*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really like DK books and happy this is good too! would like to see a print copy tho lol

This is a highly visual, entertaining and educational book that gives readers a wide range of philosophical ideas to explore. It's best read in small doses, like a coffee table or bathroom book. Recommended for teens and adults alike.

A did not know much about philosophy before reading this book but I feel I know more now having read it.

Ever since our son was born (well, a few years afterward), we’ve picked up a slew of DK young-person non-fiction works. DK is not only for kids, though (I just sent our son the DK Simply Quantum Physics) as they also have titles that popularize/simplify complex subjects for young adults and adults. One of their newest titles is Simply Philosophy and while DK does their usual good job, the topic I’d say is one that lends itself less well to DK’s strengths of concision and use of visuals.

The book is divided into several sections, each of which move in chronological order, thought their starting points of course differ. The overlap though helps with comprehension and a sense of unity and familiarity arises as previously referenced names crop up again. The sections are

• “Thinking About the World”: early basic ventures into philosophy including Plato, Aristotle, and moving into dualism (Descartes), rationalism, skepticism, and other ways of thinking of the world/reality and our relationship to it
• “Being and Language” look at our use of words and our thoughts on existence, with mention of Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre and existentialism, Derrida and post-structuralism.
• “Mind and Matter”: explores consciousness and the relation (if any) between mind and body. Descartes shows up again, as does Wittgenstein, and Spinoza arrives on the scene
• “Right and Wrong” exploration of ethics, including hedonism, utilitarianism, relativism, etc. with references to Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, along with more recent philosophies/philosophers looking at our relationship with animals and the natural world
• “Politics and Power” pretty self-explanatory, with explanations of Locke, Rousseau, Hobbes, Marx and Adam Smith, as it defines several systems: monarchy, communism, statism, anarchy, social liberalism.
• “Logic and Argument”: at syllogisms, inductive and deductive reasoning, fallacies, and a bit more arcane logical constructions and symbols


This is a tough topic to both simplify and discuss in condensed fashion, as one really needs to think through many of the concepts and if you’ve read them in either the original (albeit in translation) or substantive discussions/summaries, you know they are dense and often will make use of metaphors and real-world examples to make difficult concepts at least a bit more concrete. For that reason, this is not a book I’d say to learn philosophy but more of a refresher to keep straight, say, the differences between Kant and Hegel and Heidegger or recall some terms. Otherwise, it acts as a solid bare-bones introduction of basic terms, but one will quickly want to move onto more in-depth (if not dense) explanations. Finally, the topic doesn’t lend itself to really being greatly enhanced by visuals, unlike when DK delves into science (with its graphic depictions say of black holes or planetary structure or the flow of electrons) or history (with its handy timelines and charts). It’s a good book, but just not as useful due to the subject matter as most of the other DK works.

This title is exactly as described. It offers simple, concise explanations of concepts in the field.

Following an introduction, this book is broken down into sections including Thinking About the World, Being and Language, Mind and Matter and, Right and Wrong. Each of these divisions has many subsections; to name just a few: An Unknowable Origin, Hume’s Fork, Taking Language Apart, The Helpless Mind, Human Understanding, The Virtuous Life and Moral Choice.

Each entry is illustrated and short. It is the kind of book that will answer questions for many and will encourage others to dig deeper.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Simply Philosophy is a concise survey course in philosophy and philosophical concepts collected and curated by the DK editorial group. Due out 23rd Feb 2021 from Penguin Random House on their DK imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The book is arranged in categories with numerous short capsule essays covering diverse related points. The editors have grouped the material around broad categories: our interaction and exploration of our world and our place in it, on being and language, mind and matter, right and wrong, politics and power, and logic and argument.

The essays are clearly written in accessible language which will be easily read and understood by the average reader. Despite being very short (most are 1 page long), they provide some surprisingly subtle insights into philosophical concepts and schools of thought. The short subject pages are enhanced with graphics and illustrations to help the information be retained by the reader.

This volume won't obviate the need for a textbook for studying philosophy formally, but it will provide a good intro to basic concepts in everyday language which will be understood by most readers. This would be a good choice for students looking for a supplementary text, adult readers who want a condensed and concise broad survey of concepts and language used in philosophy, and readers who are curious about philosophy for whom a short introduction is sufficient.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book! The cover and art appealed to me with the bright green and colorful artwork accompanying the pages. First of all, I wish they had this book when I was studying philosophy because I would have grasped the concepts and core of the subject a lot easier. The graphics and the text do exactly what the book is claiming to do, it simplifies philosophy. The book doesn't dive deeply into each concept but for those who are eager to learn about the subject or a student who wishes to have a book on the side of their textbook to understand in simpler terms, this is it!