Philosophy for Dummies (Paperback)

~ Tom Morris (Author) "Okay, let's face it..." (more)
Key Phrases: punishment theodicy, morally good being, precursive faith, William James, Bertrand Russell, Notre Dame (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Philosophy at its best is an activity more than a body of knowledge. In an ancient sense, done right, it is a healing art. It’s intellectual self-defense. It’s a form of therapy. But it’s also much more. Philosophy is map-making for the soul, cartography for the human journey. It’s an important navigational tool for life that too many modern people try to do without.

Philosophy For Dummies is for anyone who has ever entertained a question about life and this world. In a conversational tone, the book's author – a modern-day scholar and lecturer – brings the greatest wisdom of the past into the challenges that we face now. This refreshingly different guide explains philosophical fundamentals and explores some of the strangest and deepest questions ever posed to human beings, such as

How do we know anything?

What does the word good mean?

Are we ever really free?

Do human beings have souls?

Is there life after death?

Is there a God?

Is happiness really possible in our world?

This book is chock full of all those questions you may have long wanted to think about and talk with someone about, but have never had the time or opportunity to tackle head on. Philosophy For Dummies invites you to discuss the issues you find in the guide, share perspectives, and compare thoughts and feelings with someone you respect. You'll find lots of material to mull over with your friends or spouse, including thoughts on

When to doubt, and when to doubt our doubts

The universal demand for evidence and proof

The four dimensions of human experience

Arguments for materialism

Fear of the process of dying

Prayers and small miracles

Moral justification for allowing evil

The ancient philosopher Socrates (fifth century, B.C.) thought that, when it comes to the Ultimate Questions, we all start off as dummies. But if we are humbly aware of how little we actually know, then we can really begin to learn. Philosophy For Dummies will put you on the path to wising up as you steer through the experience called life.

From the Publisher

If you think philosophy is complicated or boring, think again! In this refreshingly different guide, author Tom Morris not only explains philosophical fundamentals, but shows you how philosophy can help you find more meaning in life, understand religious belief, and look at the world in a whole new light.

Discover how to:

*Think about lifes ultimate questions

*Apply the insights of great philosophers

*Develop your own personal philosophy

*Expand your mind

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: IDG Books; 1 edition (September 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764551531
• ISBN-13: 978-0764551536
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

185 of 211 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Poorly Done Considering Expectations, November 19, 2001

By	Die Morgenröte (NYC) - See all my reviews

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.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Thing, March 29, 2000

By A Customer

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.

35 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Intro. To Philosophy on the Market, January 24, 2000

By	Abe Witonsky (USA) - See all my reviews

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.