Philosophy: 50 Ideas in 500 Words unravels its most central concepts through five tightly focused chapters. From metaphysics to modern economic theories, from groundbreaking advances inspired in psychology to its relationship with postmodernist theory, this book examines the greatest ide as from the greatest thinkers humankind has ever known. Arguments on topics as diverse as the rights of man and the origins of the species, and the existence of God and the concept of the Ego, are considered in this book, which combines history with contemporary culture in a celebration of the most important thoughts on "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

Because the book is presented chronologically, readers can gain a distinct sense of the historical development of philosophy, with features on everything from epistemology and metaphysics to feminism, psychoanalysis and postmodernism.