As a philosophy teacher, Michael J. Vlach, Ph.D. wanted to create a non-technical resource that philosophy students could understand. So he decided to make one himself.

 “In my philosophy classes I empathized with students who were having a hard time grasping the basics of philosophy,” says Vlach, currently Assistant Professor of Theology at the Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, California and a former philosophy and religion instructor at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska (2002–06).

 “I kept thinking that it would be nice to have a concise non-technical summary of the most important people and ideas in philosophy. So I decided to make one myself.”

 The result— Philosophy 101: The “Big Idea” for the 101 Most Important People and Concepts in Philosophy. The 192-page book is published by Theological Studies Press in Los Angeles.

 “I carefully choose the 101 most important people and ideas in the history of philosophy and then wrote concise readable summaries of these topics,” states Vlach. “I wrote this book with the beginner in mind.”

 According to Vlach one thing that really distinguishes his Philosophy 101 book is its “Big Idea” summaries at the beginning of each of the 101 entries.

 “In addition to the 1–3 page summaries on each topic there is also a “Big Idea” summary which is a one sentence capsule summary of each topic. These ‘Big Idea’ statements capture the essence of why that person or topic is so important.”

 Before releasing the book to the public, Vlach’s material was put to the test with real Introduction to Philosophy students.

 “This book is very concise and informative, kind of a Cliff’s Notes on philosophy,” says Jeff Gregg a student at Southeast Community College. “I used it for my philosophy term paper.”

 “Philosophy 101 was great as a quick reference and refresher of ideas,” says Jenny, also an Introduction to Philosophy student.

 “It was helpful,” said another student. “My mom’s friend is very into philosophy and asked me if she could have it after I was done with it.”

 “I liked it because it gave the ‘Big Idea” for each concept and made it easier for me to understand each idea,” declared Marie.

 Vlach has seen how his book helps philosophy students firsthand so he is excited about releasing it to the public.

 “This book is for anyone who has an interest in philosophy,” he says. “It’s great for philosophy students, seminary students, homeschoolers, or anyone who just wants to learn more about philosophy.”

 For more information on Philosophy 101: The “Big Idea” for the 101 Most Important People and Concepts in Philosophy go to www.Philosophy101.citymax.com.

 Michael Vlach can be reached at TStudPress@aol.com.

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