The pursuit of knowledge has remained perennial since mankind's earliest days. A born thinker, philosopher, scientist, and discoverer, man has addressed many questions at the very center of life. In attempting to answer such questions, thinkers and philosophers have set forth many convincing (and conflicting) hypotheses, but all agree that achieving knowledge is the route to answering them.

In "Introduction to World Philosophies: A Chronological Progression," Mirza I. Ashraf describes perplexing philosophies in a simple style. He presents the central ideas of prominent philosophers of the...