Philosophy has a really strong "begat" narrative that helps if you're interested in learning the bases. E.g. A begat B begat C...
Also, I think one of the difficulties in talking about philosophy is that specialized language in the field has incredible compression efficiency. It's a lot easier to say Kantian than to take 1,000 words to recap his arguments and beliefs.
The book "Sophie's World" does a great intro here and it a really great weekend read.
http://www.amazon.com/Sophies-World-History-Philosophy-Class...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie%27s_World
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0374530718/