Philosophy A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

The perfect book for young readers looking to explore some of life's biggest questions. Thousands of years ago, ancient philosophers asked some important questions: "What is real?", "What is the point of my existence?", "Why is there evil in the world?", and "What can I know?" These questions have gone on to spark passionate debates about our existence and how we understand the world around us. In this engaging and accessible introduction to philosophy, readers aged 11+ will be introduced to a variety of philosophical ideas through the teachings of Plato, Confucius, Simone de Beauvoir, and many more. Vibrant, reader-friendly illustrations bring the history of ideas and thinking to life, and provide topics for reflection and debate. With biographies of the most influential philosophers from around the world, young readers will explore the questions that have been fundamental to the development of scientific study, logical thinking, religious beliefs, freedom in society, and much more. Thought experiments peppered throughout will help to connect readers with the theories presented so they can apply them to their own lives. Contents 4 About this book 6 Philosophy through the ages 8 REALITY AND EXISTENCE 17 What is everything made of? 18 How is the world organized? 20 Aristotle 22 What is real? 24 Materialism versus idealism 28 What are space and time? 30 What am I? 34 What is the point of my existence? 38 Simone de Beauvoir 41 KNOWLEDGE 43 What can we know? 44 Skepticism 46 What is knowledge? 48 Plato 51 Where does knowledge come from? 52 John Locke 56 Rationalism versus empiricism 58 Are there limits to knowledge? 60 Immanuel Kant 63 Is knowledge always based on facts? 64 THE MIND 67 What is a mind? 68 How do the mind and the body interact? 70 René Descartes 75 Mind–body dualism versus physicalism 76 Ibn Sīnā 79 Can I know that you’re thinking? 80 Could a machine ever think? 82 LOGIC AND LANGUAGE 85 What is truth? 86 What makes a good argument? 88 What is a fallacy? 90 What is a paradox? 92 Is language logical? 96 Ludwig Wittgenstein 99 How is language used? 100 SCIENCE 105 Does science have a method? 106 Are scientific laws facts? 108 David Hume 110 How does science progress? 112 Is science objective? 116 Mary Warnock 118 RIGHT AND WRONG 121 What is a good life? 122 Siddhārtha Gautama 127 What is a good act? 128 John Stuart Mill 133 Are moral values facts? 134 Do I have free will? 136 Determinism versus free will 138 Do moral values change? 140 Why is ethics relevant? 142 RELIGION 145 Does God exist? 146 Thomas Aquinas 151 What is the nature of God? 152 Why does evil exist? 154 Can reason and faith be united? 156 SOCIETY 159 Why do societies form? 160 Jean-Jacques Rousseau 162 Who should have power? 164 How should rulers behave? 168 Confucius 171 What is individual freedom? 172 How can societies be changed? 174 Karl Marx 176 How can we ensure equality? 178 Mary Wollstonecraft 180 Feminist philosophy 182 BEAUTY AND ART 185 What is beauty? 186 What is art? 190 Should art ever be censored? 194 Philosophers on beauty and art 196 Glossary 198 Index 202 Acknowledgments 208