Key Concepts in Philosophy is a glossary of philosophical concepts.  It is part of the Palgrave Key Concepts, which provide an accessible and comprehensive range of subject glossaries aimed at an undergraduate level. Preparing such a glossary for philosophical concepts is really a welcome addition to these series of glossaries because of the nature of philosophy. The definition of philosophy itself is notoriously difficult to answer. Indeed, there does not seem to be a universally accepted definition of philosophy. Part of the problem is that it does not have a specific subject matter because, in its broadest sense, philosophy is a search for understanding; it is the attempt to make sense of ourselves, our place in the world and the universe itself. This means, any aspect of human life or the world, that is, almost anything can be subjected to philosophical analysis.

This raises an important point for understanding what philosophy is and how to approach something philosophically. As Paddy and Hilary Mcqueen rightly point out, there are several reasons for why philosophy can be frustratingly difficult. One of the reasons, in fact maybe the main reason, is the type of language used. Philosophers tend to employ unusual terms, sometimes even inventing new ones. Another reason, they say, philosophy concerns with fundamental questions such as “who I am?”, “what is the meaning of life?”, “is it possible to know anything at all?” and etc. which requires a lot of concentration and careful reflection. And also, they claim, because philosophy cannot give us a definite answer it can be a difficult subject to study.

If philosophy is a vast, complicated and difficult subject, then we certainly need some help in studying and practicing it. That’s exactly what this little book attempts to do. Given the size of the book, which is only 262 pages long, the authors do not pretend to provide comprehensive accounts of every major philosophical concept and philosopher. But, nevertheless it includes all the important concepts and theories that are necessary for making sense of philosophical writings and debates. But, as the authors also aptly states, the precise interpretation of many philosophical ideas has been hotly debated and furthermore, certain terms are used differently by different philosophers, and occasionally two different terms are used to refer to the same idea, it would be an impossible task to give an exhaustive account of all the interpretations of all the concepts included in this glossary. Rather, authors seem to stick with the standard or textbook interpretation of a philosopher or a concept.

Given just the standard interpretation of a philosophical concept would be considered a drawback, but the authors have also found a way to work it out by providing a See also section at the end of each entry. The aim of the See also section is to point out the different uses or interpretations of the same concept or to refer to the different terms for the same concept. Many concepts which are mentioned within a particular entry also have their own entry. Hence, using See also section provides readers a much more comprehensive description than what is actually given in a particular entry. I strongly suggest using See also section in order to get a full and in depth understanding of a concept with its various implications and its connections with other concepts.

Another special feature worth mentioning about this little glossary is that each entry contains a number of suggestions for further reading. For entries on specific philosophers, this always includes their major works and at least two secondary sources. Most of the time, there is always at least one introductory text as a secondary source, and also one advanced text which mostly contains a collection of essays offering more detailed and technical discussions of the philosopher.  For entries on concepts, the further reading contains both introductory and advanced texts representing a wide spectrum of views and interpretations of the concept.

What I like the most and I think, what makes this glossary more than a mere dictionary of philosophy is the set of questions included at the end of most entries. In the characteristic of “think about” questions, these questions really encourage readers to reflect philosophically upon the philosophical issues raised in the respective entries. These key questions are kinds of questions we would or must ask of a text or a philosopher when discussing philosophical issues.

I think, Key Concepts in Philosophy is an accessible account of philosophical concepts, theories and key thinkers with an emphasis on recent developments in the discipline. This glossary is quite interesting and intelligible even to a lay person because entries are designed to be clear and accessible to all readers without relying on the specialist and confusing language that can be characteristic of much philosophy.  Each term is fully cross-referenced and ordered alphabetically for ease of use, making this thought-provoking glossary an ideal starting point for those studying philosophy.

© 2011 Kamuran Godelek

Kamuran Godelek (Ph.D), Cag University, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Mersin, Tarsus, TURKEY