120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 Auckland Bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Philosophy for Non-Philosophers

3.94 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 179 ratings, 27 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Philosophy for Non-Philosophers by Louis Althusser explores fundamental philosophical concepts in a manner accessible to those without a background in philosophy. The book demystifies complex ideas and relates them to everyday experiences, making philosophy a practical tool for understanding the world. Through engaging discussions, Althusser aims to empower readers by equipping them with the philosophical insights necessary for critical thinking and analysis.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$6399
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're curious about diving into philosophical concepts without needing prior expertise. It's an engaging read that breaks down complex ideas, making philosophy accessible and thought-provoking for readers from varied backgrounds.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In 1980, at the end of the most intensely political period of his work and life, Louis Althusser penned Philosophy for Non-philosophers. Available here for the first time in English, Philosophy for Non-philosophers constitutes a rigorous and engaged attempt to address a wide reading public unfamiliar with Althusser’s project.

As such, the work is a concentration of the most fundamental theses of Althusser’s own ideas, and presents a synthesis of his sprawling and disparate philosophical and political writings. Nowhere else does Althusser push the distinction between philosophy and other disciplines as far, or develop in such detail the concept of ‘practice’.

Rather than a work of ‘popular philosophy’, Philosophy for Non-philosophers is a continuation and conglomeration of Althusser’s thought; a thought whose radicality is still perceptible in those that have followed since.

Philosophy for Non-philosophers thus provides a vivid encapsulation of Althusser’s seminal influence on the leading thinkers of today, including Ranciere, Badiou, Balibar, and Žižek.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The book by Louis Althusser is noted for making complex philosophical concepts accessible to those without a background in philosophy while also offering profound insights valuable to experts. It explores fundamental questions about the origins and nature of philosophy, its intersections with religion, science, and politics, and discusses the recurring division between idealist and materialist practices. The work is praised for its exploration of a different, aleatory form of materialism informed by Marx.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781474299275

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 February 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Contributors:

  • Translated by G. M. Goshgarian

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 12.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 260g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Louis Althusser was a prominent French philosopher of the late twentieth century. His works include seminal writings on Marx, and the relation between post-war Marxist thought and other emerging discourses across the humanities (namely, structuralism). His works include, For Marx and Reading Capital. G. M. Goshgarian translates fiction and philosophy from French, German and Armenian into English. He is the editor and translator of several volumes of Althusser's work, including How to Be a Marxist in Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2017).

Also by Louis Althusser

View all
  • History and Imperialism
    Writings on History brings together a selection of texts by Louis Althusser dating from 1963 to 1986, including essays, a lecture, notes to his collaborators, and the transcript of an informal 1963 discussion of literary history. The centrepiece of this collection is Althusser’s previously unpublished Book on Imperialism, a theorisation of globalised capitalism that remained unfinished. All these writings are...
    Paperback
    $4299
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • How to Be a Marxist in Philosophy
    In How to Be a Marxist in Philosophy, one of the most famous Marxist philosophers of the 20th century shares his concept of what it means to function fruitfully as a political thinker within the discipline and environs of philosophy. This is the first English translation of Althusser's provocative and often controversial guide to being a true Marxist philosopher. Althusser...
    Paperback
    $6399
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Lessons on Rousseau
    Althusser delivered these lectures on Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origins of Inequality at the École normale supérieure in Paris in 1972. They are fascinating for two reasons. First, they gave rise to a new generation of Rousseau scholars, attentive not just to Rousseau’s ideas, but also to those of his concepts that were buried beneath metaphors or fictional situations and...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Machiavelli and Us
    "We do not publish our own drafts, that is, our own mistakes, but we do sometimes publish other people's," Louis Althusser once observed of Marx's early writings. Among his own posthumously released drafts, one, at least, is incontestably neither mistake nor out-take: the text of his lecture course on Machiavelli, originally delivered at the École Normale Supérieure in 1972, intermittently...
    Paperback
    $5600
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • What is to be Done?
    What is to be Done? This was the question asked by Lenin in 1901 when he was having doubts about the revolutionary capabilities of the Russian working class. 77 years later, Louis Althusser asked the same question. Faced with the tidal wave of May '68 and the recurrent hostility of the Communist Party towards the protests, he wanted to offer...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Reading Capital
    Establishing a rigorous programme of "symptomatic reading" that cuts through the silences and lacunae of Capital to reveal its philosophical core, Louis Althusser interprets Marx's structural analysis of production as a revolutionary break—the basis of a completely new science. Building on a series of Althusser's conceptual innovations that includes "overdetermination" and "social formation," Étienne Balibar explores the historical and structural...
    Paperback
    $9500
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

More from Philosophy & Psychology

View all
  • Atomic Habits
    Atomic Habits by James Clear is a transformative guide that demonstrates how tiny, incremental changes in behaviour can fundamentally reshape your life. Rather than urging sweeping transformations, Clear advocates for the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions. Whether it’s performing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes earlier, or making a brief, focused phone call, these minuscule adjustments,...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Winner's Formula
    The Neuroscience of Peak Performance, Success, and Happiness Why do some people win all the time? Why do others languish? From Olympians to Formula 1 drivers, addicts to billionaires, cognitive neuroscientist Dr Kerry Spackman has spent decades working to help people understand how to succeed. In The Winner's Formula, Kerry explains what goes on in your brain when you are...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Strangers
    The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic Modern Love essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. "A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" — Joyce Carol Oates How do we go on when a loved one betrays us?...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Mauritau
    New Release
    Mauritau
    A journal to find balance with the 12 states of Mauri. Mauri is the pulse of wellbeing - the spark that makes you uniquely you. In Mauritau, clinical psychologist Jessica Gerbic introduces the 12 states of Mauri and shows how intentional awareness can guide your sense of balance across mind, body, spirit, environment and whānau. From Mauri Oho, a sudden...
    Hardback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Aroha
    Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder is an enlightening exploration of timeless Maori wisdom, intricately woven into a contemporary context. This top-selling non-fiction title from New Zealand in 2021 introduces readers to 52 traditional Maori proverbs, known as whakataukī, each offering a profound lesson for every week of the year. Dr Elder, a respected Maori psychiatrist, delves into these powerful sayings...
    Hardback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Better Never Stops
    New Release
    Better Never Stops
    The Art and Science of Continuous Improvement From delinquent to doctor, Paul Wood knows first-hand how far we can take our lives if we address what holds us back. At the age of 18, Wood was sent to New Zealand's toughest prison. Almost 11 years later, in 2006, he walked out a free man, escaping his past and becoming a...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Eat Your Ice Cream
    The New York Times bestseller that presents a bold new vision for living well and ageing with purpose from a world-renowned health expert THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From a leading doctor and world-renowned health expert, the simple, uplifting and practical guide to cutting through the wellness noise, living well and ageing with purpose. ‘Essential reading for anyone who...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Lessons on Living
    Bestselling author Nigel Latta's simple psychological toolkit for life's ups and downs. Over thirty years working as a clinical psychologist, Nigel Latta assembled a personal toolkit based on three simple principles. These principles helped him to be more resilient, joyful, and attuned to what matters most. The same principles have helped him through some difficult times as well, such as...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Inside the Box
    How to do more with less and use limits to stimulate creativity, innovation and collaboration, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Range. We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and values freedom above all else. We have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be and how to spend our time....
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3900
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Tell Me Where It Hurts
    Leading expert Rachel Zoffness bridges the gap between medicine and psychology to get to the heart of treating pain We can move the dial on pain Every one of us will experience pain, be it back pain, the pain of childbirth, or living in an ageing body. Not a single one of us will escape. But what if everything you...
    Hardback
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Creative Act
    Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day and then ages out. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed...
    Hardback
    $4400
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.