Philosophy

August 27, 2012
Former film student and theologian de Heer, already known for comics on subjects ranging from Buddhism to magic mushrooms, turns her gaze to Western philosophy. Beginning with a very general introduction to the topic, she fast-forwards through nearly 25 centuries of axiomatic reasoning, from Socrates, whose thoughts so endeared him to his fellow Athenians they made him drink poison; to the thinkers of post-Roman Europe, cunning but constrained by religion amid the ruins of a greater age; to Nietzsche, whose works fell victim after his death to editing by his anti-Semitic sister; and beyond. De Heer knows her stuff and possesses a charming style. The one flaw in her book is its brevity and the impossibility of cramming 2481 years of thought and logic into only 120 pages without misplacing vital details. This is less a primer than an appetizer.

September 15, 2012

Philosophy is thinking about thinking. That's where de Heer begins in this charming, personal work, which features her and her husband, Yiri, as guides. What is thinking, anyway? How do we know we know? Who are we? Well-known Western cogitators like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle have considered these questions, as have the medieval Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, followed by Erasmus, Descartes, and Spinoza, de Heer's fellow Hollander. For modern philosophy, however, she pulls back into the personal realm by letting friends and relatives speak about their own philosophies and who inspires them, from Nietzsche to George Carlin. She draws philosophy out of the abstract, academic ether and connects it to real people and their lives. VERDICT Avoiding a systematic, scholarly overview, de Heer makes philosophical questions lively, quirky, and enduring through her informal approach and lighthearted color drawings. Her appealing introduction will engage those curious about this "philosophy stuff," teens and up. For younger readers, a teacher or parent can provide further information. See also Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey's Action Philosophers! (LJ 1/07).--M.C.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.