Edinburgh Philosophical Guides – serie

When students read Difference and Repetition for the first time, they face two main hurdles: the wide range of sources that Deleuze draws upon and his dense writing style. This Edinburgh Philosophical Guide helps students to negotiate these hurdles, taking them through the text step by step. It situates Deleuze within Continental philosophy more broadly and explains why he develops his philosophy in his unique way. Seasoned Deleuzians will also be interested in Somers-Hall's novel interpretation of Difference and Repetition.

Everything you need to know about Derrida’s Of Grammatology in one volume.Jacques Derrida was one of the most famous philosophers of the later twentieth century and Of Grammatology is his best known text. This book will provide the first commentary on Of Grammatology which can be read alongside of – rather instead of – the text itself, by students encountering Derrida for the first time.

Everything you need to know about Derrida’s Of Grammatology in one volume.Jacques Derrida was one of the most famous philosophers of the later twentieth century and Of Grammatology is his best known text. This book will provide the first commentary on Of Grammatology which can be read alongside of – rather instead of – the text itself, by students encountering Derrida for the first time.

Everything you need to know about Heidegger’s Being and Time in one volume.Being and Time is one of the most important publications in phenomenology of the twentieth century which has had a direct influence on not only many different philosophers, but also artists, writers and film makers. This book appeals to first-time readers of Heidegger and is free of technical jargon. Readers will be taken through Being and Time section by section, meaning it can be read alongside the main text.

Everything you need to know about Heidegger’s Being and Time in one volume.Being and Time is one of the most important publications in phenomenology of the twentieth century which has had a direct influence on not only many different philosophers, but also artists, writers and film makers. This book appeals to first-time readers of Heidegger and is free of technical jargon. Readers will be taken through Being and Time section by section, meaning it can be read alongside the main text.

Everything you need to know about Kant's Critique of Pure Reason in one volume.The Critique is one of the most written-about texts in the history of philosophy, however, it is also notoriously difficult to read. Burnham and Young unravel Kant's text passage-by-passage, making the reading and appreciation of the primary work achievable. Designed to be read alongside Kant, this approach will be helpful for students and lecturers alike.

Everything you need to know about Kant's Critique of Pure Reason in one volume.The Critique is one of the most written-about texts in the history of philosophy, however, it is also notoriously difficult to read. Burnham and Young unravel Kant's text passage-by-passage, making the reading and appreciation of the primary work achievable. Designed to be read alongside Kant, this approach will be helpful for students and lecturers alike.

Everything you need to know about Plato’s Republic in one volume.No text in the history of western philosophy has been given more attention than Plato’s Republic. This book will introduce students to the dialogue and facilitate the reader's own response to it, without providing an interpretation or a response on the reader's behalf. Designed to be read alongside Plato’s text, this approach will be helpful for students and lecturers alike.

Everything you need to know about Spinoza’s Ethics in one volume.The Ethics presents a complete metaphysical, epistemological and ethical world-view that is immensely inspiring. However, it is also an extremely difficult text to read. This book takes readers through the text, stopping at the most perplexing passages to explain key terms, unfold arguments, offer concrete examples and raise questions for further thought. It is designed to be read alongside the Ethics, enabling students to think critically about Spinoza’s views and build an understanding of his complex system.

Descartes' Meditations is one of the first texts that a philosophy student will study, and one that many come back to time and again. Rather than simply telling the reader what to think, Meditations invites us to take a philosophical journey. This book prepares readers for that journey, helping them to engage with each of the meditations and suggesting ways through the more difficult passages. This guide also offers students a fresh approach by bringing to life the path of self-discovery encapsulated in the work, while maintaining the emphasis on metaphysics. By focusing on what the text itself has to say, rather than what has been said about it by others, it will help readers at all levels to discover - or rediscover - why Descartes' Meditations is one of the cornerstones of philosophy.

A step-by-step guide to Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra.Thus Spoke Zarathustra is one of Nietzsche's greatest books, a cross-over text that combines philosophical innovation with literary experimentation. With Zarathustra Nietzsche has attempted a redefinition of the form-content correlation in philosophical writing and as such the text is considered an experiment in philosophical style. It therefore represents a large hurdle for undergraduate students. This projected commentary works on the assumption that access to the philosophical core of the text can only be gained through taking its literary ambitions seriously and that, moreover, these literary ambitions can only be understood as an attempt to realise philosophical ideas. This is a book that is designed to be read alongside Nietzsche and will therefore make the reading and appreciation of the primary material achievable. This approach will be welcomed by students and lecturers alike.

When students read Difference and Repetition for the first time, they face two main hurdles: the wide range of sources that Deleuze draws upon and his dense writing style. This Edinburgh Philosophical Guide helps students to negotiate these hurdles, taking them through the text step by step. It situates Deleuze within Continental philosophy more broadly and explains why he develops his philosophy in his unique way. Seasoned Deleuzians will also be interested in Somers-Hall's novel interpretation of Difference and Repetition.

Kant's 'Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals' is a standard text in the history of moral philosophy as well as a classic work of moral philosophy in its own right. This guide provides a paragraph-by-paragraph account of the main themes of Kant's moral philosophy and a clear statement of his overall philosophical aims and arguments. Complete with a study aids section with a glossary and advice for essay writing, it is an essential toolkit for anyone approaching Kant for the first time.

In the first volume of his History of Sexuality, 'The Will to Knowledge', Foucault weaves together the most influential theoretical account of sexuality since Freud. Now, this is the first reading guide to Foucault's dense and sometimes confusing text. Mark Kelly systematically unpacks the intricacies of Foucault's dense and sometimes confusing exposition, in a straightforward way, putting it in its historical and theoretical context. He looks at the book, its structure and philosophical significance, and corrects several key mistranslations in the only available English version of the 'Will to Knowledge'.