The 15-Minute Philosopher: Ideas to Save Your Life

by Anne Rooney

Part of the brand-new Arcturus series, Ideas to Save Your Life, The 15-Minute Philosopher introduces the reader to the main ideas of philosophy, showing how the subject has a clear practical purpose vital to our day-to-day lives and thinking. A fun introduction to the subject of philosophy...

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2014

About the author

Anne Rooney gained a degree and then a PhD in medieval literature from Trinity College, Cambridge. After a period of teaching medieval English and French literature at the universities of Cambridge and York, she left to pursue a career as a freelance writer. She has written many books for adults and children on a variety of subjects, including literature and history. She lives in Cambridge and is Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Essex.

Reviews

[Vaios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Πολύ καλό

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of great information, in bite-size chunks. Gave me some new folks to research.

Only gripe is the author's very obvious bias showing through in multiple spots. Disparaging comments on religion, and browbeating on climate change really took the learning enjoyment out of it, resulting in a 3 of 5. I enjoyed it, but didn't purchase a book to be scolded.

[Pep.Kosteyetos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Φιλοσοφία ταχυφαγείου. Προσήλωση στον εντυποσιασμό εις βάρος της δομής και της εμβάθυνσης. Αλλά διαβάζεται εύκολα και γίνεται κατανοητό.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite a couple of typos, I really enjoyed reading this philosophy refresher. To be honest, I liked it so much I didn't want to finish it too quickly. It's the kind of book you'd want to read while sitting on the bus or relaxing on the sofa. It covers interesting topics like religion, morality, politics, love, freedom, etc. in short and readable chapters that anyone with a basic grasp of philosophy would appreciate. Even if you don't know much about philosophy, but you're fond of books rich with humor, pop culture references and challenging questions, this one is definitely worth giving a try.

[Mikee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss my school days where I could learn something new every day. Luckily I stumbled upon this book. It satisfied my craving for learning without feeling heavy and pressuring. It was jam packed with information but written in a conversational manner as if you are just talking with a smart & interesting friend.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first few chapters left my head spinning. So many ways of thinking and being. Don’t read if you have anxiety. Do read if you thought a philosophy course would be a easy grade your sophomore year. You’d be both right and wrong at the same time. Still read- expand that little brain of yours and you won’t look at anything the same way again.

[Angelo Canillas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A holistic crash course on philosophy. Such a fun and informative read.

[tris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this book made my head hurt and made me sleepy a couple of times, as a result of trying to understand what I'm reading I suppose.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I've read a lot of basic books about philosophy and this may have been the least passionate and least compelling. It's fairly competent, in a surface-level way.

[Katlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As The 15 Minute Philosopher and The 15 Minute Psychologist are apparently different editions of the same book somehow, I will be reviewing them both in the same review. If a Goodreads librarian sees this, will you PLEASE fix it? It's surprisingly hard to contact you guys.

The 15 Minute Philosopher - A fun book for beginners with an interest in philosophy. It doesn't really go in depth, moreso just touches on many issues. It definitely made my brain hurt because now I am contemplating everything. I can't comment on the accuracy of the book. For future reference (in case I decide to delve deeper into the subject) I enjoyed the concept of morality the most. Although that is certainly not a surprise, as I've always liked hypothetical moral dilemmas. I do not think I will keep the book, as I am running out of space and I own a Great Course which appears to go more in depth. 4/5 Sept. 7 2017

The 15 Minute Psychologist - I'm not sure if this book was better than The 15 Minute Philosopher or if I just prefer psychology to philosophy, but I enjoyed this one more. I did already know a lot of it (Kitty Genovese, Stanford Prison experiment, etc.) but it was definitely an interesting read for a beginner in psychology. I especially enjoyed the section on psychopaths. I did not know they actually had a difference in their brains. I'll have to read Jon Ronson's book! I am not going to keep the book, because I probably won't reread it for a few years and there will likely have been some developments by then, as tends to happen with science. Not to mention that it is already a few years old. Besides, if I kept this book and not the philosophy book, it would screw up my Goodreads record keeping. 4.25/5 Sept. 26 2017

[Jess Dollar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It’s a great introduction to philosophy in that it’s very accessible, fun to read, and about the choices we make every day in our normal day to day existence. I wish everyone would read it.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book for it's quick introduction to various topics in philosophy. I enjoyed the extra stories and images included on the margins, it helped engage me into each chapter.

[Steve Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time I've gone past the first chapter of a book on philosophy without getting stuck!