This was fine. Not what I thought it was going to be. The questions range from light-hearted to complex. Many don’t really have an answer, but are simply thought experiments to dissect. I skimmed through most of it, reading very lightly through some questions, skipping some entirely, and reading the complete writing on others. I think it would be an amusing book to have on-hand for people who study or practice philosophy, who ask obscure questions simply for the act of discussing.

Ask a teacher? Get an answer.
Ask a friend? Get advice.
Ask a scientist? Get an explanation.
But ask a philosopher? All you get's more questions!

3 stars. Fun and fast, but nowhere near the depth I crave. Good for jump-starting your own thinking, but reshaping opinions will take some follow-up.

Interesting concept... A team of philosophers set up a table in a busy area with a sign that said "Ask a Philosopher". People came up and asked questions (some original questions, some from a list). This book contains 50+ of those questions and answers.

The questions range from big ("what is the meaning of life?") to small ("is ketchup a smoothie?"). Some questions seemed very pertinent ("are people born straight or gay?") and some less so ("how do you know that 1+1=2?").

In any case, it was an interesting journey into philosophical thought and practice, if not entirely pragmatic.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my opinion. My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley. #AskAPhilosopher

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.

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.

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.

This book gives a very brief overview of a lot of topics. I believe the authors aim is to provoke your philosophical thoughts on these topics as philosophers believe in teaching people how to think for themselves and to develop critical thinking skills and I do believe in parts this is successful.

If you’re looking for an introduction to philosophy as a whole this could be a good starting point for you as it covers a wide range of topics in a way that will get you wanting to know more about each topic.

From someone who has a philosophy degree, I enjoyed the way this booked was presented. I enjoyed the very accessible style of writing the author had and if I put myself in the shoes of someone who knows nothing on philosophy I believe I would enjoy it.

Some topics have more substance to them than others and some introduce arguments that are used within those areas of philosophy. I just really wanted more. I felt like each chapter was slightly too short for me to really invest in the questions. But that could be because I’m used to reading the likes of Kant who can really go into detail about epistemology and ethics.