Doing Philosophy: An Introduction Through Thought Experiments with Free Philosophy PowerWeb [Hardcover]

Theodore Schick (Author), Lewis Vaughn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 22, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0072878274 | ISBN-13: 978-0072878271 | Edition: 2

Doing Philosophy helps students understand the nature and purpose of philosophical inquiry by explaining what philosophical problems are, how they can be solved, and why searching for solutions is important. By acquainting students with philosophical theories and the thought experiments used to test them, this text fosters active learning and helps students become better thinkers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 2 edition (November 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072878274
• ISBN-13: 978-0072878271
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,367,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A tad dogmatic, but very clear and analytical...., May 18, 2006

By 

Danno (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doing Philosophy: An Introduction Through Thought Experiments (Hardcover)

Schick and Vaughn do a fine job of presenting and explaining philosophical problems and theories about free will, the relationship of body and mind, personal identity, morality, the existence of God, and the limits of knowledge. Their presentation is rather rigorous for an introductory text, but their frequent use of thought experiments helps make very abstract topics more accessible. Yes, they do take stands on the issues they discuss, and their secularist axe-grinding can come across as somewhat heavy handed. It can certainly antagonize some students and readers. But this is a minor flaw in an otherwise high quality introductory text. Rather than trying to maintain bogus neutrality, Schick and Vaughn actually "do" philosophy and show how one can arrive at conclusions--even disputable conclusions--using philosophy's methods, and this is to their credit. As for Mr. Newman's sarcastic comment that "all of the great minds that approached" divine command theory in the past are not up to Schick and Vaughn's "genius"--may I ask which great minds he has in mind? It is true that many great religious thinkers can be classified as divine command theorists. But if we look at the tradition of great Western philosophers, many (and probably most) are not. What about Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke, Leibniz, Kant, and Mill, just to name a few? Moreover, some of these have dismissed divine command theory as pithily as our textbook authors, so Schick and Vaughn are hardly being revolutionary, let alone irresponsibly impudent, when, for example, they follow Leibniz in rejecting the divine command approach. All in all, this is a very solid introductory textbook that emphasizes how to think philosophically. I highly recommend it.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Good...If You're Interested In Philosophy, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Doing Philosophy: An Introduction Through Thought Experiments (Hardcover)

This is a "textbook", strictly speaking, meant for introductory philosophy students. (But, if you aren't a "philosophy student," the book is still easy to read.) It is meant for the person who is an absolute tyco (novice) in philosophy, someone who has no previous knowledge or experience in the study. Schick deals with the major philosophical problems that have been puzzling people (as well as philosophers) over the millennia, like the mind-body, personal identity, God's existence, and other problems. What makes the book interesting, though, is the numerous examples and quotes that Schick provides throughout to text, not merely to re-emphasize a concept or two but to also convince people that philosophy is still being debated in these modern times. Theodore Schick writes quite well and will entertain as well as inform. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing whether you now are you in the future, or if the mind is a separate part of the body, or...

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent, but imbalanced, January 26, 2009

By 

Sam Karasic (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doing Philosophy: An Introduction Through Thought Experiments with Free Philosophy PowerWeb (Hardcover)

I'm currently using this textbook for my Intro to Philosophy class (I've never taken a philosophy class before, though I'm no stranger to philosophy itself). While Schick and Vaughn do a good job with initially presenting the essential topics discussed in the book and make the fundamentals of philosophy very clear and accessible, their efforts are mired by their own bias; the chapters on the core questions of philosophy don't really seem to aim to promote critical thinking in students new to philosophy so much as they try to form opinions for their readers.

In a more advanced course, I could see this as being a boon, a way of challenging students to delve even deeper. However, for an introductory course, it only gets in the way. Students new to a subject need as much objectivity in their learning materials as possible, and Doing Philosophy doesn't provide this adequately. From what I know of the authors, I suspsect this was largely due to Schick's influence; most of the text's bias seems to lean heavily in the direction of his stated viewpoints.

It's a pity, too, as the textbook would be wonderful were it not for that flaw. Of all the subjects one might teach or write educational material for, philosophy is probably the one most difficult to stay objective and unbiased in. Doing Philosophy clearly illustrates this.