How to Think Like a Philosopher audiobook cover - Scholars, Dreamers and Sages Who Can Teach Us How to Live

How to Think Like a Philosopher

Scholars, Dreamers and Sages Who Can Teach Us How to Live

Peter Cave

★ 4.2 / 5(259 ratings)
Start ListeningDownloadQR code that opens AudiobookHub on the App StoreTry free on iPhoneScan to start in 5 seconds
Categories:
Philosophy

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

Listen to How to Think Like a Philosopher — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from How to Think Like a Philosopher

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from How to Think Like a Philosopher

Mind Map

How to Think Like a Philosopher
Essence of Philosophy+
Contradiction & Nature+
Grounded Reality+
Systems & Alienation+
Love, Freedom & The Other+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
According to the text, which of the following best describes the historical practice of philosophy?
  • A. It has primarily been an exclusive discipline reserved for formally trained academics.
  • B. It is an ever-evolving conversation engaged in by people from many disciplines, including poets and economists.
  • C. It focuses exclusively on modern issues, abandoning the outdated questions of ancient Greece.
  • D. It relies heavily on dry treatises to establish unchangeable, objective truths.
Question 2 of 7
What fundamental philosophical view did Baruch Spinoza share with Lao Tsu?
  • A. True reality is found in the natural world and the universe itself.
  • B. Religion is the only effective framework for maintaining social order.
  • C. Human suffering can only be transcended through strict social isolation.
  • D. The full meaning of reality can be perfectly captured through human language.
Question 3 of 7
How did Aristotle's approach to philosophy differ significantly from that of his teacher, Plato?
  • A. Aristotle believed that true forms existed only as spiritual souls outside the physical realm.
  • B. Aristotle prioritized formal academic environments and avoided lecturing to common people.
  • C. Aristotle valued physical reality and believed humans are reality itself, rather than spirits searching for it.
  • D. Aristotle argued that physical beings, like a horse or a man, were illusions compared to mathematical truths.
Question 4 of 7
Based on the text, what is a common modern misconception about the philosophy of Epicurus?
  • A. He believed that all matter, including the soul, was made of fine particles.
  • B. He promoted a lifestyle of overindulgence in wine, rich food, and sensual pleasure.
  • C. He argued that true pleasure is simply the absence of pain.
  • D. He believed that planting a garden could nourish both the body and the soul.
Question 5 of 7
In Karl Marx's philosophy, what is the primary cause of worker 'alienation' in industrial capitalism?
  • A. The lack of spiritual fulfillment and intellectual stimulation in factory work.
  • B. The realization that human nature is an evolving, rather than fixed, category.
  • C. The physical separation of workers into different geographic regions.
  • D. The systemic structure where workers lack control and are paid less than the value of what they produce.
Question 6 of 7
What did Friedrich Nietzsche essentially mean by his famous declaration, 'God is dead'?
  • A. A literal, supernatural being has ceased to exist in the modern era.
  • B. Society is at risk of collapse because religion is no longer acting as the foundation for social morals.
  • C. Western philosophy has successfully replaced spiritualism with industrial capitalism.
  • D. Individuals should embrace total anarchy and reject all forms of ethical behavior.
Question 7 of 7
According to Simone de Beauvoir's existentialist philosophy, how should individuals respond to a world without God?
  • A. By pursuing absolute individual freedom regardless of the consequences to others.
  • B. By adopting a nihilistic approach where moral choices no longer matter.
  • C. By behaving ethically to preserve and empower the freedom of everyone.
  • D. By returning to traditional religious institutions to maintain social order.

How to Think Like a Philosopher — Full Chapter Overview

How to Think Like a Philosopher Summary & Overview

How to Think Like a Philosopher (2023) draws from the lives and work of thinkers through history to reveal unique perspectives on beauty, truth, and the nature of reality. It presents philosophy as an all-too-human search for meaning, and encourages everyone to do the same.

Who Should Listen to How to Think Like a Philosopher?

  • Deep thinkers looking for inspiration and wisdom from the past
  • Those curious about the ideas that have shaped the ways we approach life 
  • Anyone craving new ways to think about things

About the Author: Peter Cave

Peter Cave is a philosophy writer and speaker who’s a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. His many books include The Myths We Live By, The Big Think Book, and Free Speech and Other Liberal Fictions.

🎧
Listen in the AppOffline playback & background play
Get App