Dave Robinson

Actualmente, Sören Kierkegaard es considerado el fundador del existencialismo y el primer teólogo moderno. Según su perspectiva radical, la filosofía resultaba inútil si no producía un cambio permanente en la vida de las personas. Su desconfianza por los grandes sistemas abstractos, en particular el de Hegel, y su insistencia en que la filosofía es en esencia una forma de literatura, lo caracterizan, además, como un precursor de la problemática posmoderna. Kierkegaard ocultó la autoría de sus obras tras una multitud de seudónimos y puntos de vista que solían contradecir sus creencias. Fue el primer gran pensador que exploró la inexplicable angustia que afecta al hombre moderno. Se sumergió, también, en las paradojas de las creencias religiosas y desafió a una sociedad hipócrita que se decía cristiana. Kierkegaard para Principiantes es un relato acerca de la extraña vida y las ideas de un hombre torturado por su afán de cambiar las prioridades del pensamiento occidental.

Father of existentialism or the Eeyore of philosophy? Known as the first modern theologian, Sren Kierkegaard was a prolific writer of the Danish golden age. A philosopher, poet and social critic, his key concepts of angst, despair, and the importance of the individual, influenced many 20th-century philosophers and literature throughout Europe. Dave Robinson and Oscar Zarates brilliant graphic guide explains what Kierkegaard means by anti-philosophy, and tells an illuminating story of the strange life and ideas of a man tortured by his attempts to change the very priorities of Western thought.

René Descartes is famous as the philosopher who was prepared to doubt everything- even his own physical existence. Most people know that he said I think, therefore I am, even if they are not always sure what he really meant by it. Introducing Descartes explains what Descartes doubted, and why he is usually called the father of modern philosophy. It is a clear and accessible guide to all the puzzling questions he asked about human beings and their place in the world. Dave Robinson and Chris Garratt give a lucid account of Descartes contributions to modern science, mathematics, and the philosophy of mind- and also reveal why he liked to do all of his serious thinking in bed.

Philosophers have always enjoyed asking awkward and provocative questions, such as: What is the nature of reality? What are human beings really like? What is special about the human mind and consciousness? Are we free to choose who we are and what we do? Can we prove that God exists? Can we be certain about anything at all? What is truth? Does language provide us with a true picture of the world? How should we behave towards each other? Do computers think?Introducing Philosophy is a comprehensive graphic guide to the thinking of all the significant philosophers of the Western world from Heraclitus to Derrida. It examines and explains their key arguments and ideas without being obscure or solemn. Lively and accessible, it is the perfect introduction to philosophers and philosophical ideas for anyone coming to the subject for the first time.

Our knowledge comes primarily from experience what our senses tell us. But is experience really what it seems? The experimental breakthroughs in 17th-century science of Kepler, Galileo and Newton informed the great British empiricist tradition, which accepts a common-sense view of the world and yet concludes that all we can ever know are ideas. In Introducing Empiricism: A Graphic Guide, Dave Robinson - with the aid of Bill Mayblins brilliant illustrations - outlines the arguments of Locke, Berkeley, Hume, J.S. Mill, Bertrand Russell and the last British empiricist, A.J. Ayer. They also explore criticisms of empiricism in the work of Kant, Wittgenstein, Karl Popper and others, providing a unique overview of this compelling area of philosophy.

Illustrated guide to the crucial French philosopher who denied bring a philosopher at all. I am like no one else in the whole world ... Thus begins Jean-Jacques Rousseaus defiant Confessions - an autobiography of astounding psychological insight. Musician, poet, novelist and botanist, but above all, a philosopher who firmly denied being one, Rousseau was the first to ask: "What is the value of civilization?" His answer - that civilization corrupts natural goodness and increases social inequalities - shocked his Enlightenment contemporaries and still challenges us today. Did Rousseau inspire the French Revolution? Can Romanticism, psychoanalysis and Existentialism all be traced back to him? Introducing Rousseau presents a maverick thinker whose ideas revolutionized our understanding of childhood, education, government, language and much else. Dave Robinsons clear and concise account of Rousseaus ideas, engagingly dramatized by Oscar Zarates illustrations, guides the reader through Rousseaus turbulent life of lost innocence, persecution and paranoia.

What is the place of individual choice and consequence in a post-Holocaust world of continuing genocidal ethnic cleansing? Is "identity" now a last-ditch cultural defence of ethnic nationalisms and competing fundamentalisms? In a climate of instant information, free markets and possible ecological disaster, how do we define "rights", self-interest and civic duties? What are the acceptable limits of scientific investigation and genetic engineering, the rights and wrongs of animal rights, euthanasia and civil disobedience?"Introducing Ethics" confronts these dilemmas, tracing the arguments of the great moral thinkers, including Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes and Kant, and brings us up to date with postmodern critics.

Bertrand Russell changed Western philosophy forever. He tackled many puzzles--how our minds work, how we experience the world, and what the true nature of meaning is. In "Introducing Bertrand Russell "we meet a passionate eccentric, active in world politics, who had outspoken views on sex, marriage, religion, and education.

Ethical philosophy has a long and distinguished history, but how can you apply it to your life? This Practical Guide explores the alternative ethical philosophies and how we can all use these to aid us with everyday dilemmas. Introducing Ethics for Everyday Life provides advice on whether human beings really are selfish and greedy, why you might want to be a good person, and how to pick an ethical philosophy that works for you. Free of jargon but full of straightforward advice, case studies and step-by-step instructions, this is the perfect concise introduction to using ethics to help you make decisions.

"Introducing Plato" begins by explaining how philosophers like Socrates and Pythagoras influenced Platos thought. It provides a clear account of Platos puzzling theory of knowledge, and explains how this theory then directed his provocative views on politics, ethics and individual liberty. It offers detailed critical commentaries on all of the key doctrines of Platonism, especially the very odd theory of Forms, and concludes by revealing how Platos philosophy stimulated the work of important modern thinkers such as Karl Popper, Martha Nussbaum, and Jacques Derrida.

Los filósofos siempre han disfrutado haciendo preguntas embarazosas y provocativas, tales como: ¿cuál es la esencia de la realidad? ¿Cómo son realmente los seres humanos? ¿Qué tienen de especial la mente y la conciencia humanas? ¿Somos libres de elegir quienes somos y lo que hacemos? ¿Podemos demostrar que Dios existe? ¿Podemos estar seguros de algo? ¿Que es la verdad? ¿Nos proporciona el lenguaje una representacion verdadera del mundo? ¿Como deberiamos comportarnos los unos con los otros? ¿Piensan los ordenadores?

"Soy diferente de todo el mundo..." Así comienzan las provocadoras Confesiones de Jean-Jacques Rousseau, una autobiografía en la que sorprende por su profunda introspección. Rousseau fue músico, poeta, novelista y botanico, pero sobre todas las cosas un filosofo que nego terminantemente serlo y el primero en preguntar: ¿que valor tiene la civilizacion? Su respuesta la civilizacion corrompe la bondad natural del hombre y aumenta las desigualdades sociales, escandalizo a sus contemporaneos, los iluministas, y aun hoy resulta provocativa. ¿Rousseau fue un inspirador de la Revolucion Francesa? ¿Dio origen al romanticismo, el psicoanalisis y el existencialismo? ROUSSEAU PARA PRINCIPIANTES revela a un pensador rebelde cuyas ideas revolucionaron nuestra comprension de la infancia, la educacion, el gobierno, el lenguaje y muchas cosas mas.

Essential illustrated guide to key ideas of political thought. Philosophers have always asked fundamental and disturbing questions about politics. Plato and Aristotle debated the merits of democracy. The origins of society, the state and government authority were issues addressed by Hobbes, Rousseau, Hegel, Marx and many other philosophers. Introducing Political Philosophy explains the central concepts of this intriguing branch of philosophy and presents the major political theorists from Plato to Foucault. How did governments get started? Why should they be obeyed? Could we live without them? How much power should they have? Is freedom a right? Which is the best form of government? In the wake of consumerism and postmodernism, our need for a better grasp of political ideas is greater than ever. Dave Robinsons account of this complex subject is always clear, informative and accompanied by the entertainingly inventive illustrations of Judy Groves.