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How the World Thinks

A Global History of Philosophy

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How the World Thinks

By: Julian Baggini
Narrated by: Julian Baggini
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About this listen

All cultures are different and have different ways of thinking.

In How the World Thinks, Julian Baggini travels the globe to provide a hugely wide-ranging map of human thought. He shows us how distinct branches of philosophy flowered simultaneously in China, India and Ancient Greece, growing from local myths and stories - and how contemporary cultural attitudes, with particular attention to the West, East Asia, the Muslim World and Africa, have developed out of the philosophical histories of their regions.

Interviewing thinkers from all around the world, he asks why, for instance, do our European systems of governments and justice differ so widely from the East? Why can Islam not easily incorporate secular knowledge? How do we understand China? By gaining greater knowledge of how others think, we can become less certain of the knowledge we think we have, the first step to greater understanding.

©2018 Julian Baggini (P)2018 W.F. Howes Ltd Philosophy Inspiring China Ancient History Africa

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Good coverage and detail on different philosophies around the world. at times it can be quite heavy going but I found it full of information and structured very well indeed. I came away much more aware of different beliefs and thinking from around the globe.

Good coverage and detail on different philosophies

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I dont know if the author reading his own book always help but in this case if found it very easy to listen to and every engaging. A broad subject very well covered. I found him insightful and it gave me plenty to consider. A pleasure to listen to.

Very easy to listen to and very engaging.

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The lisped mispronounced Indian word started to take a toll on me in under 30 minutes. "if you're going to explain philosophical concepts atleast know how to communicate by pronouning them correctly" From then on it was a chore to listen to how the words were pronounced. Do not rate. Would not listen to reader again.

took less than 30mins to dislike the audio reading

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I really enjoyed what was covered in this book and how the concepts were broken down and explored. The focus was on Western, East Asian, Indian and to some degree Islamic regions, cultures and ideas. This was all done really well. Unfortunately, save for a few very brief references, it didn't cover large portions of humanity, for example Africa. This would be understandably difficult but it wasn't even specifically explained as to why say African philosophies barely featured and it's a pity the book didn't cover it. To my mind, this is a real shame and undermines the notion of this providing a true Global perspective. Even Russia, which was also omitted until the concluding chapter, did get a short summary there of what constitutes philosophy in Russia, a recommendation of another author's book exploring Russian thinking and an explanation as to why it was not otherwise mentioned elsewhere in the book. I would happily have continued to listen to many more hours of this book, if only the author had included more.

Not as Global as expected

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Starts a little slow but builds and kept my interest throughout.

Felt balanced and interested rather than pushing a view.

Interesting and engaging

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Probably my lack of focus and endurance, but I found this book a little dull.

Hard going

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No source is neutral, but it's not bad. At worst, he uses the alt-right "view from nowhere" dog whistle to describe a neutral perspective.

A well thought out comparison with a few anecdotes

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Perhaps one of the reasons Socialists revolutions were not successful were often due to some people's thinking. How people think is a great way to understanding other individuals from other cultures

Food for thought

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I have wanted to read this book for 4 years. I had been going on my own philosophical exploration of the world's most common/popular philosophical and religious traditions, to help me work out where I fit in. My personal journey came to an end really when I firmly established myself in the catholic faith, but I've still maintained an interest in the world's thought.

The opening few chapters were stimulating, and I gained some helpful insights into Indian and Asian cultures.

As the book continued, I began to wonder what use this book could be to me. The first section came to an abrupt end, without any investigation into African traditions or Latin and/or south American traditions. The dramatic influence of Christianity on many cultures also went largely unnoticed. The majority focus was on Asia, especially China.

Then the next few sections seemed to have little to do with how the world thinks, but more to do with how the world lives, etc. We move from alleged world's thought quickly to how it behaves. But that's not the title of the book. The books title was how it thinks, and only the first section really deals with this. So I lost interest beyond this because the book seemed to lose its focus.

The conclusion at the end was really perplexing. I expected a decent summary of what had been explored and was only given an overview of Indian philosophy and a couple of others. Hardly a fitting conclusion to the subject at hand.

I'm critical because this was supposed to be an academic piece. Having been involved in academia for years I expected the same high standards I myself have been critiqued against.

Unfortunately I'm left hardly having learned anything of real use. The book became a chore more than the pleasure it was when it stayed on track.

I'm afraid I don't understand how this book got so popular. It promises by the title far, far more than it delivers.

Disappointing

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I love this book. I have replayed sections of it multiple times. I take away something new from each repeat. Baggini's own narration emphasises the authenticity of his standpoint. Timely and recommended as part of ongoing discussion of global diversity and inter-relations.

Informative and engaging

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