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Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn Review: A Rigorous, Readable Gateway to Western Philosophy
First published by Oxford University Press in 1999 and issued in paperback in 2001, Simon Blackburn's Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy remains one of the most widely read entry points into Western philosophical thought, structured around the canonical fields of the discipline and animated by the great thinkers who shaped them — though specialist readers may find its treatment of epistemology uneven.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Curious general readers with no prior philosophy training who want a substantive, historically grounded entry point into Western philosophy's major questions — from epistemology and free will to ethics and the existence of God.
Worth it if
Worth reading if you want a single, coherent volume that introduces canonical thinkers (Descartes, Hume, Kant, Wittgenstein) and the central questions they grappled with, written by a Cambridge professor who brings genuine scholarly rigour without assuming any prior background.
Skip if
Skip it if you already have a solid grounding in philosophy — this is an introduction by design, and those familiar with the literature will find little new ground; also worth noting that philosopher Mark Sainsbury, reviewing in the journal Mind, raised a specific criticism of the epistemology chapter, which opens the book.
What readers & critics say
The Wikipedia article on the book notes it "found a sizable audience," with more than 30,000 hardcover copies sold and a follow-up commissioned by Oxford University Press — an unusual commercial footprint for an academic-press philosophy introduction. The Oxford University Press pages (global.oup.com) quote the Denver Post's Allison McCulloch praising Blackburn's "liberal use of example and analogy" as making Think "a most readable work," and relay John Banville's description in The Irish Times of the book as "a wonderfully stimulating, incisive and — the word is not too strong — thrilling introduction to the pleasures and problems of philosophy."
Sources: Wikipedia – Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy, Oxford University Press (global.oup.com)4.3from 1,309 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
Look inside the book
Preview the actual pages, via Google BooksIn This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Is and What It Covers
- Place in the Genre and Reach
- Genuine Strengths: Accessibility Rooted in Expertise
- A Specific Limitation Worth Noting
- Who This Book Is Genuinely For
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Written by a Cambridge professor of philosophy, giving the introductory content genuine scholarly grounding
- Covers a wide range of major philosophical fields — epistemology, philosophy of mind, free will, political philosophy, and philosophy of religion — in a single structured volume
- Praised across multiple outlets, including the Sunday Times, The Irish Times, and the Denver Post, for combining accessibility with intellectual substance
- Documented popular success, with more than 30,000 hardcover copies sold, evidencing broad appeal beyond academic audiences
- Organized around canonical thinkers (Descartes, Hume, Kant, Wittgenstein), giving readers a simultaneous grounding in the history of Western philosophy
What Doesn't
- Philosopher Mark Sainsbury, reviewing in the peer-reviewed journal Mind, specifically criticized Blackburn's treatment of knowledge — a notable gap given that epistemology opens the book
- Pitched as an introduction for general readers, so those already versed in philosophy will find little new ground covered
A durable and ambitious introduction to philosophy from one of the discipline's working practitioners, Think earns its subtitle without apology.
What the Book Is and What It Covers
Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy is a non-fiction introduction to the major fields of Western philosophy, organized into eight chapters: Knowledge, Mind, Free Will, The Self, God, Reasoning, The World, and What to Do. Rather than surveying the terrain abstractly, Simon Blackburn structures each chapter around how key historical figures — René Descartes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Ludwig Wittgenstein among them — grappled with the central questions of each domain. The book spans epistemology, philosophy of mind, political philosophy, and philosophy of religion, among other branches, and is designed to serve as a coherent entry point for readers with no prior formal training. Running through all of it is Blackburn's own argument for the value and importance of philosophy as a discipline — not merely as academic exercise, but as a mode of thinking that bears on everyday life.
“a springboard for all those who want to learn how the basic techniques of thinking shape our virtually every aspect of our existence.”
Place in the Genre and Reach
Think was first published by Oxford University Press in 1999, with a paperback edition following in 2001, and has since accumulated a documented track record of popular success. As noted in Wikipedia's reception summary, citing a critical coverage report by Peter Edidin, the book "found a sizable audience," with more than 30,000 hardcover copies sold — a striking figure for a philosophy introduction from an academic press. That commercial footprint also prompted Oxford University Press to commission a follow-up from Blackburn: Being Good, a guide to the philosophy of ethics. The philosopher Anthony Quinton, writing in the second edition of The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, situated books like Think* within what he identified as a meaningful new development — "in the field of popularization by professionals" — underscoring how the book represents not just personal success but a broader shift toward serious scholars writing accessibly for general audiences.
Genuine Strengths: Accessibility Rooted in Expertise
The publisher, Oxford University Press, describes Think as designed to dispel the myth that philosophy is purely academic and disconnected from lived experience, positioning it as "a springboard for all those who want to learn how the basic techniques of thinking shape our virtually every aspect of our existence." That ambition is backed by real credentials: Blackburn holds a professorship of philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and his standing in the field lends the introductory material a rigor that popular treatments by non-specialists sometimes lack. Reviewing the book, the Sunday Times called Blackburn "an accomplished philosopher," concluding that this makes Think "a valuable little book." In The Irish Times, the writer John Banville described it as "a wonderfully stimulating, incisive and — the word is not too strong — thrilling introduction to the pleasures and problems of philosophy." Allison McCulloch, writing in the Denver Post, praised the "liberal use of example and analogy" and called the book "a most readable work." The convergence of reception across literary, journalistic, and academic outlets points to a text that manages the difficult balance between scholarly substance and general accessibility.
A Specific Limitation Worth Noting
The praise for Think has not been entirely unqualified, and the dissent that does exist is pointed enough to matter. Philosopher Mark Sainsbury, reviewing the book in the journal Mind — a peer-reviewed philosophy publication — described it as well-written overall but raised a specific criticism of Blackburn's treatment of knowledge. Given that epistemology is the very first chapter of the book and one of the most foundational branches of philosophy covered, a flaw in that section carries more structural weight than it might in a peripheral chapter. Readers coming to Think with a particular interest in the theory of knowledge, or those who go on to read the epistemology literature, may find that Sainsbury's critique resonates.
Who This Book Is Genuinely For
Think is designed for the general reader who wants a substantive — rather than superficial — encounter with Western philosophy without the expectation of prior formal study. The chapter structure, built around named thinkers and named questions rather than jargon-heavy abstractions, makes the material navigable. Readers who enjoy intellectual history, or who want a framework for thinking about questions of consciousness, free will, the existence of God, and ethical reasoning, will find the book well-suited to that purpose. Its documented reach — more than 30,000 hardcover copies sold, a major-press follow-up commissioned — confirms that it has consistently found the audience it was written for. Academic philosophers or those already grounded in the literature will recognize the book for what it is: an introduction rather than a contribution to ongoing debate. On its own terms, it has proven to be one of the more enduring works in a crowded category.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn worth reading if i've never studied philosophy before
Yes — it's specifically designed for readers with no prior formal training. Blackburn organizes each chapter around named thinkers like René Descartes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Ludwig Wittgenstein rather than jargon-heavy abstractions, which makes the material genuinely navigable for newcomers.
what is Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn actually about
It's an introduction to the major fields of Western philosophy, structured into eight chapters — Knowledge, Mind, Free Will, The Self, God, Reasoning, The World, and What to Do — each built around how key historical figures grappled with the central questions of that domain. Running through all of it is Blackburn's own argument that philosophy isn't just academic exercise but a mode of thinking that bears on everyday life.
is Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn good for someone who just wants a readable overview and not a textbook
It holds up well on that front — Allison McCulloch, writing in the Denver Post, praised the "liberal use of example and analogy" and called it "a most readable work," and the Sunday Times concluded it's "a valuable little book." More than 30,000 hardcover copies sold confirms it consistently finds the general audience it was written for.
does Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn have any weaknesses i should know about
The most pointed criticism comes from philosopher Mark Sainsbury, reviewing it in the peer-reviewed journal Mind, who raised a specific concern about Blackburn's treatment of knowledge — the very first chapter. Since epistemology is one of the most foundational branches of philosophy covered, that flaw carries more structural weight than it would in a peripheral chapter, and readers with a particular interest in the theory of knowledge may find the critique resonates.
is Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn too basic for someone who already knows some philosophy
Probably yes, if you're already grounded in the literature. The review is clear that academic philosophers will recognize it as an introduction rather than a contribution to ongoing debate — it's a springboard, not a scholarly intervention.
what should i read after Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn
Blackburn himself wrote a natural follow-up: Being Good, a guide to the philosophy of ethics, which Oxford University Press commissioned directly on the strength of Think's success. If you want to go deeper into any of the specific thinkers — Descartes, Hume, Kant, or Wittgenstein — their own works or dedicated secondary literature would be the logical next step.
is Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn really as good as people say
It has earned praise across a strikingly broad range of outlets — John Banville in The Irish Times called it "a wonderfully stimulating, incisive and — the word is not too strong — thrilling introduction to the pleasures and problems of philosophy," while philosopher Anthony Quinton situated books like it within a meaningful shift toward "popularization by professionals." The key caveat is Sainsbury's criticism of the epistemology chapter, so it's an excellent fit for general readers but not a flawless one for specialists.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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en.wikipedia.org
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- Further reading
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kristofferbalintona.me
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