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  1. MarkNZed

    MarkNZed New Member

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    A guide to popularisation?

    Discussion in 'Non-Fiction' started by MarkNZed, Mar 25, 2020.

    Hi, I am trying to write about philosophy in an accessible style. If anyone has any pointer - "the idiots guide to popularizing hard topics" - please share.

    Authors like Malcolm Gladwell have successful books that focus on a single theme. A philosophical system is very broad, often hard to understand if it questions our own assumptions. Any suggestions for approaching this would be much appreciated, thanks.
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2020
  2. Hammer

    Hammer Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor

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    Hi @MarkNZed , and welcome from me.

    You could always read John Tyerman Williams's Pooh and the Philosophers? That seems to achieve what you are striving for in a humorous way whilst remaining hugely accessible, or Stephen Hawking's Brief History of Time which presents enormous concepts to a wide audience.
     
  3. MarkNZed

    MarkNZed New Member

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    Thanks @Hammer those are interesting references. Reminds me of Sophie's World too.
     
  4. RyanRoszak

    RyanRoszak Member

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    Reading this, I immediately looked at 50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know, sitting close on my bookshelf, given to me as a present a while back. The reason it’s still sitting there, rather than in a charity shop, is that it’s easy to dip into without being intimidated, and I do so periodically, when I’m at a loose end. You can be in and out, getting something digestible, useful and interesting in 10mins.

    Of course, this habit is possible because the book split into such short, self-contained sections - the equivalent of Youtube-sized introductions to a topic.

    Now, the counterpoint to bear in mind is that, of the book referenced above, I’ve probably only read 25% of the content in 10 years..! So this kind of ‘accessibility’, achieved through swift progression through varied topics, encourages shallower engagement with a book as a whole, I feel. Still, any popular text that keeps a reader engaged is going to need to do something like this, even if it’s on a much more homogenous topic - like a specific thinker etc. splitting their thought into specific periods or topics.

    What are you trying to achieve with this text? Why is another book needed on the topic? Are you after an accessible survey of an individual’s ideas? Or are you after pushing something more novel, that brings out a particular theme very slowly, with a lot of important foundation work going on at the start? If you’re aiming for the former, the ‘Short Introductions to...’ series is a good model. If you’re after the latter, which is more nuanced, I’ve always thought Dan Dennett’s ‘Consciousness Explained’ is a spectacular example of difficult-content popularisation done extremely well.

    ^^ I’d bear in mind that this book is famous for being one of the most ‘bought and abandoned (after 25 pages)’ books of all time.. xD
     
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  5. A.M.P.

    A.M.P. People Buy My Books for the Bio Photo Contributor

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    There's these fun little books called The Philosophy of FANDOM (Like TV Show House, Popular video games, books, etc.)
    and they explore themes and characters through whatever philosophy school applies best to them (Stoicism for example) and help you grasp complicated problems in an understandable and relatable way thanks to using a setting you're already familiar with.
     
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  6. Grady M Kidwell

    Grady M Kidwell New Member

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    Hi buddy, Even am looking for a similar option. Did you get a few lists yet?

    Regards,
    Charles R Calabrese
     
  7. Ishkah

    Ishkah New Member

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    Currently Reading::
    Ecology Contested: Environmental Politics between Left and Right by Peter Staudenmaier
    The book “how to live a good life” is an excellent set of essays exploring philosophies various people live by.
     

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