Marcus Weeks - What Would Nietzsche Do?

Rating: 4/5

Review:
A good philosophical introduction

Popular books on philosophy are, shall we say, very variable in quality, so I approached this book with some scepticism.  I was pleasantly surprised: it is nicely done, readable and, so far as I can tell as a relative layperson, accurate in its representations of the thinking of some of the great philosophers.

The book presents itself as a sort of self-help solution to some of life's problems by following the advice of the great philosophers, and it is structured around some tricky questions which one might encounter in life.  However, the answer to the question "What Would Nietzsche do?" is, "He'd ask a load of irritating questions rather than actually *do* anything." Of course he would – he's a philosopher, and that goes for all the other philosophers represented here, too.  What we actually get, therefore, is a summary of the approach of various philosophers to the deeper moral problems and fundamental philosophical questions thrown up by the problem under consideration.  In fact, this works very well – just don't expect much (if any) direct guidance or instruction about what you should actually *do*.

Marcus Weeks knows what he's talking about and presents it in a readable and accessible way, without patronising his readers or trivialising his subject.  I rather liked the slightly comic-book presentation (although a rather larger font for the main text would have been welcome) and overall I think this is a good introduction to a wide range of thought.  It's structured so that you can dip into it easily, which is always a good idea in books like this, and I found it an enjoyable and interesting read.  Recommended.