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Philosophy for Dummies

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Some time ago I sat down and read through "Philosophy for Dummies" and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy." My intentions were to find a book that I might recommend to friends who have a passing interest in the subject, so that I might encourage their understanding and gain more people to discuss ideas with.

Not only was I disappointed with "Philosophy for Dummies" but I found the presentation to be both offensive and underhanded. While appearing at first to be an introduction to the greater subject, it turns out to be a packaging of the author's own beliefs... heavily skewed and full of personal bias. Whole movements are passed over with little or nothing said other than a dismissive comment from the author, who apparently doesnt think them worth mention because he doesnt agree. This is HARDLY proper for what is supposed to be an introduction to the subject. The novice reader is left with a lopsided, limited presentation that while written well enough, leaves him needing to go buy ANOTHER book so he can actually BE introduced to what this title led him to believe he would be -- the subject of philosophy in a wide ranging sense.

As for having the intention of demonstrating the "philosophical process," and not being a general introduction, it fails in this way too. In this regard, the book becomes a subjective promotion of the author's views with at best a biased and extremely limited dabble in opposing ideas (if at times any at all), these being presented in a shallow and shakey fashion, intentionally staged by the author so he can wave them away. ~Laughs~ very convenient, and in total contradiction to the spirit of philosophy and the "battle" of opposing views that has fostered and nurtured the strengths and greatness of the subject throughout history. The "philosophical process" involves the challenging of ones ideas, not the ignoring of that which you dont like or that which disagrees with you, just so you can say you are right and feel good about it.

In surfing Amazon tonight, I decided to look at the reviews for this book ("Philosophy for Dummies"). I was VERY glad to see that a number of people saw the same thing as I did in this.

Pro-God or not, is not the point. The glory of philosophy is found in all the different ideas it contains and the critical eyes objectively (hopefully) applied to them in evaluation. This is what an introduction should present (scope understandably limited to a degree), and most importantly should ENCOURAGE. A book like this should be written with the intention of exposing the reader to the subject of philosophy itself (the history and the general system of rational thought that is its foundation), not just the author's step by step program of -- "This is what I think, so I am going to show you why you should think this way too. Don't worry about the other stuff, it's just nonsense, so we won't say anything much about that."

"Complete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy" is a much better choice if we were to compare the two. It presents a wide variety of thoughts and explanations, leaving each person to think for himself and later search out more of what he finds speaks to him. The layout is well organized, and the progression of ideas fit well together, allowing the novice reader to not only see the varying concepts, but how each stage of thought fed into the next, and how differing theories challenge one another. The reader is exposed to the ideas themselves, as presented by the given philosophers, not as packaged by a single author who is spending less time introducing and more time selling his own views. Concepts are not examined in great detail, but then again, that is not what this book is trying to do.

While "Complete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy" is not the best introduction to the subject, it is a good, concise volume of work. As its intention was to be just that, it does its job well. There are better introductions available, but these are often much longer with ideas being developed in greater detail... something that while would be sought by a true student of the subject, might turn off those just looking for a surface exposure. The examinations are cursory at times, but this is again understandable considering the breadth of the subject in relation to the attempt to introduce as much as possible in a limited space, in simple terms.

If you are choosing between the two...
Buy "Complete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy" if you want an introduction to the subject.
Buy "Philosophy for Dummies" if you want an introduction to Tom Morris.

Actually... check out "Thinking Through Philosophy" - Horner and Westacott - Cambridge University Press. The format and organization of this book is different from the two spoken of above, feeling less "rushed" though still concise and accessible... and the style of introduction is good for both casual readers and those seeking to later move into a deeper study.

Some philosophers may be offended that their subject has been included in this series, thinking it is too serious of too profound to be made accessible to the "Dummies" of the world. Fortunately, Tom Morris knows the difference between being serious and being somber, and the difference between being profound and being obscure. He has written a book which covers the serious stuff of philosophy but has done so in a way which is downright fun to read! This book does not shrink from the classic, and difficult, problems of philosophy such as the mind-body problem, the nature of freedom and its relation to determinism, the problem of evil, and the nature of morality. But all of this material is written in an engaging style which clearly lays out the issues involved and why they matter to us. Moreover, Morris takes on the really big questions which have traditionally motivated the whole philosophical enterprise: the existence of God, the meaning of life, and life after death. Morris discusses these existentially gripping issues in a clear and evenhanded manner which reminds us why these questions are at the very heart of our humanity. This book is not intended for professional philosophers, but as one who makes his living teaching the subject, I would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to know what the fuss is all about which has generated the two thousand plus year old debate we call philosophy.

Too biased. The author disregards many philosophies with merely a paragraph while pushing his own ideas (how convenient). The author's attempts to make the reader swallow his 'Principle of Belief Conservation', or as I have re-named it, the 'La-Di-Da I Can't Hear You Principle', left a bad taste in my mouth.

His oft-repeated degree-dropping line of "While at Yale" made me wonder if he tried to title the book "Philosophy for Dummies. Hey, I graduated from Yale. Yep, that Yale."

I just finished Philosophy for Dummies - I had recently read a book "Get a Grip on Philosophy" by Neil Turnbull which I enjoyed - then Philosophy for Dummies caught my eye - So as you see I am a philosophy novice!

However, I found Philosophy for Dummies to be well written, positive,inspirational and thought provoking! Philosophy in a gripping, easy to read and even amusing book! Thank you! One thing that both books in fact did for me, was to bring philosophy down to earth and to give it an approachable and practical sense. I had previously imagined the subject to be the domaine of intellectual big wigs... in fact some intellectual snobbery does seem to perpetuate this notion. Personally - I found Philosophy for Dummies rather interesting since these issues I had often considered and some of my previous thoughts and beliefs are consistent with those expressed in the book.

To the criticism that there are omissions in the book; when reading, one should take what one finds to be useful and leave what one does not, accepting what a book does give us and resolving to continue to 'fill in personally perceived gaps' with further research. In this case, Philosophy for Dummies is an excellent introduction to the subject, inspiring further research, reading and reflection. As for 'history'. In my opinion, this book does not pretend to be a complete history of philosphy, but rather an over view of, and introduction to the subject, in a way that makes it relevant to people's lives today.

Anyway - I would wish Tom Morris all the best in his continuing efforts to make philosophy more practical and accessible... Any encouragement for people to reflect upon their beliefs and consequent actions is a good thing in my opinion!

After reading Philosophy: The Basics, I was inspired to explore philosophy further. I've usually been pleased with the for Dummies books, so when I came across this volume at the library I checked it out. Oddly enough, though this book is bigger, it says less. As opposed to the argument-counterargument format of Philosophy: The Basics, this is a guided justification of the author's own beliefs. For example, when talking about morality and virtue theory "From the ancient world, there is another theory that not only deserves mentioning, but that I've come to think is not only insightful, but also true. Here's my version of virtue theory." (pg 100) That's very nice, but I'd like to get the sweep of many great thinkers throughout history, not any one person's particular view.

To make matters worse, he doesn't do a very good job of arguing his case. The Cosmological Argument he presents as a proof of God is based on the assumption that "the existence of something is intelligible only if it has an explanation", but when posed with the question of why God would allow evil he shrugs and says that God is so far beyond us that when it comes to his actions, "... we should not expect to understand it all." He points out (correctly) that water has characteristics very different than the hydrogen and oxygen that make it up, but argues that the mind can't have a physical basis since the mind has characteristics different than neurons. The content of the argument doesn't matter as long as it props up his beliefs.

And that, I think, is the greatest flaw running throughout the book. In the beginning, we are introduced to Plato's cave, a metaphor for how we may mistake our illusions for reality and a wonderful image of what philosophy tries to do. Then we are introduced to Morris' own concept of the Principle of Belief Conservation, which essentially gives us permission to take any belief we might have and call it rational. We are bombarded with appeals to intuition, but is that a good guide to truth? Intuitively, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Rationally, we know that the sun stays still while the earth rotates. How many of his "proven" beliefs are likewise erroneous?

Pretty much the only reason I didn't give this book one star was the fact that he gives a definition of spirituality that allows for atheism/agnosticism, something I'd never seen before. Is it true? I don't know; I'll have to think about it.

Who said philosophy had to be boring? Tom Morris has written a very entertaining book, covering all of the major questions mankind has faced, with an easy to understand (and frequently very funny) style.As with all books in the 'Dummies' series, the presentation is just as much fun to read as the material, and the mind-numbing concepts of Kant, Aquinas, Decartes, et all are reduced to language that anyone could understand. This book is the diving board, from which you can hurl yourself into the brain-twisting pool of logical thought. It's worth the price just for the many famous quotes alone, and is required reading for any with the slightest bit of interest in the eternal question: "Why?"Trust me. In a time when the latest Stephen King book is $29.99 (and you only read it once), it's worth it to have a book that will actually become dog-eared from use.

As a philosophy professor, I have seen and used many introductory philosophy texts. "Philosophy for Dummies" is the best text that I have ever seen. It is clearly written. It is extremely accessible to anyone with an interest in the issues. It values critical thinking skills, such as argumentation and analysis. It is sympathetic to many commonsensical views. It is funny (a rarity among philosophy texts). It is entertaining: there are cartoons, quotations, and anecdotes, all of which facilitate the understanding and appreciation of very deep and important issues in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics.

Throughout the book, Morris defends and shows the interconnectedness of many Judeo-Christian positions (e.g. God's existence, the existence of souls, there is a meaning to life -- Morris even tells you what the meaning of life is). I particularly enjoyed one of the last chapters in which there is compelling defense of "Pascal's Wager" -- that is, an argument for why it is rational to be a theist. Before reading the book, I considered myself to be an atheist, and after reading it, I no longer know what I am.

"Philosophy for Dummies" will certainly help you understand why doing philosphy is essential to how you live your life. Morris discusses and agrees with Socrates famous dictum that "An unexamined life is not worth living." After you read his book, you will feel the same way.

I won't go into much detail beyond saying that the author attempts to frame important questions in a scientific manner and doesn't use scientific criteria to evaluate them, nor does he reach any conclusions that are practical. He might be earnest, perhaps, but he fails both on the scientific and the "practical" side. This book is not for geniuses nor for "dummies".

I was a bit disappointed in Tom Morris's "Philosophy for Dummies®". I expected it to be an intelligent offering of some difficult but rewarding thoughts of the best minds of the last 3,000 years, presented in layman's terms. Well, I was partly right. The layman's terms are there. Or maybe layboy or laybaby would be a more accurate word. Dr. Morris went overboard in his attempt to present a difficult subject to the average Joe, and he wound up patronizing and talking down to us (albeit unintentionally). The book is 346 pages long and could easily have been edited to quite a bit less than half that length if Dr. Morris had not belabored every single detail. Invariably, he introduces an idea with a brief description of its main points, then expands on each point in a separate two-page section, giving endless examples, anecdotes, and quotes to support it. In most cases, the brief description is sufficient.

The author's attempt to make his presentation more interesting with the use of humor is admirable. Unfortunately, Tony Kornheiser he ain't. His jokes are corny, and he never fails to follow each outrageous comment or claim with, "Just kidding." I felt like I was reading a penpal letter written by a juvenile. He used that particular two-word sentence an astounding 1,742 times, an average of five times per page! (Just kidding. I didn't really count, but it sure seemed like that many.)

Most of the ideas presented in "Philosophy for Dummies®" are basic enough that the majority of readers who have done any thinking whatsoever on their own will have already "discovered" these simple concepts themselves. If it was Dr. Morris's intention to make us feel as smart as the greatest thinkers of all time - Socrates, Plato (whose name, the author so helpfully informs us, is pronounced "Play-toe"), Aristotle, Kierkegaard - he was nearly successful. I suspect, however, that Dr. Morris had an entirely different audience in mind when he penned this book: not the average Joe, but the average sitcom-watching mushbrain. Unfortunately, one of those gentle souls isn't likely to pick up a book unless it has full-color panels and the text appears in little balloons above the characters' heads. Don't let the title mislead you. It means exactly what it says.

I worked my way through Morris' book from cover to cover. While there were pieces of the first section that left me scratching my head (feeling like something was being left out, connections weren't being made), I mostly enjoyed the first half of the book. It was interesting to explore the various ideas and questions that Morris put forth, and they were put forth in an engaging and thoughtful way.

However, the second half lacks the engagement and thoughtfulness. On the contrary, Morris seems to believe that we can only be "happy" and "successful" if we buy into his own beliefs, and those are aligned with a theism that is not presented in a convincing way. Why did he feel that he had to present theism as the only valid conclusion by always giving it the last word? I know that there are philosophers who have compelling arguments to many of his beliefs, but the tone of his writing is to debunk them and convert us to his philosophical position. Of course there will always be bias, but coverage should have been much more equal.

Near the end of the book he degenerates completely into pop psychology, filling the pages with platitudes that are almost unbearable to read. They seem to be taken directly from the corporate speaking engagements that he is certainly paid a lot of money for. Telling us to set attainable goals and stick to them is an embarrassment and doesn't belong in a book of philosophical thought.

I give the book some credit because the first half is fairly well done. I would not suggest to anyone that they buy the book though. The second half is without merit.