Ask a Philosopher: Answers to Your Most Important—and Most Unexpected—Questions

by Ian Olasov

A collection of answers to the philosophical questions on people's minds—from the big to the personal to the ones you didn't know you needed answered.

Based on real-life questions from his Ask a Philosopher series, Ian Olasov offers his answers to questions such

- Are people innately good or bad?
- Is it okay to have a pet fish?
- Is it okay to have kids?
- Is color subjective?
- If humans colonize Mars, who will own the land?
- Is ketchup a smoothie?
- Is there life after death?
- Should I give money to homeless people?

Ask a Philosopher shows that there's a way of making philosophy work for each of us, and that philosophy can be both perfectly continuous with everyday life, and also utterly transporting. From questions that we all wrestle with in private to questions that you never thought to ask, Ask a Philosopher will get you thinking.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Self Help, Humor

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2024

Reviews

[Ian Olasov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book and I think it's very good.

[Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ian Olasov has written an interesting book, students of philosophy may find it more enjoyable that I did. Some answers to the various questions are very good, I agreed with several of them. His answers could be funny, although at other times I was bored with his responses to a few questions. My favorite answers were to the questions such as: Why Should I Care?, Do Plants think?, and What is Love? (which contained one of the most beautifully written descriptions of the word). My final verdict is that this is one of those books where you read the sections you want and skip the rest of it. Lastly, I think this book could have been alot better if instead of presenting counter arguments to his own answers, Ian could have been in dialogue with another philosopher who would give their opinions on the same questions. They would not have to disagree all the time but I think it would be more beneficial to the reader to hear the thought process of another scholar alongside Ian.

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Dunne Books, and Ian Olasov for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on September 15, 2020.

[DoGoryKsiazkami]

Czacha dymi. Filozofia, to jednak nie mój konik💔

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ask a Philosopher is a superb book as quite simply the one complaint I generally hear about philosophy is that to a layperson it is inaccessible, and despite having read a large number of philosophy books over the years I agree that the general population can often have issues understanding and comprehending exactly what is being discussed. Of course, many people with varying degrees of interest and prior knowledge of philosophical concepts ask themselves the same questions about our existence and purpose for living to name only one and perhaps the most asked question of them all. Just because a person may lack the capacity to fully understand the often lyrical, convoluted and/or complex ways in which these writings usually lean does not mean they shouldn't be privy to the conversation surrounding that particular question or whatever question they may have.

Here, the author has made an accessible and overwhelmingly positive stint as a successful street vendor of philosophical answers into a book and explains everything in terms anyone can understand regardless of their education. Rather than treating the topic of philosophy as esoterica and very much misunderstood, Ian Olasov opens it up to a wider audience than ever before and manages to make it a fun and entertaining experience along the way. It is a collection of answers to the philosophical questions on people's minds—from the big to the personal to the ones you didn't know you needed answered. From questions that we all wrestle with in private to questions that you never thought to ask, Ask a Philosopher will get you thinking. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Thomas Dunne Books for an ARC.

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultimately disappointing. The questions - posed by members of the public visiting a stand inviting them to ask questions of a philosopher (or a group of philosophers) - did include some interesting ones, as well as great many which felt hand-picked as subjects the author particularly wanted to discuss. The answers, however, were in my opinions almost uniformly over-simplified, underdeveloped, and responded to with a sometimes smug, childish and immodest manner.

Though there's plenty to encourage further thought and reading here, as book it irritated me because had it explored half as many questions in twice as much detail, and had the author avoided including a handful of questions which appeared only to serve a desire to spout his personal political stance, it would've been more convincing and satisfying.

[layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

i started reading this book because of all of these interesting questions, but the answers are very tiring and not as interesting..

[Costin Cocioabă · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Olasov a terminat Universitatea din New York și predă filosofie la Brooklyn College. Organizează diferite evenimente filosofice în Brooklyn, precum și genul de manifestări în care iese în stradă împreună cu alți filosofi și cu mese pe care scria «Întreabă un filosof», pentru a genera discuții pe tot felul de teme cu oameni de toate vârstele și pregătirile.

În pandemie, Ian Olasov a mutat aceste evenimente online, iar la finalul lui 2020 a publicat cartea 📚 «Întreabă un filosof», carte ce cuprinde răspunsuri la multe din întrebările pe care le-a primit de-a lungul întâlnirilor pe care le-a avut pe stradă. În România, 📚 «Întreabă un filosof» a fost publicată în această primăvară, la Editura Niculescu (@editura.niculescu).

Este o carte care se citește ușor, fiecare întrebare adresată având un răspuns de câteva pagini, fiind scrisă pe limba tuturor și lipsită de limbajul filosofic pretențios sau greoi pe care-l puteți găsi prin alte cărți scrise de filosofii clasici. Din acest punct de vedere l-am putea asemăna pe Ian Olasov cu Epictet, un Epictet al vremurilor pe care le trăim. :)

Este 📚 «Întreabă un filosof» o carte pe care să v-o recomand?

Pentru începători în ale filosofiei este o carte numai bună, luând în considerare și faptul că are la final pagini întregi de bibliografie (contemporană cu noi în majoritatea ei). Pentru cei care au mai citit filosofie este iarăși o carte bună și destul de așezată. Nu o să fiți de acord cu toate teoriile lui Ian, însă, hei!, despre asta este filosofia.

Lectură plăcută!

Mai multe reviews și poze găsiți la mine pe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/costinro/

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title.
Is philosophy a forgotten art? If so this book filled with insight wit and charm may be a great reminder of the encompassing aspects of philosophy and the questions it can answer, or at least examine. IAN OLASOV does an excellent job tackling a wide range of questions in a articulate and entertaining manner.

[Emilka · Rating 3 out of 5]

powiem tak, super sprawa z wyniesieniem filozofii z uniwersytetów do ludzi, taka właśnie powinna być, jednak mnie odpowiedzi na pytania nie satysfakcjonowały. szanuję tego pana za przedstawienie argumentów za marksizmem w sposób przyswajalny dla osób być może antagonistycznie nastawionych do tej nauki, jednak ten rozdział był dla mnie również zbyt pobieżnie napisany. spodziewałam się czegoś trochę lepszego, ale mimo, że czuję niedosyt, nawet miło spędziłam czas z tą lekturą

[pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

przez to że jest to zbiór odpowiedzi na naprawdę różne tematy to wiadomo że nie wszystkie mnie tak samo interesowały
odpowiedzi mimo że czasami na głupie pytania były poważne, autor rozważał różne możliwości, często odnosząc się do jakiś badań/innych tekstów a czasami do własnych doświadczeń
uważam że odpowiedzi były wyczerpujące i pełne
co prawda po przeczytaniu nie zacznę nagle interesować się filozofią, ale to były przyjemne dwie godzinki rozrywki, chociaż czasami zmuszała ona do zatrzymania się na chwilę i pomyślenia

[Kade Hendry · Rating 5 out of 5]

got this for 50p in the works & WOW, great read - as a person who is *thoughtful* to a fault, this was a buffet of food for thought; surprisingly insightful, mindful & hilarious throughout, considering publishing my thoughts and labelling it as philosophy as a result.

[liter.n.atka · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,9 intrygująca ale nie do końca moja

[Basia Pawluk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have quite a few things to write about this one.
First, the cause. It was written with an intention of warming rather scarred appearance that philosophy had to bear for quite some time. It’s perceived as a hard and tangled subject, reserved only for academics and scholars. In this matter, the book seems to be a very warm and smooth way of introducing anybody to this subject and I think that it does it’s job. It is very light and simple, perfect for a non challenging summer read.

But I wouldn’t give it more than 3 or 3,5/5. It is because I wasn’t the target audience there. I didn’t need to be introduced to philosophy, because I was already familiar with its history, ideas and thoughts that occurred over the centuries. When it came to this book I knew it would be a light read, but didn’t think it would be THIS light. There were parts where it didn’t feel as a philosophical book to me. Secondly, sometimes it felt almost as if we were reading a monologue of one opinionated philosopher, instead of being shown that one of the main parts of philosophy are rhetorical debates between two people.


I was positively surprised by the humorous and witty comments that the author gave. I also had my favorite parts: “What is Love?”, “Why should I care?” and few other ones.


Overall, it is not a bad book. I wouldn’t call it good either but if that were to be my introduction to philosophy, I think it would’ve encouraged me to dive into the topic.

[Davor Hladni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sam naslov knjige kaže nam da je pred nama jedna filozofska knjiga, pa ako ste ljubitelj filozofije knjiga je zasigurno za vas, a ako niste možda je bolje da je zaobiđete.

Lično ja nisam ljubitelj filozofije ali sam se upustio u čitanje ovog dijela najviše da vidim odgovore na neka, po meni, zanimljiva pitanja koja se nalaze u njoj. Ipak moram priznati malo sam račaran jer sam očekivao pitkije odgovore. Ovo dijelo na mene nije ostavilo neki poseban dojam, čak u nekim trenutcima knjiga mi se činila i dosadnom i pomišljao sam da je prekinem čitati ali izgurao sam do kraja.

Kada sumiram sve za nekog ljubitelja filozofije knjiga je vrijedna čitanja, a takođe mislim da je dobra za onog ko tek ulazi u svijet filozofije da se bolje upozna sa samom filozofijom i filozofskim razmišljanjima.

[Lolus · Rating 4 out of 5]

No co zwykla

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf

[Ebb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great explanation of life's most interesting questions. The author bases the philosophy questions on real questions that have been asked of his team when they set up "Ask a Philosopher" booths. It was interesting to not only learn about the most common questions but the type of people who ask them and why. There was a little more science involved in the explanations that I expected but overall the author presents philosophy in a clear and understandable manner for the reader.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is founded on a fascinating premise, but somehow falls flat. The book is based on real interactions, questions and conversations Ian Olasov himself has had while hosting a booth labelled 'Ask a Philosopher' at numerous events. This sounds like the perfect content structure for a book, but sadly it did not meet expectations.

Olasov addresses some very interesting questions, including but not limited to: 'If the world is melting, is it OK to have kids?', 'Are science and religion compatible?' and 'If Humans colonize Mars, who should own the land?' However, throughout most questions, the explanations feel disjointed and hard to follow. Even Part 3, the last part, which addresses generally sillier and more lighthearted questions, was not as engaging as hoped. There are some attempts at humour which can be quite charming in places, but sometimes they give off the wrong impression.

I imagine that Olasov is a well educated individual, very passionate about the subject of philosophy, and that these ideas were clear in his head. Unfortunately, they have not all translated well onto paper. Overall this was a likeable book for the most part. I feel like giving it 2 stars is unfair, however I cannot bring myself to give it anything higher than 3 stars.

[Douglas · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an ARC I won through Goodreads.com. The author and other academics set up tables in front of libraries and other places with a sign that read "Ask a Philosopher." Questions were provided in a bowl next to free candy. Participants could also ask a question of their own. The purpose of this exercise was to teach people how to "do philosophy" rather than teach people what philosophy is. The ending of the book provides recommendations for introductions to philosophy.

My reason for the one star is he author is an intellectual snob which makes the book hard to read. He denounces religion (Christianity in particular) with numerous "sucker punches." At one point he boasts about making a Christian woman storm away from the philosophy booth in anger. Just because someone doesn't believe in a theology or ideology doesn't mean he can't show respect for those who do.

Ian Olasov has no problem promoting vegetarianism or other ideas with an authoritarian manor. If the author believes something, then everyone should. If he disagrees with you about beliefs you cherish then you are primitive in your thinking.

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. What a fun, unique book about philosophy. I always try to keep a philosophy book in my rotation to keep my mind going and thinking about questions from different angles, and I randomly had this book recommended to me. The author, Ian Olasov, set up an "Ask a Philosopher" table, and random people would just come up and ask him various questions. It's a pretty straight forward idea, but I loved it. There are dozens of great questions in this book to ponder on, and I highly suggest checking it out.

[po.czytane · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

Oj to było naprawdę słabe zrozum, i to nawet nie dlatego, że jestem jakąś dużą fanką czy antyfanką filozofii. Po prostu autor w żadnej sposób nie potrafił utrzymać mojego zainteresowania, a problemy, które poruszał wydawały mi się opisane po łebkach.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun book! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes to think about those convoluted questions to life.

[Larry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't finish the book. It is like a Texas longhorn.

[Edrin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned half way, lost interest. Random philosophical questions, and the author's often highly opinionated answer. Would have been nice to evaluate competing viewpoints instead.

[Sasa Jelesijevic · Rating 1 out of 5]

iznenadjujuce losa knjiga. Odg. ni na jedno pitanje nije obavestavajuc ili upucujuc.Vrlo dosadna i nepotrebna knjiga

[Melissa Lattin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is ketchup a smoothie? Is it okay to have a pet fish? Why?

The philosophies of these burning questions, and many more, can be found in Ian Olasov’s book, Ask a Philosopher. I would say the answers to these questions, but that’s not really the way of philosophy. This book is lite enough that readers who have never touched philosophy will understand, and philosophy majors who haven’t touched the subject in years (who, me?) will be entertained and refreshed.

My favorite part of this book was actually the light hearted stories that came from the booth of the book’s namesake. Often people do not realize that many of the questions we seek answers to are a bit philosophical, or even that they can provide a fresh take on some ideas. Olasov does well in throwing in these stories to break up the philosophical questions, which are a little heavy at first, and take a lighter side through the second half of the book (i.e. is ketchup a smoothie though?).

I think this would be a great read for virgins of philosophy to dip their toes, or for people like me who were previously well versed in some our favorite philosophers, like good ol’ Manny, but have been out of the game for a while.

[Richard Bakare · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I want to commend Ian Olasov for stepping out of the Ivory Tower and bringing Philosophy as a discipline to the public forum. The disconnect between academia and the general public is alarming. Too many high minded but well meaning academics are missing out on the important feedback loop of openly engaging the everyman.

That said, this book is not a Philosophy 101 primer but a reflection on the practice of getting to the root of our deepest held questions. Often that means asking another question about our question and repeating that until we get to that deepest core of why. It’s Socratic in many ways and poetically fitting that Olasov demonstrate this reflexive rhetoric in a public setting.

I went into this book expecting deep and indisputable proofs on any manner of topics. What I got was a reminder that our biggest questions are often answered with a deeper question. Each question helps us navigate an introspective maze to a closer relationship to truth and the final cause of our big questions. A fun and explorative read.

[Jay Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5
Re-Read Factor: No

To be quite honest, I thought philosophy was "much ado about nothing," but apparently, it's a lot more mind-boggling and confusing. Although the wording was simple, it was complex, and for many parts of the book, I was in over my head. For that, I can see this book being a great starter into the field of philosophy for those interested, but it just wasn't my type of read.

The book covers the basics of common questions asked from Olasov's "Ask a Philosopher" booth he sets up in the tristate area and even online, where people can ask ethical or life questions of their own or draw a slip of paper out from a fishbowl to kickstart the conversation. He emphasizes that philosophy is not just for "big-brained" people, but for all, and the field is not limited to complex or scientific questions but even simpler ones, such as "what is happiness" or "what is love."

Overall, great, rudimentary read for those interested in philosophy, but echoing my prior sentiments, just not my type of book or genre.

[Louise Foerster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Within a few sentences, Ian Olasov's witty, down-to-earth, and stunningly readable prose captured my attention and did not let go until I got to the end of ASK A PHILOSOPHER. Coming out of a real-life "Ask a Philosopher" booths set up around New York City, the book poses important questions and provides insights, anecdotes, and approaches that only the most approachable philosophers could give. This book was a shocking, wonderful surprise, not at all the wisdom I expect from the typical, self-appointed, lofty geniuses pondering matters us mere mortals cannot comprehend through the fog of our dumb minds and drooling, pedestrian lives. Not at all. It is charming, witty, incredible fun and got me thinking about things I have never thought before. I had a rollicking good time with smart, accessible, and essential ideas. The highest, highest appreciation to Olasov, his publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Gabriela Zago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why should I read this book?

If you like to think about the great questions in life - then this book is for you. But if you’re interested in every day basic questions this book is for you too. This covers from the meaning of life to why not everyone loves jelly beans, but in a philosophical way. Every chapter starts just like this review, with a question as a prompt and a few paragraphs trying to discuss the topic in order to get to a (provisional) answer.

As for why you should this book, it is interesting to discuss some of life’s most intriguing questions. Even if philosophy does not provide a clear cut answer for most of those questions, it will at least make you think about them in a different way. Or just think about them, really, because some of the questions are things you didn’t even know they could be posited as a philosophical question.