Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was an interesting book to read! I received a early copy from the publisher for review, but this does not affect my rating in any way.

Overall this is a reference book, one that gives 200 words about each term about philosophy that it provided. I am familiar with this type of book, but I think 200 words was not enough to really understand any of the terms. I am a politics student and I honestly didn't feel like I learned anything even though I was interested. Maybe if the terms were a page long and examples were provided this would have worked better for me. Many of the entries resulted in recommendations for further reading, rather than actually providing enough information to "help you talk about philosophy" I don't really know who the target audience for this book is, as it was incredibly hard to read straight though, but I can't imagine hearing a term and looking for it in this book. The whole thing just didn't work well for me.

At under 130 pages this is 200 paragraphs, each providing a thought about a philosophical word. Each word was usually accompanied by an insight from a named philosopher with an added reflection by the author.

The 200 concepts (Words) are not linked, so the book reads more like a dictionary of ideas, rather than a text book. The extracts are like discussion pieces, or ‘thunks’ for further reflection. I enjoyed the read and found the entries thoughtful. The book is probably best appreciated in extracts, rather than as a single continuous read.

I thought that the range of philosophical cultures was a little narrow. The book mainly cites western thinkers, with occasional Chinese and Buddhist influences. It was disappointing that there was no inclusion of important Islamic philosophers like Al Farabi, Al Ghazali, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Sina (etc). Their views range so widely that they could easily have been accommodated into the sections in the book. For example Al Ghazali’s theory of occasionalism could have been contrasted with modern ideas of causation, especially as it is similar to the Humean view cited in the book.

I also thought that the philosophical eras were a little narrow. The author includes ancient thinkers like Plato and then jumps to the Enlightenment and modern era thinkers like Sartre and Heidegger. There was a reference to Machiavelli (under ‘power’) and Aquinas (under Just War) but otherwise there was no citation or acknowledgement of the enormous debt that modern philosophy owes to medieval thinkers. That was disappointing as there are many interesting philosophers and anecdotes which could have been included. For example, Jean Buridan’s 14th Century example of a donkey (Buridan’s Ass) illustrates issues to do with free will. There could have been an entry on Barbara Celerant, as generations of medieval logicians had to learn the acronym in order to understand syllogisms. (Etc).

All things considered I enjoyed the book, but I found its omissions a little narrowing and limiting.

I would like to thank the publishers for giving me access to a free digital version of the text for purposes of review.

Unfortunately this just wasn't what I expected. As someone else has also pointed out it was like reading a dictionary and would have been great to see more depth.

I read (or attempted to read) 200 Words to Help You talk About - Philosophy. It is impossible to read the definition of 200 words and actually learn anything. There is no narrative, no link between the individual words - it's literally like reading a dictionary. Except that the entries vary from reading like they were written by a year ten student trying very hard, to someone just grabbing the first paragraph they found on Google. Lots of the definitions seem to start with things like "it's hard to identify" or "there is lots of disagreement" or one philosophers opinion. Spout that that, and someone who who actually knows something about the topic would take you down in a conversation, or at best, look at you quizzically, shake their head slightly and ignore you.

Knowing one isolated fact would not help me participate or even understand a conversation. I understand the concept of this book, but it doesn't work when executed like this.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for this painfully honest review.