The Little Book Of Philosophy

André Comte-Sponville's brilliant and thought-provoking follow-up to A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues is an ambitious introduction to the central concepts of philosophy, from morality to death, from liberty to wisdom.

He is so good at the timely application of those questions that make philosophy interesting... Here at last is someone who can lay these matters out both intelligently and straightforwardly

Any interested reader will be able to accompany him in his philosophical explorations without losing any of their richness and insight

Professor of Philosophy at the Sorbonne, Andre Comte-Sponville is the author of a number of books, including the international bestseller A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues, which has been translated into 24 languages. 
 
In a country that reveres philosophers, Comte-Sponville is latest in a line of French star philosophers that runs from Sartre, through Derrida, Finkielkraut and Berni-Henry Levy. Unlike the last three, his accessibility and refusal to fly in the face of common sense has made him famous across Europe.

In this remarkable little book, Andre Comte-Sponville introduces the reader to the western philosophical tradition in a series of sparkling chapters on the 'big questions'. In doing so he reveals the essential bones of philosophical thought and shows why philosophy is relevant in our day-to-day lives. 
 
In his brilliant and concise writing on morality, politics, love, death, knowledge, freedom, God, atheism, art, time, Man, and wisdom, he inspires the central question of philosophy - how should we live? - and provides the reader with signposts towards a happier, wiser life.

A Short Treatise On Great Virtues

'A glittering display of virtuous virtuosity' John Carey, Sunday Times

Scandalously original; this book is a quest for wisdom

The great strength of this book is that it removes philosophy from abstract theorizing and deposits it where it belongs: in our daily lives and the world around us

Clearly and often beautifully written... Comte-Sponville cleaves to the aim set out in his subtitle, which is to suggest that philosophy may aid us in the conduct of everyday affairs

That rare thing: a work of philosophy that is both readable and good... Its popularity is easy to understand... Precise, scholastic even, yet also passionate

A superior book for the layman... If only all Comte-Sponville's countrymen wrote as lucidly as he... A wonderful book that neatly turns the moral maze into a system of converging corridors

In a country that reveres philosophers, Comte-Sponville is latest in a line of French star philosophers that runs from Sartre, through Derrida, Finkielkraut and Bernard-Henri Levy. Unlike the last three, his accessibility and refusal to fly in the face of common sense has made him famous across Europe.

Much of the history of philosophy is the history of ethics. From Plato to Sartre, the great philosophers have returned to the central ethical questions of how we are to live good lives; how is it appropriate and virtuous for us to behave, both to ourselves and to others? 
 
In addressing these questions, André Comte-Sponville returns to the mainstream of much of the Western philosophical tradition with an utterly original exploration of the timeless human virtues. 
 
A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues takes as its starting point eighteen human virtues to help us understand 'what we should do, who we should be, and how we should live'. Comte-Sponville offers the reader both a thoughtful and accessible introduction to the history of Western ethics and an exploration of the ways in which the views and claims of the great philosophers can apply - and fail to apply - to our lives today.

Andre Comte-Sponville

Comte-Sponville presents big ideas with masterful and witty clarity. For those who prefer Kant to cant, this refreshing little book is perfect.

An Elegant Argument For Spirituality Without God

Can we do without religion? Can we have ethics without God? Is there such thing as 'atheistic spirituality'? In this powerful book, the internationally bestselling author André Comte-Sponville presents a philosophical exploration of atheism - and reaches startling conclusions. 
 
Atheists, Comte-Sponville argues, are no less interested in a spiritual life than religious believers. But by allowing the concept of spirituality to become intertwined with religion and dogma, humanity has lost touch with the nature of a true spiritual existence. 
 
Using rigorous, reasoned arguments and clear, concise, and often humorous prose Comte-Sponville draws on both Eastern and Western philosophical traditions to propose the atheistic alternative to religion, based on the human need to connect to each other and to the universe. In doing so, he offers a convincing treatise on a new form of spiritual life.

Andre Comte-Sponville

Praise for The Book of Atheist Spirituality

Comte-Sponville presents big ideas with masterful and witty clarity. For those who prefer Kant to cant, this refreshing little book is perfect.

Books by Andre Comte-Sponville

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