Alain Stephen's book, true to the title, is a real quick read. The book is a summary of the salient philosophies that have evolved over the years. It is divided based on themes. It highlights contributions of the most prominent philosophers to each theme. The writing has a formal tone and does not delve into the depths of each philosophical arguments.
I felt the book has an academic bend to it. Maybe the author meant to write an academic thesis spanning the subject. The book failed to deliver the messages in its entirety, specifically as it ignored the story or anecdotes that bring life to the philosophical arguments. In particular, the coverage on politics and language seemed superficial. I would expect a typical reader of this book to be busy to the extent that he may not have much of a background in philosophy. From that perspective, the ideas presented in these two chapters failed to register.
The author does a much better job at some of the other themes such as ethics, science and love. Here too, at times the writing is bereft of emotions, but the author effectively communicates the ideas, possibly as they are more palatable compared to those related to politics. What I liked the most about the book is the appendix in which the various 'isms' of philosophy are defined in less abstract terms, forming a layman's reference.
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