A sparkling, original tour through 2,500 years of Western thought, from Socrates to Derrida, from happiness and love in ancient Greece to truth and forgiveness in the twentieth century. Twenty-seven of today's leading philosophers each introduce and explore ideas from one of history's greatest minds.

Introduction: 'Who Is Your Favourite Philosopher?' ; 1. Mary Margaret McCabe on Socrates and the Paradox of Inquiry ; 2. Angie Hobbs on Plato on Erotic Love ; 3. Terence Irwin on Aristotle's Ethics ; 4. Anthony Kenny on Aquinas' Ethics ; 5. Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli's The Prince ; 6. Sarah Bakewell on Montaigne ; 7. A. C. Grayling on Descartes' Cogito ; 8. Susan James on Spinoza on the emotions ; 9. John Dunn on Locke on Toleration ; 10. John Campbell on Berkeley's Puzzle ; 11. Peter Millican on Hume's Significance ; 12. Nicholas Phillipson on Adam Smith on What Human Beings are Like ; 13. Melissa Lane on Rousseau on Modern Society ; 14. Richard Bourke on Edmund Burke on Politics ; 15. A. W. Moore on Kant's Metaphysics ; 16. Robert Stern on Hegel on Dialectic ; 17. Richard Reeves on Mill on Liberty ; 18. Clare Carlisle on Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling ; 19. Aaron Ridley on Nietzsche on Art and Truth ; 20. Peter Singer on Henry Sidgwick's Ethics ; 21. Robert B. Talisse on the Pragmatists ; 22. Barry C. Smith on Wittgenstein ; 23. Hugh Mellor on Frank Ramsey on Truth ; 24. Mary Warnock on Sartre's Existentialism ; 25. Chandran Kukathas on Hayek ; 26. Jonathan Wolff on John Rawls ; 27. Robert Rowland Smith on Derrida on Forgiveness

`The interviewees are so articulate and the conversations are so interesting.' GrrlScientist, the guardian `Engaging and accessible ... Readers can enjoy each chapter individually or read the entire book for an understanding of major figures of Western philosophy. As was the first, this book is highly recommended for all general readers with an interest in philosophy.' Scott Duimstra, Library Journal `As a fan of the Philosophy Bites podcast, I'm very pleased to see this publication of conversations with leading scholars on major figures in the history of philosophy. The result is not only a good introduction to that history, but a rare chance to read top-level philosophers speaking extemporaneously about the subjects they know best. Even regular listeners to the podcast will be glad to have this written version of highlights from the series.' Peter Adamson, King's College London

Interviews with an excellent line-up of philosophers from Britain and North AmericaExplores the work and ideas of the most important thinkers in western philosophyLively, engaging, and accessible--will communicate philosophy to a broad readership

David Edmonds is an award-winning documentary maker for the BBC World Service. He is the author or co-author (with John Eidinow) of several books, including Wittgenstein's Poker (short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award), Bobby Fischer Goes To War (long-listed for the Samuel Johnson prize), and Rousseau's Dog (about the relationship between Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume). He is currently a Research Associate at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at Oxford University and a Contributing Editor for Prospect Magazine. Nigel Warburton is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University and author of several introductory philosophy books, including the bestselling Philosophy: The Basics and Philosophy: The Classics. His latest book is A Little History of Philosophy. He also regularly teaches courses on aesthetics at Tate Modern, and runs several weblogs including virtualphilosopher.com and artandallusion.com.

Interviews with an excellent line-up of philosophers from Britain and North AmericaExplores the work and ideas of the most important thinkers in western philosophyLively, engaging, and accessible--will communicate philosophy to a broad readership