Customer Reviews

Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am delighted to be able to recommend Dr. Christian's 9th edition of his classic "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" to all those interested in uncovering what the study of formal philosophy is all about. While this textbook is primarily targeted toward college students engaged in their first confrontation with the discipline of philosophical thought, I think it is also an excellent introduction for the philosophically-inclined high school student and the mature adult who wants to involve himself or herself in continuing self-education. I used the 2nd edition of this textbook with my students in an introductory course in philosophy which I taught back in the 1970s. I thought the textbook was excellent then; it is even better now with some added features not in the edition I used.

This is not your all-too-common dry, dull philosophy textbook. One of the things stressed in Christian's book is that the study of philosophy is not so much a matter of subject-matter or content as it is an "intellectual adventure," a practical pursuit, a dynamic enterprise, something one "does" rather than simply study some static material with little relevance to daily life. "By its very nature," according to Christian, "philosophy is a do-it-yourself enterprise." Furthermore, "Philosophy...is a method" and "Doing philosophy is an endless activity." How true that is! I have been "doing" serious philosophy since I was about fourteen years old, much to the discomfort of many of my high school teachers. So difficult was I in asking vexing questions of the teacher, that once I was simply told to "Sit down and shut up, or get out!" (Well, philosophers and serious students of philosophy have never been particularly popular or welcome during their lifetimes. Goes with the territory, one might say.)

One of the major benefits of "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" is Christian's "attitude" toward the philosophical enterprise. He "promotes," so to speak, what he calls "synoptic" philosophy; this is a "seeing" of the "whole together," that is, philosophy as a world-view, a consideration of the "big picture." There is not a single facet of the human condition that is not touched upon by the philosophical thinker. This is in sharp contrast to much of what has occurred in recent academic "philosophy," where so-called "philosophers" have reduced the study of philosophy to a mere "playing with words" or "intellectual gamesmanship." Out went metaphysics and its questions (they were pronounced "nonsense"); serious problems in ethics or moral philosophy were cast aside (they were simply a matter of emotions or sentiments, not of principle and truth); what was left for philosophy was mostly symbolic logic and the "analysis" of terms. No wonder professional philosophical thought went into a "dark age" during much of the 20th century and students thought that the study of philosophy itself was a waste of time and constituted a mere quibbling over the use of words.

Fortunately, things have changed and philosophy departments in colleges and universities around America are now reporting substantial growth in the numbers of students majoring in philosophy. Also, these students seem to be interested in approaching the study of philosophy from the viewpoint of the "big picture" and the pursuit of the traditional questions surrounding the human condition, exactly what James Christian offers in his textbook. Virtually no significant area of human life and the relationship between human beings and the universe (and beyond, for that matter!) is ignored. For instance, Part Four discusses "The Inner World: The Fantastic Journey"; Part Six discusses "The Protoplasmic Venture"; Part Eight includes a discussion of "Meaning/Existence," one of the perennial philosophical questions. The reader is introduced to all the major questions facing the young inquirer: Self, Growth, Knowledge, Mind, Time, Freedom, Laws, Lifestyles, Ethics, Ultimate Reality, Death and Immortality, and on and on. This is truly a comprehensive program, a seeing of the "big picture," a particularly gratifying "romp" through the pleasures of synoptic philosophy.

As I said before, this is not your ordinary introduction to philosophy. Accompanying the discussions of the major questions of philosophy are short biographies of some of the usual "players" in philosophy such as Aristotle, Berkeley, William James, Kant, Wittgenstein, etc.; but also included are some biographies of those not usually recognized as philosophers per se (although they engaged in much philosophical thought) such as the Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Omar Khayyam (whom I began reading when I was very young and usually is not mentioned in any philosophy text), Henry David Thoreau and Voltaire (two favorites of mine). And for those who are interested in Ayn Rand and her "Objectivism," her biography is included (the first time, by the way, that I've seen Rand and her philosophy discussed in an introductory textbook in philosophy).

In my opinion, "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" goes way beyond your average textbook in philosophy. It is highly readable and any literate reader can understand the material presented without prior experience or "training" in philosophy or philosophizing. It also contains helpful illustrations and photographs, sidebars of philosophical quotations and, yes, even cartoons and comic strips, but only those that make a philosophical point or two. Christian does prove that a textbook in philosophy can be pleasing to the eye as well as to the mind and reading such a text can be an enjoyable aesthetic experience on top of that. Other helps include a glossary of terms as well as an index and a list of bibliographic citations. All in all, this textbook is 639 pages of pure delight for anyone wanting to see the "big picture" of the human condition and begin an adventure in philosophy that can last a lifetime (and maybe beyond).

I used this textbook in my Intro to Philosophy course and found its contents to impact and significantly broaden my philosophical views. Like any modern philosophical textbook, its contents are strictly modern and very little attention is paid to the ancient Greek/Hellenistic tradition or to the Medieval/Renaissance tradition. As an introductory guide, shouldn't students become well-acquainted with the origins of Philosophy? Nonetheless, brief lip-service is rendered to the progenitors of western thought; and this might suffice for anyone not deeply concerned with Classical/Medieval/Renaissance philosophy. Now the textual apparatus includes detailed and well organized chapters, with pithy quotes from renowned philosophers, from both the Occidental and Oriental traditions. On top of all of this, on nearly every page lies colorful, and many times humourous cartoons, that relate to humanity and man's quest for wisdom. At the end of every chapter are detailed biographies of the many philosophers who have left their mark upon the world thought. At the end rests an intricate and definitive glossary, which proves very useful while studying this text. Overall, this textbook is a fantastic primer for Modern/Contemporary philosophy, while it nearly disregards the twenty-three hundred years of thought that formed it.

And, of course, we used his text book for the course. If there was one word that I would think most describes this book, it would "unbiased", so I don't really know what that previous reviewer was talking about (maybe Christainity?). Anyway, I found this book to be very funny, interesting, thoughtprovoking, and the only thing really wrong with it is that we don't know the answers to almost any really revelant question. But, I agree, and I think James would say, that that doesn't mean we shouldn't think about them.

I am delighted to be able to recommend Dr. Christian's 9th edition of his classic "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" to all those interested in uncovering what the study of formal philosophy is all about. While this textbook is primarily targeted toward college students engaged in their first confrontation with the discipline of philosophical thought, I think it is also an excellent introduction for the philosophically-inclined high school student and the mature adult who wants to involve himself or herself in continuing self-education. I used the 2nd edition of this textbook with my students in an introductory course in philosophy which I taught back in the 1970s. I thought the textbook was excellent then; it is even better now with some added features not in the edition I used.

This is not your all-too-common dry, dull philosophy textbook. One of the things stressed in Christian's book is that the study of philosophy is not so much a matter of subject-matter or content as it is an "intellectual adventure," a practical pursuit, a dynamic enterprise, something one "does" rather than simply study some static material with little relevance to daily life. "By its very nature," according to Christian, "philosophy is a do-it-yourself enterprise." Furthermore, "Philosophy...is a method" and "Doing philosophy is an endless activity." How true that is! I have been "doing" serious philosophy since I was about fourteen years old, much to the discomfort of many of my high school teachers. So difficult was I in asking vexing questions of the teacher, that once I was simply told to "Sit down and shut up, or get out!" (Well, philosophers and serious students of philosophy have never been particularly popular or welcome during their lifetimes. Goes with the territory, one might say.)

One of the major benefits of "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" is Christian's "attitude" toward the philosophical enterprise. He "promotes," so to speak, what he calls "synoptic" philosophy; this is a "seeing" of the "whole together," that is, philosophy as a world-view, a consideration of the "big picture." There is not a single facet of the human condition that is not touched upon by the philosophical thinker. This is in sharp contrast to much of what has occurred in recent academic "philosophy," where so-called "philosophers" have reduced the study of philosophy to a mere "playing with words" or "intellectual gamesmanship." Out went metaphysics and its questions (they were pronounced "nonsense"); serious problems in ethics or moral philosophy were cast aside (they were simply a matter of emotions or sentiments, not of principle and truth); what was left for philosophy was mostly symbolic logic and the "analysis" of terms. No wonder professional philosophical thought went into a "dark age" during much of the 20th century and students thought that the study of philosophy itself was a waste of time and constituted a mere quibbling over the use of words.

Fortunately, things have changed and philosophy departments in colleges and universities around America are now reporting substantial growth in the numbers of students majoring in philosophy. Also, these students seem to be interested in approaching the study of philosophy from the viewpoint of the "big picture" and the pursuit of the traditional questions surrounding the human condition, exactly what James Christian offers in his textbook. Virtually no significant area of human life and the relationship between human beings and the universe (and beyond, for that matter!) is ignored. For instance, Part Four discusses "The Inner World: The Fantastic Journey"; Part Six discusses "The Protoplasmic Venture"; Part Eight includes a discussion of "Meaning/Existence," one of the perennial philosophical questions. The reader is introduced to all the major questions facing the young inquirer: Self, Growth, Knowledge, Mind, Time, Freedom, Laws, Lifestyles, Ethics, Ultimate Reality, Death and Immortality, and on and on. This is truly a comprehensive program, a seeing of the "big picture," a particularly gratifying "romp" through the pleasures of synoptic philosophy.

As I said before, this is not your ordinary introduction to philosophy. Accompanying the discussions of the major questions of philosophy are short biographies of some of the usual "players" in philosophy such as Aristotle, Berkeley, William James, Kant, Wittgenstein, etc.; but also included are some biographies of those not usually recognized as philosophers per se (although they engaged in much philosophical thought) such as the Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Omar Khayyam (whom I began reading when I was very young and usually is not mentioned in any philosophy text), Henry David Thoreau and Voltaire (two favorites of mine). And for those who are interested in Ayn Rand and her "Objectivism," her biography is included (the first time, by the way, that I've seen Rand and her philosophy discussed in an introductory textbook in philosophy).

In my opinion, "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" goes way beyond your average textbook in philosophy. It is highly readable and any literate reader can understand the material presented without prior experience or "training" in philosophy or philosophizing. It also contains helpful illustrations and photographs, sidebars of philosophical quotations and, yes, even cartoons and comic strips, but only those that make a philosophical point or two. Christian does prove that a textbook in philosophy can be pleasing to the eye as well as to the mind and reading such a text can be an enjoyable aesthetic experience on top of that. Other helps include a glossary of terms as well as an index and a list of bibliographic citations. All in all, this textbook is 639 pages of pure delight for anyone wanting to see the "big picture" of the human condition and begin an adventure in philosophy that can last a lifetime (and maybe beyond).

I had the privilege of taking one of your philosophy courses 40 years ago and then a couple more 16 years later. When I was 19 (I am now almost 60), I stood up in your class and angrily stated, "What right do you have to take away other people's faith?!!" As I said to you about ten years ago, you took away my faith and gave me a much more interesting and wonderful life. You may have given us just 'pablum' but you can't spark interest in whole food in an infant, and we were infants. You -- and your books -- changed the lives of many of us, and we went on to become life-long "Seekers of Wisdom" -- and I will always be most grateful. I am now retired and live in one of the most spiritual places in the world, New Mexico. Wherever you are, I think of you often, I think of you with much gratitude, and I keep you and Huston Smith in my prayers -- to what God? I don't know. Isn't that wonderful? Love, Barbara

I have several different editions of this book. I have not read the most recent editions but I will say that every edition I have read has been a very interesting and thought provoking book. I have given many copies of this book to friends. Of all the books I read in college it is one of the few I remember and I wish I had read it earlier and more often. .... I hope the younger generation will take the time to "think" about what is in this book. The author doesn't ask you to agree or disagree with him...he begs you to wonder for yourself.... Sometimes older books are overlooked for "newer" ones. This is an example of a classic in my opinion that I wish every high school and college student and/or any human thinker of any age .... would have the opportunity to read this book. I find myself opening it up to random pages and reading all the time... If you're unsure, buy one of the many used versions available. This is a book worth having...

James L Christian's "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" (10th edition) would work great for those interested merely in a basic overview of philosophy and what it's about, but I would not recommend it to those interested in getting a thorough intro into the major branches of philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology and ethics), as it doesn't discuss these topics in great detail that more specific intros do. If you're interested in detail keep searching.

Since it focuses most on "the art of wondering", as its subtitle suggests, the text would do great in a course focusing on developing a philosophical mindset and a synoptic worldview, using its many supplementary chapters to get students to exercise their pondering muscles. Some of these supplementary topics the text discusses are on biology, physics, cosmology, life, time and freedom. They really are quite fascinating if you wish to ponder them, but, again, you're not going to get an in depth intro into any of the main branches of philosophy.

It does have its strengths though. It has a great chapter on the psychology of religion (Ch 8-1) and its section on epistemology makes a fairly good intro to this major branch. Its layout is quite aesthetically pleasing (unlike too many textbooks), with cartoons and margin quotes and its quite well written. After each chapter there are short bios on some important philosophers (mostly the Western ones, but it does include some others such as the Buddha, the Dalai Lama and even Nelson Mandela) which I found to be a great addition to the text. The "supplementary" chapters (as I call them) are an integral part of what the text is really focused on. They give the reader many interesting things to think about and are a great addition to the text if the aim you have while reading it is to learn to ponder the many subjects of life and develop a synoptic worldview.

I've chosen 4 stars because although I don't think it makes a great intro into philosophy for those interested in becoming philosophically fluent, it is focused on what its subtitle suggests---"the art of wondering"---and it introduces this art quite well. I would recommend this to those interested in developing a synoptic worldview and trying to develop their ability to think deeply about so many important aspects of our existence, or the reader/student that is just interested in a basic understanding of philosophy and doesn't plan to pursue the subject any further. But not to those interested in an in-depth introduction into the main branches of philosophy.

I have read and referenced this wonderful work front to back and hit or miss since I was in college many years ago. When my copy began to fall apart, I purchased a later edition (used) and found the updated version even more profound. This most recent purchase (also used) was a gift for my son who is himself "wondering." I expect it to help him find some answers. James L. Christian is a lucid writer and thinker and incorporates a broad selection of differing points of view. I give it one of the highest ratings in my personal library. Most enjoyable! Phoede

It's amazing that a book about "the art of wondering" can be so steadfast in the way it presents ideas. The author presents his viewpoint as fact throughout most of the book, and since my professor uses the publisher's handouts as in-class assignments, these viewpoints are the only acceptable answers to the questions posted.

The layout is very distracting, with quotes (usually 2-3 per page) scattered throughout the margins of the text.

The only thing I got from this book is an affirmation of my motives for waiting until my last semester to take my humanities elective.

When introducing philosophy to young or neophyte minds, one is confronted with a dilemma: Use actual philosophical texts, or provide one's own template for overview? This text tries to bridge both, and does so in an interesting, provocative, and stimulating manner.

As we behold more individuals looking for meaning and value in their lives, rather than reductionist, solipsistic, and platitudinous drivel, clearly a new type of text will have to evolve. I suspect this perennial has long served its purposes, and its useful to compare it, say, with Roger Scruton's "Modern Philosophy" or the Hondrich "Philosophy As It Is." The former is entirely template of Scruton's accurate, albeit biased, overview of philosophy's central issues. Hondrich's collection, though, is superior in one important respect: It is actual philosophers doing philosophy on its various subjects. While Scruton offers breadth, Hondrich offers depth. We need both.

The deficits of the Christian book are legion; but for community college students, it has served its purposes ably. Unlike other academic disciplines, philosophy has yet to provide a "introductory textbook" that is at all satisfying. Does one include logic? Deductive and Inductive? Sophistry? Does it provide philosophy's methodology? Does it introduce novices to the disciplines principle areas of interest?

Does it include both practical as well as theoretical philosophy? Is it analytical or speculative? Epistemology? Axiology? Metaphysics? Anthropology? Cosmology? Are sample texts representative of the enterprise, or the author's proclivities? The answers to these questions tend to be quite paltry. And set against these "basic" functions of philosophy, this book is woefully short of the breadth and depth.

Does one "look over and study" philosophy or "learn to do philosophy?" Can the two be done together? Where are the starting points? In wondering? Or in Curiosity? Or in dialectic? Does it blast the pseudo-sciences as "hoaxes" or minimally-suitable, or does it offer enticement by "Philosophy of Sex" courses? Does it suggest how to think as well as why we think? Do we resort to "pop philosophy" as sort of a pseudo-spiritual exercise. The majority of Americans hear "metaphysics" and alight onto "New Age," which is spiritualism, not metaphysics (this author tends that way).

Penultimately, what is philosophy? Is it the love of wisdom, as its etymology suggests, or is it the dry analysis of truth-condition statements? Or spiritualism as this author tends to suggest? And the tendency towards "specialization" infects philosophy as any other. Does it include ideologies? Where in the matrix does one put them?

Based on simply these fundamental questions, I have to ask whether this book serves its purpose in an "academic" setting? How "dumbed-down" should an introductory text be? Do we try to force-feed substantative "meaty" philosophy, or a Cliff's Notes' variation of it? Actually, a Cliffs Notes approach might just be the right one. Any text that gives Wittgenstein to novices really does everyone a disservice. Where's Descartes? Hume? No Plato, the progenitor? (Don't misunderstand me, many believe Plato's ideas are atrocious, but he is the first systemic philosopher, and Socrates the paragon of the endeavor.)

As a "general interest" book, I can recommend Christian, as with any book that tries to stimulate an interest. But as "serious" philosophy, this book is as appropriate in the classroom as the Law of Attraction pablum is for psychology. I would discourage academic students to avoid any course with Christian on the syllabus. Either learn to do philosophy and why it's important, because wisdom and prudence are too vital to human flourishing to waste, or table it until you are ready.