Customer Reviews

Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings

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I have taught introductory philosophy using both the first and the second editions of this book. It is a fine anthology. However, the book is clearly designed to be used in the context of an introductory college course. For that reason, a person who is approaching the book outside of a classroom context might benefit from using it in combination with a reference guide such as the _Oxford Companion to Philosophy_. The book was shortened in its second and third editions, because of feedback the authors received from instructors using it for introductory courses. The first edition included more readings and was not as influenced by the pressures of the college-text marketplace; it is my favorite. The third edition paperback is much easier to carry around, and in fact this remedies a marked failing in the previous editions. It also corrects some typographic errors (previously a minor annoyance.)

This collection of excerpts gives the reader a good overview of western philosophy on several broad topics, suchas the Nature of God and The Problem of Good and Evil. Some of the readings are rather long, particlarly the political philosophy sections. Although a student of philosophy should supplement a thourghly conducted overiew with additional literature, Introduction to Philosphy is a great place to start.

I used this book in an intro philosophy course in college and have been looking for it ever since. It presents original texts, plus thoughtful commentary and overviews that did not condense or simplify difficult topics. It is also incredibly thorough - if a work is part of the philosophical canon, it is in here, no matter how obscure. Now that I've found it again, its definitely going into my library as a standard reference text.

This book covers the very basic of philosophy and does its job well. It also provide some sample parodoxes though not extensive. Heavy reading in some area for philosophy is not my strong point. This books resonate with many philosophical discussion to be had. I enjoy most of the readings.