Philosophy in a Week

in a Week: Teach Yourself

by Mel R. Thompson

Learn in a week, remember for a lifetime!

In just one week, this accessible book will give you knowledge to last forever. End of chapter summaries and multiple choice questions are all designed to help you test your knowledge and gain confidence.

So whether you are a student or you simply want to widen your knowledge, you will find this seven-day course a very memorable introduction.

Think about knowledge like a philosopher
Consider what science is and how we gain knowledge of the natural world
Explore how we speak and think, and how this relates to the philosophy of mind.
Learn how philosophers view and engage with religion
Engage with ethics - how we decide what is the right thing to do
Discover how political philosophers have balanced the role of government with individual freedom.
Explore continental ideas such as existentialism and how the next generation of philosophers may build on them.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2013

Reviews

[Ayat Al Bloushi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I studied philosophy in college, and I kinda have a very good knowledge in this field. This book, however, introduced me to some new concepts and philosophy disciplines that I did not study in my classes.

So, in a week, this is the right book to learn about philosophy.

[Hayden Tomlins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the key areas of philosophy in 7 bite-size (well, daily) chunks.

As tends to be the nature of the subject, some of the chapters were more heavy-going than others, but overall, they present an easily digestible introduction to philosophy for the beginner... and that is actually quite a rare find!

I really liked the style of the author's writing, presenting a good blend of historical facts alongside some of the key developments and open questions. It certainly keeps you thinking between the days and provides a good broad subject map to delve into topics of interest further.

The only perhaps slightly off-putting elements were the end of chapter quizzes - the answers to some of which weren't that well covered in the text (certainly the multi-answer ones). That being said, I'll certainly be looking for more philosophy books by the author and this is a highly recommended book for any beginner interested in the subject area.

[Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

What intrigued me: I picked this book up from the library based on the Adult Swim Dewey Decimal Challenge.

What I liked: I really liked having a daily reading guide built into the book, but apparently I don't read on Friday or Saturday so it was hard to finish!

What I didn't like: N/A

Favorite quote: "...people will generally seek their own benefit rather than that of others, or of society as a whole..." p. 106

[Dana Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this book a 'meh'. I like that it's categorically presented instead of historically (though the individual chapters are generally presented historically, which is fine), but there really isn't enough meat in each chapter to get much out of this book. The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy gives a far better overview of the field than this book.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty poor book. It's impossible to cover philosophy in this tiny book so it only leaves the reader confused. Using less philosophical terms could've helped because now too much space is spent just to explain the meaning of the terms.

[Niederberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting overview; of course, the time limit of one week barely gives enough time to cover the basics of philosophy. Still, the author gave an interesting overview that might pique a beginning philosopher's interest. Definitely a "gateway" book rather than an in-depth resource.

[Hamedullah02 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for beginners who want to look at the overall view on philosophy.