Kant in 90 Minutes

by Paul Strathern

Overview

“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.
“Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them....I find them hard to stop reading.”—Richard Bernstein, New York Times.
“Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise.”—Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal.
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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461709824
Publisher:	Dee, Ivan R. Publisher
Publication date:	09/01/1996
Series:	Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	95
File size:	171 KB

About the Author

Paul Strathern is author of the popular and critically acclaimed Philosophers in 90 Minutes series. Highlights from the series include Nietzsche in 90 Minutes, Aristotle in 90 Minutes, and Plato in 90 Minutes. Mr. Strathern has lectured in philosophy and mathematics and now lives and writes in London. A former Somerset Maugham prize winner, he is also the author of books on history and travel as well as five novels. His articles have appeared in a great many newspapers, including the Observer (London) and the Irish Times. His own degree in philosophy came from Trinity College, Dublin.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction 7
Part 2 Kant's Life and Works 9
Part 3 A Dialogue on Kant and Metaphysics 51
Part 4 From Kant's Writings 63
Part 5 Chronology of Significant Philosophical Dates 77
Part 6 Chronology of Kant's Life 83
Part 7 Chronology of Kant's Era 85
Part 8 Recommended Reading 87
Part 9 Index 89

Editorial Reviews

Strathern, a graduate of Dublin's Trinity College, has lectured in philosophy and mathematics and written history, travel literature, and fiction. His attempt to provide the reader with accessible guidance to the ideas of a half dozen great names in the canon of Western philosophy fails on all counts except readability. The time given in the title for each presentation is about three times that even the least-informed reader might require, for these books are nothing but outlines. Half of each volume highlights the more peculiar details of the individual philosopher's personal life, with passing remarks about one or two substantive ideas from his work. The remaining pages include surprisingly brief quotations from the works (an epigraphic style suitable to presenting a sample of Nietzsche's writing but hardly appropriate to Kant's), chronologies (including one five-page "Philosophical Dates" that is repeated in each tiny volume), and a suggestion of four or five books for further reading. The intended audience for this series is unclear as there is too little substance to provide either the sort of introduction offered by such competing works as the Writers and Readers's illustrated series "For Beginners" (e.g., Robert Cavalier's Plato for Beginners, 1990) or critical understanding of difficult concepts as Frederick Copleston and William Jones have achieved in their histories of Western thought (e.g., Copleston's A History of Philosophy, 1985). Strathern's publisher promises more than a dozen future volumes in this series but, given the severe limitations of the first six under review here, it is not possible to recommend that we look forward to them.Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., Cal.

Library Journal

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

The Boston Globe

Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise.
— Jim Holt

The Wall Street Journal

A godsend in this era of the short attention span.
— Daryl Royster Alexander

The New York Times

A godsend in this era of the short attention span.
— Daryl Royster Alexander

New York Times

Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise.
— Jim Holt

Wall Street Journal