Philosophy bites back

Philosophy attempts to make sense of the central quandaries of the human experience: how to define the good life, identify the ordering principles of the universe, determine to what extent our perceptions or observations may be trusted, and "understand what the basic structure of reality is like." Edmonds and Warburton seek to democratize this intellectual tradition by producing short, easily digestible podcasts in which specialists outline aspects of their field. The improbably popular Philosophy Bites blog has already spawned one successful book, and the sequel employs a similar format in compiling 27 brief transcripts about the life and work of famous philosophers. These thought-provoking briefs have a somewhat guarded quality, as the participants are usually proponents but not entirely partisans of their subjects. All but one of the pieces focus on individuals rather than schools or ideas, and some choppiness is inevitable. While some explanations are gnomic, and complex thought processes are highly abbreviated, the synthesis is usually illuminating. John Campbell on George Berkeley's "blobs of sensation" and Clare Carlisle on Soren Kierkegaard's "paradoxical... morally abhorrent" faith are especially engaging. Those looking for a more universalist approach to the subject, or for a discussion of Eastern thought, should be warned that the philosophers highlighted all come from within the European canon and are disproportionately British. Agent: Veronique Baxter, David Higham, U.K. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Edmonds (research assoc., Uehiro Ctr. for Practical Ethics, Univ. of Oxford) and Warburton (philosophy, Open Univ.) are back with a second volume of podcast interviews from their popular site philosophybites.com. Unlike the interviews in the first book, which focused on areas of philosophy, these 27 interviews with academic philosophers consider historical philosophers from ancient Greece through Jacques Derrida. The authors explain that the philosophers covered are not meant to make up an exhaustive list but instead represent a "tasting menu" to get readers started with Western philosophy. Each interview has a conversational tone and effectively provides a succinct overview of a specific area of the philosopher's thought. VERDICT With this second book, the authors have again succeeded in conveying the engaging and accessible format of their popular podcast. Readers can enjoy each chapter individually or read the entire book for an understanding of major figures of Western philosophy. As was the first, this book is highly recommended for all general readers with an interest in philosophy.-Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.