Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy [Hardcover]

Joel Feinberg (Editor), Russ Shafer-Landau (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534543510 | ISBN-13: 978-0534543518 | Publication Date: July 24, 1998 | Edition: 10th

The tenth edition of this topically-organized anthology provides a balance of historical selections and recent material. The text covers reason and religious belief; human knowledge; mind and its place in nature; determinism; free will and responsibility; and morality and justice in five parts, with attention to opposing points of view.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an outstanding collection of essays and this textbook is a very good instance of its kind. There are other books similar to it on the market, but this is a very good one." -- Dr. Matthew Talbert, West Virginia University

"The market for introduction to philosophy textbooks is crowded, but Reason and Responsibility strikes me as a high-quality textbook that competes well with the Perry/Bratman/Fischer reader." -- Dr. Christopher Hom, Texas Tech University --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Joel Feinberg (Professor Emeritus) is recognized as a leading political and social philosopher. He is well known both as a leading scholar and as an excellent teacher. He has published widely on moral issues such as capital punishment, the treatment of the mentally ill, civil disobedience, and environmental ethics. Before joining the University of Arizona faculty, he served on the faculties of Brown, Princeton, and Rockefeller Universities. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1987-88 to work in Japan. He was chairman of the National Board of Officers in the American Philosophical Association for three years in the mid-1980s. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 672 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Pub Co; 10th edition (July 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534543510
• ISBN-13: 978-0534543518
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,483,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Anthology, August 15, 2003

By 

Barry Denn (europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy (Hardcover)

It is unclear whether my previous attempt to write a review of this book went through or not. If not, here goes again:

A disclaimer: I have absolutely no connection with the authors or publishers and stand to benefit in no way from the sale of this book.

My background: MA in philosophy and have taught as a teaching assistant on a number of philosophy courses at university level.

Review:
This is the best anthology of philosophical writing that I am aware of. It's strength lies in the range of readings it includes. The editors have, it seems, stayed very involved with their book and update the readings every few years. As a result this anthology includes some very recent material in addition to the classics. so, the reader has available to him/her a collection of writings that span nearly 2,500 years of Western philosophy. Note: it is an anthology of philosophy in the western tradition.

A second notable strength of Reason and Responsibility is the introductory essays that appear at the start of each section. These are clear and especially helpful to those new to philosophy.

It is also noteworthy that the editors have attempted to compile readings that give the reader a sense of the two sides to any given debate. This is not always the case with anthologies.

One word of warning for those new to philosophy: much of the reading in this anthology (as in any such anthology) is not, in my view, suitable for a newcomer to the subject. The material was not intended for those without any philosophical background and would be very heavy going for a beginner in this field. So, to avoid being disheartened and turned off philosophy it might be a good idea to buy a general introduction to the subject as well as this anthology. I'd recommend:

An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis, by John Hospers
or
Philosophy: the basics, by Nigel Warburton
or
Philosophy: a beginner's guide, by Jenny Teichmann and Katherine Evans (I am not certain that I have the second author's name right)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introductory Book, December 27, 2004

By 

Stephanie A. Yoshida "syoshida" (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy (Hardcover)

I highly recommend Feinberg's 'Reason and Responsibility' to beginning philosophers. Feinberg presents various philosophical topics in an organized manner and selects text that is easy to understand for readers new to philosophy. Readers are weaned into the language of philosophy by first being presented with the jargon in the beginning of each section. It's a great book that covers a variety of topics, from arguments about God's existence to ethics to abortion.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy 103, December 13, 2006

By 

Catherine Smith (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy (with InfoTrac® Thomson Advantage Books) (Paperback)

I had to buy this book for a general education requirement this year. However, the class turned out to be my favorite (the teacher certainly helped) and I'm keeping the book after the semester is over. Reason and Responsibility contains essays from the greatest philosophers (and some not so great) in order to give the beginner a comprehensive overview of philosophy.

At times, the essays were edited so that parts of the original selection were omitted. I had difficulty writing papers which criticized certain arguments become some claims can only be made from the entire text. However, if you are just reading this for fun as an introduction to philosophy, I highly recommend it.