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Confucius: Philosophy in an Hour cover art

Confucius: Philosophy in an Hour

By: Paul Strathern
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Summary

Philosophy for busy people. Listen to a succinct account of the philosophy of Confucius in just one hour.

This is the perfect audiobook for people who are on the go and don’t have time to read philosophy books but wish they knew more about certain people and how they influenced history. This is a concise, expert account of Confucious’ life and philosophical ideas - entertainingly written and most importantly easy listening.

Also included are selections from Confucious’ work, suggested further reading, and chronologies that place Confucious in the context of the broader scheme of philosophy.

©2012 Paul Strathern (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

“Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them...I find them hard to stop reading.” ( New York Times)
“Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise.” ( Wall Street Journal)
“Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character... I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization.” ( Boston Globe)
“A godsend in this era of the short attention span.” ( New York Times)

What listeners say about Confucius: Philosophy in an Hour

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good introduction!

A very interesting historical character. Summed up nicely! The reader reads with much wit and enthusiasm.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

worth it just for the quotes at the end.....

Confucius.....Sage, philosopher, educator....and funnyman. Shame Twitter wasn't around in the Zhou dynasty..... #nocrimsoncollars .. ..

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very entertaining intro to Confucius

I had no prior knowledge of either the life or works of Confucius and after completing this book I feel that I'm able now able to place him both historically and in the general landscape of philosophy, so - mission accomplished!

The main selling point of this book is the humour and the irreverent approach. Paul Strathern doesn't joke for the mere sake of it, but when he comes across something that warrants it, he's very generous with his sarcasm and Jonathan Keeble narrates that beautifully.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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it was ok I

I wouldn't read it again it was just long enough to enjoy for me thanks

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

I recommend this work to anyone interested in Confucianism as a brief overall introduction.

This could be of great use and also informative to students of religious as well as philosophical studies.

I give it a 4 star overall because it could be further improved nonetheless the author has given a balanced and fair account of the topic.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

western misconception of eastern philisophy

the writer could and would not enter the charismatic and enchanting world of a master and flounders about repeating himself. nothing is gained by listening to this.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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What a load of sh!te

What would have made Confucius: Philosophy in an Hour better?

Deleting it.

What will your next listen be?

Anything but this

How could the performance have been better?

If he hadnt have had a horlicks before starting.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No that I uncovered.

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    2 out of 5 stars

Obvious and shameless western bias

There is a very clear western bias which seems inappropriate for summarising a part of history.

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