Socrates' admonition that the unexamined life is not worth living still resonates with many people, and The Complete Idiot's Guide (R) to Philosophy, Third Edition, is a great introduction to that mental exercise. The author skillfully covers the subject both historically and topically and brings the reader all the way up to the present, with insights into 21st-century philosophical thought. In this third edition, readers will find a fully comprehensive guide to the essential philosophers and their philosophies, both ancient and modern, from East to West. The content has been expanded to include the relationship of systems theory to philosophy today and includes explanations of the latest thinking in 20th- and 21st-century philosophical thought.