Great Minds

This is a fascinating journey through 2500 years of thinkers and philosophy and is a book that will not disappoint. It is a wide ranging and fairly comprehensive study of major philosophers throughout the world, each chapter being devoted to a particular philosopher or group of philosophers arranged in chronological order.

Starting with Confucius or Kong Fuzi (551 – 479 BCE) the authors look at other philosophers from across the world such as Zeno of Elea (490 – 425 BCE), the Socratics, Ibn Rushid (1126 – 1198) and Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832). In particular I enjoyed learning more about the life story of Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 – 1797) who is regarded as one of the first feminists. A great strength of the book is the interesting biographical information which is presented. Gandhi’s story (1869 – 1948) is recounted in detail showing how he adopted a ‘philosophy that would win India its freedom’ (p. 43). More recent thinkers included in this publication include Susanne Langer who, ‘Believed we needed both science and art to understand life’ (p.53). The final chapter concentrates on Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw (1959 -) who is an American law professor focusing on inequalities in society.

The glossary at the end of the book is very helpful as is the layout of the book in graphic novel style. There are some fantastic whole page illustrations too which engage the reader. I am sure this non-fiction book will inspire many youngsters to study philosophy. The authors have written for an audience of 8-year-olds upwards and there are some great stories and facts within the book. For example, Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great as he was growing up. Here is a good quality hardback which is rich with information and is ideal for young people to dip into.