MixedThe Irish Times (IRE)... [Grayling] has a masterly appreciation of the currents of western philosophical thought, especially the Anglo-American tradition. He is a superb communicator of complex concepts with an eye for the arresting fact ... Familiar texts throw up fresh insights in Grayling’s hands, and he skilfully highlights the role chance plays in the history of ideas ... Grayling’s tolerance does run out when religion rubs up against reason ... non-western thought accounts for barely one-eighth of the book and is presented in a rather tokenistic fashion. In a threadbare chapter on African philosophy, for example, Grayling spends most of the time arguing that African philosophy does not exist ... One can’t fabricate the past but it’s extraordinary that the first female philosopher Grayling deigns to mention is on page 304 and then Harriet Taylor is referenced primarily in the context of her marriage to John Stuart Mill ... Grayling tells the history of philosophy through its \'big names\', which is fine if you’re looking for a traditional reference book – this is how the subject has been taught for decades. A more dynamic approach would have been to trace the evolution of ideas thematically – and indeed we get a glimpse of the book Grayling could have written when he breaks out of the biographical format to deliver wonderful mini-essays ... Grayling’s decision to skim over the evolution of ethics is particularly puzzling ... [Grayling\'s] book stands up well against Russell’s classic. But the history of philosophy, as Grayling well knows, continues to be written and his efforts will inspire others to try to set the record straight.
David Brooks
PositiveThe Irish TimesAcross more than 300 pages of heartfelt prose, Brooks reworks the problem into a neat story ... Brooks’ willingness to be \'a little vulnerable\' results in a refreshing honest confession, even though some anti-Catholics will use it as an excuse for dismissing his entire oeuvre.
