An entertaining guide to history's most fascinating philosophers - from Sappho to Kant, and Aristotle to Simone de Beauvoir - which seeks to help us answer life's big questions. In showing how the great philosophers of human history lived and thought - and what they thought about - Peter Cave provides an accessible and enjoyable introduction to thinking philosophically and how it can change our everyday lives. He addresses questions such as: Is there anything 'out there' that gives meaning to our lives? Does reality tell us how we ought to live? What indeed is reality and what is appearance - and how can we tell the difference? This book paints vivid portraits of an assortment of inspiring thinkers: from Lao Tzu to Avicenna to Iris Murdoch; from Hannah Arendt to Socrates and Plato to Karl Marx; from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche to Sartre to Samuel Beckett - and let us not forget Lewis Carroll for some thought-provoking fantasies and Ludwig Wittgenstein for the anguishes of a genius. As well as displaying optimists and pessimists, believers and non- believers, the book displays relevance to current affairs, from free speech to abortion to the treatment of animals to our leaders' moral character. Cave brings to life these often prescient, always compelling philosophical thinkers, showing how their ways of approaching the world grew out of their own lives and times and how we may make valuable use of their insights today. Now, more than ever, we need to understand how to live, and how to understand the world around us.
Peter Cave Reihenfolge der Bücher
Peter Cave ist ein Philosoph, dessen Werk sich der Erforschung grundlegender philosophischer Fragen widmet und diese einem breiten Publikum zugänglich macht. Durch seine Bücher und Vorträge regt er die Leser an, über komplexe Konzepte nachzudenken, und bietet ihnen neue Perspektiven auf die menschliche Existenz und die Welt um uns herum. Sein fesselnder Ansatz entmystifiziert tiefgründige Ideen und lädt die Leser ein, am fortlaufenden Dialog der philosophischen Forschung teilzunehmen.






- 2024
- 2023
In showing how the great philosophers of human history lived and thought - and what they thought about - Peter Cave provides an accessible and enjoyable introduction to thinking philosophically and how it can change our everyday lives. With a lightness of touch, he addresses questions such as: Is there anything 'out there' that gives meaning to our lives? Does reality tell us how we ought to live? What indeed is reality and what is appearance - and how can we tell the difference?This book paints vivid portraits of an assortment of inspiring thinkers: from Lao Tzu to Avicenna to Iris Murdoch; from Hannah Arendt to Socrates and Plato to Karl Marx; from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche to Sartre to Samuel Beckett - and let us not forget Lewis Carroll for some thought-provoking fantasies and Ludwig Wittgenstein for the anguishes of a genius. As well as displaying optimists and pessimists, believers and non-believers, the book displays relevance to current affairs, from free speech to abortion to the treatment of animals to our leaders' moral character.In each brief chapter, Cave brings to life these often prescient, always compelling philosophical thinkers, showing how their ways of approaching the world grew out of their own lives and times and how we may make valuable use of their insights today. Now, more than ever, we need to understand how to live, and how to understand the world around us. This is the perfect guide.
- 2021
Nie musisz znać filozofii, by poznać moc filozoficznego zdziwienia. W tej pełnej myślowych paradoksów książce Peter Cave przedstawia 33 klasyczne i mniej znane filozoficzne problemy w sposób, który zmusi do zadumy nawet najmocniej stąpających po ziemi. Obywając się bez „izmów” i litanii nazwisk, za to z wykorzystaniem fantazji i dużej dawki humoru, autor prowadzi czytelnika od pozornie prostych sytuacji do samego sedna problemów, nad którymi od lat głowią się filozofowie. Czytelnik z reguły sam musi odnaleźć wyjście z myślowego labiryntu, w czym pomocna mu będzie opisowa bibliografia zawarta na końcu. Lekko napisana, lecz z pewnością nie trywialna, książka przeznaczona jest dla każdego, kto zastanawia się nad światem – bez względu na wiek. Do ubocznych efektów lektury należy nieodparte poczucie zdziwienia rzeczywistością, a w skrajnych przypadkach – chęć zostania filozofem.
- 2019
The Myths We Live by
- 352 Seiten
- 13 Lesestunden
Discover how philosophy can shine a light on the world's most divisive issues.
- 2015
Ethics
- 230 Seiten
- 9 Lesestunden
A bestselling thinker combines theory and practice in this essential primer to the most popular branch of philosophy
- 2012
Philosophy
- 240 Seiten
- 9 Lesestunden
The most engaging introduction to the subject by one of Britain's best loved philosophers
- 2011
How do you know that you exist? What does it mean to have a future? Are you the same thing as your brain? What does it mean to be free? How can you know what knowledge is? Philosophers think -- but not just that, for they think about thinking and they think about how we think about the world, about how we conceive of ourselves, about how we possess a sense of right and wrong, about how we find meaning in life (if we do). "How to Think Like a Bat" might not help you to think like a bat, but it will certainly help you to think like a philosopher
- 2010
Nicht denken macht auch nicht schön
- 242 Seiten
- 9 Lesestunden
Man kann nicht alles haben? Entweder schön oder schlau? Falsch gedacht! Denn nicht denken macht auch nicht schön, Intelligenz aber sexy. Trainieren Sie also Ihr Hirn, und denken Sie selbst! Kann ein Mörder unschuldig sein? Ist es für Atheisten einfacher, in den Himmel zu kommen? Und sagt jemand, der zugibt zu lügen, die Wahrheit?
- 2010
Peter Cave once again takes the reader on a witty, engaging romp through a glorious compendium of philosophical puzzles. With the aid of tall stories, jokes, common sense, and bizarre insights, Cave tackles some of life’s most important questions and introduces the conundrums that will keep you pondering throughout the night. Illustrated with dozens of quirky cartoons, Do Llamas Fall in Love? leaves no stone unturned, covering a smorgasbord of topics including logic, ethics, art, and politics. It will provide a perfect gift for anyone who puzzles about the world!
- 2009
Humanism
- 224 Seiten
- 8 Lesestunden
Is it possible to lead a meaningful life without God?

