Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy [Paperback]

G. Lee Bowie (Author), Meredith Michaels (Author), Robert C. Solomon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0155078542 | ISBN-13: 978-0155078543 | Publication Date: December 9, 1999 | Edition: 4th

Bringing philosophy into conversation with other intellectual traditions and activities, Twenty Questions introduces beginning philosophy students to classic philosophical texts both old and new. The essays chosen in the fourth edition reflect a full range of human perspectives and voices so that students may benefit from philosophical reflections of thinkers outside the discipline.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

G. Lee Bowie received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Stanford University and has taught at University of Michigan, University of Mass, Amherst College, and Hampshire College. Currently he is Professor of Philosophy at Mount Holyoke College.

Meredith W. Michaels received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Massachusetts. She has taught at Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, and is currently a Lecturer/Research Associate at Smith College.

Robert C. Solomon, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, is Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He has published more than thirty books and over one hundred and fifty articles focusing on ethics, business ethics, the emotions, and the history of philosophy (most notably, Post-Kantian Continental philosophy). He is the author or (co-)editor of numerous textbooks and anthologies used in college classrooms throughout the world. Among these titles are SINCE SOCRATES, ON ETHICS AND LIVING WELL, TWENTY QUESTIONS: AN INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY, BIG QUESTIONS: A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY, and ABOVE THE BOTTOM LINE, all published by Wadsworth. Before assuming his current post, he taught at Princeton, University of California Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. He is a yearly visitor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He regularly consults and provides programs in business ethics for corporations and organizations around the world. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 960 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Pub Co; 4th edition (December 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0155078542
• ISBN-13: 978-0155078543
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,810,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Use in Some Intro to Philosophy Courses, November 3, 2006

By 

Christopher N. Foster "philosophy man" (Provo, Utah United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy (with InfoTrac) (Paperback)

I am a philosophy instructor, and I chose this book last summer in my first intro to philosophy course.

The selections are very short and ecclectic. To object to the book on this basis is rather disingenuous because one should know that about this book prior to selecting it. That is one of the main selling points of the book for others.

This book really worked for me and my students because I wanted to give them short tastes from a broad spectrum of philosophical topics and authors. Since philosophy includes such a diversity of topics, writing styles, and time periods, and because philosophy is not so much about reading the one true theory as about discussing many contrasting viewpoints, and because you never know what kind of philosophy each student will gravitate towards (some love Nietzsche, while others prefer Socrates), it is a nice thing to be able to expose a class to such a wide array of topics, time periods, and styles from which to begin their philosophical researches.

I required supplemental readings (available online) for those philosphers that we wanted to spend more time on.

If you are looking for a more in-depth approach to each philosopher then this is not your book! But if you want a broad spectrum of fun, short readings (an ADD approach to beginning philosophy), this can be a wonderful and enjoyable first experience of the subject.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, enlightening, life-expanding exploration, October 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy (Paperback)

This book contains more views than any one person could ever find without such a reference. It provides you with growth opportunities, understanding, and REAL thought provoking ideas. This is the best adult level book I've ever read (my all-time favorite though is Norton Juster's "The Phantom Tollbooth"). I strongly recommend Twenty Questions to anyone who, unlike the masses, wants to think, know themselves, and be an intelligent, compassionate adult.

5.0 out of 5 stars used for a college class, August 21, 2011

By 

Cat Lady (Wytheville, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy (with InfoTrac) (Paperback)

I ordered this text book for my son for his college classes. He found the text book to be very useful.