Good coverage and detail on different philosophies

Good coverage and detail on different philosophies around the world. at times it can be quite heavy going but I found it full of information and structured very well indeed. I came away much more aware of different beliefs and thinking from around the globe.

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Cute but colonial

Despite including many world views in this book, the author sadly investigates each culture’s philosophy from a largely western perspective. For example, a misunderstanding of Karma as fatalism, and a very biased interjection of opinion at various points. Nonetheless a good read.

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35 people found this helpful

Bit dry but interesting topic

Overall fascinating, but must say that the dry writing style made me zone out several times. Going to have to listen to this book more than once before the material sticks

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Very easy to listen to and very engaging.

I dont know if the author reading his own book always help but in this case if found it very easy to listen to and every engaging. A broad subject very well covered. I found him insightful and it gave me plenty to consider. A pleasure to listen to.

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1 person found this helpful

took less than 30mins to dislike the audio reading

The lisped mispronounced Indian word started to take a toll on me in under 30 minutes. "if you're going to explain philosophical concepts atleast know how to communicate by pronouning them correctly" From then on it was a chore to listen to how the words were pronounced. Do not rate. Would not listen to reader again.

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Not as Global as expected

I really enjoyed what was covered in this book and how the concepts were broken down and explored. The focus was on Western, East Asian, Indian and to some degree Islamic regions, cultures and ideas. This was all done really well. Unfortunately, save for a few very brief references, it didn't cover large portions of humanity, for example Africa. This would be understandably difficult but it wasn't even specifically explained as to why say African philosophies barely featured and it's a pity the book didn't cover it. To my mind, this is a real shame and undermines the notion of this providing a true Global perspective. Even Russia, which was also omitted until the concluding chapter, did get a short summary there of what constitutes philosophy in Russia, a recommendation of another author's book exploring Russian thinking and an explanation as to why it was not otherwise mentioned elsewhere in the book. I would happily have continued to listen to many more hours of this book, if only the author had included more.

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5 people found this helpful

Interesting and engaging

Starts a little slow but builds and kept my interest throughout.

Felt balanced and interested rather than pushing a view.

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1 person found this helpful

Hard going

Probably my lack of focus and endurance, but I found this book a little dull.

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A well thought out comparison with a few anecdotes

No source is neutral, but it's not bad. At worst, he uses the alt-right "view from nowhere" dog whistle to describe a neutral perspective.

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12 people found this helpful

Food for thought

Perhaps one of the reasons Socialists revolutions were not successful were often due to some people's thinking. How people think is a great way to understanding other individuals from other cultures

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