Contemporary Thought (Understanding Philosophy)

Grade 10 Up—This book provides a detailed but accessible discussion of various schools of thought from philosophers and philosophical movements from the 18th century on. Starting with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism, Price includes chapters on “The Individual,” “Pragmatism,” “Process Philosophy,” “Analytic Philosophy,” “Phenomenology,” and “Existentialism.” Thinkers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, and de Beauvoir receive a fair amount of biographical attention, but not enough for the book to stand as a sole source of information about them. Instead, the volume’s strength is Price’s ability to elucidate what can be fairly heady reading material. Black-and-white photos or illustrations of the figures break up the text, and a lengthy bibliography and solid index are appended. Readers in need of an introduction to a particular philosophy or those who want an easily understood approach to a philosopher will find it here.—Carol Fazioli, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Gwynedd Valley, PA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Price, a professor who has taught undergraduate philosophy for 35 years, introduces the most prominent philosophers and schools of thought that emerged after the Enlightenment and into the twentieth century. Along with biographies of specific individuals, each chapter includes lucid, clearly presented explanations of an intellectual movement, accompanied by numerous excerpts from both primary and secondary sources. Portraits of philosophers in crisply reproduced engravings and photographs appear frequently in the pages, as do charts and diagrams to help students visualize concepts, such as the differences between William James’ notions of Tender-Minded Rationalists and Tough-Minded Empiricists. Students will welcome the occasional, vividly described personal details (e.g., Camus grew up in a cockroach-ridden apartment) as well as the clearly presented ideas. Recommend this, also, to teachers seeking supplementary classroom sources on the subject. Chapter notes, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading close this solid title in the Understanding Philosophy series. Grades 9-12. –Gillian Engberg