Our Non-Fiction Book of the Month for November 2019
'There to fill the Sapiens-size hole in your life'- The Observer
In this groundbreaking global overview of philosophy,Julian Baggini travels the world to provide a wide-ranging map of human thought.
One of the great unexplained wonders of human history is that written philosophy flowered entirely separately in China,India and Ancient Greece at more or less the same time. These early philosophies have had a profound impact on the development of distinctive cultures in different parts of the world. What we call'philosophy'in the West is not even half the story.
Julian Baggini sets out to expand our horizons in How the World Thinks,exploring the philosophies of Japan,India,China and the Muslim world,as well as the lesser-known oral traditions of Africa and Australia's first peoples.
Interviewing thinkers from around the globe,Baggini asks questions such as: why is the West is more individualistic than the East What makes secularism a less powerful force in the Islamic world than in Europe And how has China resisted pressures for greater political freedom Offering deep insights into how different regions operate,and paying as much attention to commonalities as to differences,Baggini shows that by gaining greater knowledge of how others think we take the first step to a greater understanding of ourselves.
Publisher: Granta BooksISBN: 9781783782307Number of pages: 432Weight: 301 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 26 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
This bold fascinating book seeks to inhabit other philosophical traditions,with humility but without patronisingly exempting them from the critique he applies to ours... Deft (and) rigorousThere to fill the Sapiens-size hole in your lifeTerrific. The intellectual and spiritual generosity of this book makes it an essential text for our fractious and dangerously divided eraSuch scope,and such lucid,lightly worn learning. Enlightening,perspective-shifting,mind-expanding - a superb tour through world philosophies with an erudite and friendly guideTimely and important...this is his best (book) to date... Enthralling... This ingenious and open-hearted book is about the art of living well,something the West's philosophy has often neglectedFascinating and unexpected... a dazzling kaleidoscope... (Baggini) has a true gift for making the difficult accessible in lapidary prose... Worth reading and re-readingWhat I loved about Julian Baggini's How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy was its spiritual and intellectual generosity,and the author's ability to engage sympathetically with philosophical traditions that do not conform to his own preferred rationalist approachIf you've ever wondered why the West tends to reward individual success,why some religions prioritise speech and some silence,or what lessons can be drawn by comparing Vincent Van Gogh and Michael Winner,this is a book for youOne of the great philosophical popularisers of his age... Baggini summarises and explicates with the greatest precision,compression and élanOne of the great unexplained wonders of human history is that written philosophy flowered entirely separately in China,India and Ancient Greece at more or less the same time. These early philosophies have had a profound impact on the development of distinctive cultures in different parts of the world. Baggini also looks at the differences between east and west and different religionsGround-breakingEye-opening(For) a broader audience with no philosophical training... Baggini (...) is cheerful and wide-eyed,moving from one big idea to another like a food lover at an opulent buffetHighly readableA brilliantly accessible coalescence of thought and belief from around the world...A triumph of comparative philosophy with widespread relevance for the way we live todayThere is also a need for books that explain non-Western philosophical traditions to the interested non-specialist. Julian Baggini's How The World Thinks is an excellent example of this genre
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