Socrates’s admonition that "the unexamined life is not worth living" still resonates with many people, and this guide is a great introduction to that mental exercise. The author skillfully covers the subject both historically and topically and brings the reader all the way up to the present, with insights into 21st-century philosophical thought.

• Essential philosophers and philosophies, from ancient times right up to today

• New information on such topics as Eastern philosophy, women philosophers, postmodernism, and critical theory

• The relevance of philosophy to a variety of other subjects and to today’s world