A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy
YA.  Two University of Texas professors provide a multicultural account of philosophical thought and developments across nearly 4000 years. The volume is necessarily simplified but not simplistic, and the thoughts themselves are given precedent over the biographies of the thinkers. Divided into three historical movements?the search for singular truth, the conflict between faith and reason, modernism and postmodernism?terms are explained without condescension either to the subject or to readers. This is a book for serious yet not fully educated readers who want a clear and approachable introduction to an area of human endeavor. YAs who have discovered Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World (Farrar, 1994) or Camus's The Stranger will delight in finding a larger discussion of what, to them, may be wholly new ideas. While not a necessary purchase for YA collections where users have ready access to other adult materials, this small volume is an excellent purchase for secondary schools.?Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.