David Edmonds is an award-winning documentary maker for the BBC World Service. He is the author or co-author (with John Eidinow) of several books, including Wittgenstein's Poker (short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award), Bobby Fischer Goes To War (long-listed for the Samuel Johnson prize), and Rousseau's Dog (about the relationship between Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume). He is currently a Research Associate at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at Oxford University and a Contributing Editor for Prospect Magazine. Nigel Warburton is a freelance philosopher, podcaster, and writer. His books include A Little History of Philosophy, Philosophy: the Basics, Thinking from A to Z, Philosophy: the Classics, The Art Question, and Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction. He runs several weblogs including virtualphilosopher.com and artandallusion.com.

a stimulating introduction to thinkers and themes for students and general readers alike

• Introduction: 'Who Is Your Favourite Philosopher?' ; 1. Mary Margaret McCabe on Socrates and the Paradox of Inquiry ; 2. Angie Hobbs on Plato on Erotic Love ; 3. Terence Irwin on Aristotle's Ethics ; 4. Anthony Kenny on Aquinas' Ethics ; 5. Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli's The Prince ; 6. Sarah Bakewell on Montaigne ; 7. A. C. Grayling on Descartes' Cogito ; 8. Susan James on Spinoza on the emotions ; 9. John Dunn on Locke on Toleration ; 10. John Campbell on Berkeley's Puzzle ; 11. Peter Millican on Hume's Significance ; 12. Nicholas Phillipson on Adam Smith on What Human Beings are Like ; 13. Melissa Lane on Rousseau on Modern Society ; 14. Richard Bourke on Edmund Burke on Politics ; 15. A. W. Moore on Kant's Metaphysics ; 16. Robert Stern on Hegel on Dialectic ; 17. Richard Reeves on Mill on Liberty ; 18. Clare Carlisle on Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling ; 19. Aaron Ridley on Nietzsche on Art and Truth ; 20. Peter Singer on Henry Sidgwick's Ethics ; 21. Robert B. Talisse on the Pragmatists ; 22. Barry C. Smith on Wittgenstein ; 23. Hugh Mellor on Frank Ramsey on Truth ; 24. Mary Warnock on Sartre's Existentialism ; 25. Chandran Kukathas on Hayek ; 26. Jonathan Wolff on John Rawls ; 27. Robert Rowland Smith on Derrida on Forgiveness