A wonderful concept for a book. It spends a page and half or so on the deaths of 170 different philosophers. For some, it nicely juxtaposes their beliefs with their practical applications. For others, it illustrates a hypocrisy. Mostly though, I think it does a good job bringing the lot of them back down to earth. The introductions (there are three) are themselves a decent discussion on death and dying. It's one of those books you wish was a Wikipedia page so you could follow all the strands it

Probably would not have finished this book (as quickly) if not for the interesting times in which we are living, leaving me with too much time to do nothing (and thus read). Three thoughts, the first one somewhat philosophical, the other critical and the last one neither of those two things. 1) Critchley wants his readers to contemplate and meditate on death and the role death plays in our lives. He also argues for an approach to philosophy which does not disregard the lives of philosophers. The...

This little book was an absolute delight! A great book to pique one's interest and to further one's knowledge of philosophy. So many tidbits of information about these 'serious' thinkers (men and women!) made them so much more relate-able. They may have all been great intellects in their own right, but the personal touches took them a bit off their pedestals, out of their ivory towers and much more accessible.

The book mainly talks about the thoughts of a philosopher on death and how exactly he died and what the author wants us to learn from it in his own words..."Philosophy is a technically complex academic discipline with its own internal criteria of excellence and it should be kept away from other humanistic disciplines and from the unseemly disorder of private and public life. Needless to say, this is a view that I have sought to challenge in this book"

When I picked up "The Book of Dead Philosophers," by Simon Critchley, I was hoping that that collection of words would expand my knowledge of philosophy. I was so wrong.As the title reads, "The Book of Dead Philosophers," that is exactly what is included in this relatively short book of 250 pages. It is a collection of obituaries of 190 philosophers that is enlightening, thought provoking, and at times often funny.This book is a perfect read for some one that needs to consume a few minutes here

Philosophy in 190 small parts. Actually, death in 190 parts. This book is not about to teach philosophy to anyone, not even to introduce it. Its not even about how philosophers live. It's about how philosophers die. What was the causes of their death and what they believe for it. It's well written with funny facts and a thin irony. This book is a proof that even death can be the cause for some laughs. Recommended for all those who afraid to die. (Don't worry, we are almost 90%. The other 10% jus...

At work a semi-common (meaning I get the question a few times a year) question that gets sent my way is something like, "I want an introduction to philosophy". I don't like this question very much. Most people who are asking it have no background in philosophy and they are looking for one quick book that will teach them everything they need to know. Sometimes they want this one book to have original writings by philosophers, but just the essential stuff, along with easy to understand little comm...

I was a philosophy major and I love the premise of this book. However, it was just too dry and exhaustive for my taste.

what the hell was the point of this book? it was like reading who magazine for philosophy geeks. super shallow. the thing i'm angriest about is that this book is so utterly forgettable that one day in the future i will probably accidentally read it again.

"The book of dead philosophers" reminds me of the "Sophie's world" by Gaader. For people who don't know much about philosophy it is a good introduction. The point is that here is too much fragmented information to really enjoy this book. The 190 philosophers are all dead and here is the attempt to see the question of mortality through the eyes of the great minds.

This review first appeared in the International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association Magazine (www.iccfa.com)People have been thinking about death for a long time. I am a big fan of not reinventing the wheel. If some expert has already figured it out, why not consult him? Philosophers are professional thinkers on the larger issues, so they are the natural go-to for questions of life and death. However, there has not been a handy compendium of their musings on the subject -- until now.Simon

This book kinda disappointed me a little. I was expecting to learn a little more about phillosophy and fun facts about philosophers' lifes, and while it does provide that at some points, it is generally a little erratic and sometimes you feel as if there was no pattern and the author added some people just because. Take Demetrio, just one line about him. I mean, he could just have left him out if he was going to write just one line about him (and Demetrio doesn't even have an interesting death a...

Strange as it might sound, my constant concern in these seemingly morbid pages is the meaning and possibility of happiness.This book harbored such high expectations for me, ones that sadly weren't met. Critchely dazzled me with his book on Political Theology and i turned to this appropriately whetted. The approach here lacked rigor and offered instead a popular history of philosophy through 190 vignettes of central figures. A brief segue into ancient Chinese philosophy and the inclusion of a hal...

The reviews thus far are pretty split on this book. I'd really give it a 3-and-a-half, but Goodreads wouldn't let me do this.Best-suited for someone with at least a bit of a background in philosophy. If you've taken a course at community college and barely passed, then this won't help you if you need to retake the class. Although I've taken said community college class (and got an A, thank you), it's been a while, and although I have a good interest in philosophy, with the numerous amount of phi...

Very interesting and engaging book! I really enjoyed it!!!!

This is ideal popular non-fiction: it's fun to read while making you think. Just a heads up: several of the philosophers are religious folks. That works well here because getting a refresher on what Christianity actually says about life and death and comparing that with secular thinkers clarifies a lot of things. Pair this with Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End and you might actually make peace with your own mortality!

This was hugely disappointing, and probably because it's not that good.The premise of the book is actually pretty interesting: illustrate the various philosophies to death by recounting the personal deaths (and lives) of famous philosophers throughout history and how that compared or contrasted with their philosophy. However, there are a few mistakes that Critchley makes in telling the tales:- Trying to tell the stories of over 190 different philosophers... in a 250 page book.- Unable to decide

From a sentence to a few pages this book visits with nearly 200 philosophers and gives a snippet of their lives, opinions and deaths. A very interesting read.

Like any popular overview of the history of philosophic thought on a given subject, Critchley's cuts some corners, collapses important distinctions (especially in regards to Christianity), and in general has to leave out a good deal of interesting stuff just to get through the story he selected to tell. That said, this is a really fun meditation upon death through the thoughts and deaths of a wide swath of (mostly but not entirely Western) philosophers from Thales and Plato to Foucalt and Derrid...

This book seemed just the ticket when I came across it in a bookstore. It more than beckoned, it produced a siren call. Since there were no masts available to lash myself to, I surrendered and walked zombie-like to the cashier, cradling the book carefully. Drama aside, while I was a while warming up to Critchley's book, it lived up to most of its seductive song. His introductory remarks stated he intended to tell how the philosophers of history died and what we could learn from philosophy about