 2500 years have to say about the big questions in life, and why they are relevant to us today. Covering everything from Sun Tzu's strategy for winning at board games to Freud's insights into our 'death drive'; why De Beauvoir believed the mothering instinct is a myth to why Schopenhauer probably wasn't much fun at parties, these mini meditations will expand your mind (and bend it too).

Jonny Thomson teaches philosophy in Oxford. He runs a popular Instagram account and website called Mini Philosophy, the result of his conversations with students and a somewhat masochistic obsession with reading dense philosophical works. Although Jonny centres his work on philosophy, he loves to write about all manner of subjects. Under the increasingly strained title of his 'philosophy' blog, he has turned his hand to the origins of life, linguistics, developmental psychology, time travel paradoxes, psychoanalysis and thematic explorations of classic novels and poetry.

Engaging, smart and wise, Mini-Philosophy is a diverse taster menu of ideas on life, the mind and the world. Nutritious, bite-sized portions of philosophy that whet the appetite for more. * David Mitchell * A neat idea, deftly executed. If this doesn't light your philosophical fuse, you don't have one. * Julian Baggini * A joyfully playful and thought-provoking capsule encyclopedia of philosophical ideas, from Aristotle to Alan Turing, pondering on the nature of self, how we see and understand the world, and the delusions we use to comfort ourselves. An Epicurean delight. * Mick Brown * Lively, sharp and wide-ranging, a sparky bite-sized companion for the wilds and wilderness of philosophy * Eleanor Gordon-Smith *