Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - General    3. Introductions    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (1)

The Examined Life starts here...
This philosophy book by Stumpf and Fieser is used at Ivy Tech State College as the primary text for the introduction to philosophy courses (100 level).It is a good survey of all the major topics in philosophy (from a classical Western standpoint), and includes many of the major thinkers over time, both in the narrative discussion presented by the authors, as well as in primary source readings from major philosophers themselves.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History & Surveys - General    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (6)

Terrible Text Book for a Beginner
This is one of the worst text books I have ever had to read and try to understand.Used this text for an online class -- tough subject to figure out on one's own and the text, laden with the author's opinion and stories, made it difficult to weed out what was important and what was crap.I had to use a different, older Philosophy text book as a guide to understand what Wolf was trying to convey in this text.I thouht I was going to enjoy philosophy--I'm counting the days until I don't have to open this book ever again!

gooses review
This book will teach you nothing about philosophy.I would have given this book a negative star review but thats not an option on this grading scale.The most common theme in this book is telling you how philosophers work.they tell you a step by step processes that are oversimplified and can be combined to make less steps or in some cases one step.what is important in philosophy is what the questions are then what the suggested answers are and finally how to understand how to come to the suggested answer.
A Professor's Perspective
Wolff's perennial textbook, now in its eighth edition, has faults. This is a given for any book or other work in the print medium, and, for that matter, for any human artifact. Nevertheless, after teaching philosophy for thirty-six years using everything from classic sources to newspapers to novels as texts, I have settled on Wolff's About Philosophy as the best means for introducting the most diverse of all academic disciplines.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - General    3. Introductions    4. Methodology    5. Philosophy    6. Logic    7. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (27)

Semantics from the world of 1933
An interesting view that is not to be overlooked. As in physics we changed or concepts from Newtonian (space and time) to Einstein or non-Newtonian (space/time). We see this in any fields and some of us embrace the change and see how infinite our views can still work; others of us resist knowing that there is something fundamentally wrong if you can not put your finger on it.
Unrecognized Genius
Korzybski aimed his discussion at professionals, so disregarded definitions (multi-ordinal anyway), etc.Despite this many criticisms resulted, some from professionals, notably Martin Gardner (1993): "...poorly organized, verbose, philosophically naive, repetitious, mish-mash of sound ideas borrowed from abler scientists."
Mediocrity and Genius Collide!
Reading the other reviews of this book, I'd have to say I agree equally with every review. It is true that the ideas contained in this text are of first class and of life changing quality. It's also true that Korzybski might not be as eminent as some think. At the begining of each chapter, Korzybski qoutes specialists from different fields, and reading these is almost like discovering the fingerprints of a thief. You quickly realize that almost none of these ideas are of Korzybski's creation. It would seem that his intentions were to compile theories from Philosophy, physics, abstract mathematics and phycology and create a unified group, the only problem is that Korzybski repeatedly uses the phrase "my theory", when after about page 350, it becomes apparent that he has no real way of collecting these elements, and his only objective is to repeat verbatim in every other paragraph "The whole of Knowledge is structure, which is based on multiordinal relations, which include infinite-value order." After about the 15th time he has made this statement, you'll be ready to give up like I did. Suffice to say, this book did lead me to some real thinkers, Russell, Whitehead and poincare, and it did give me a new interest in the study of the human nervous system, but as the text stands on it's own... it doesn't. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Philosophy    3. Philosophy / Epistemology    4. Philosophy Of Science    5. Philosophy Of The 20th Century    6. Psychology & Psychiatry / Applied Psychology    7. Applied Psychology    8. Behavior    9. Epistemology    10. General semantics    11. Semantics   

Reviews (49)

Limited and dated narrative history of Western thought
Most books are written to be read from beginning to end.Here the reader might profitably begin with the Epilogue near the end with a quick look at the Chronology on pages 446-467.After such a perusal, one might think twice about bothering with the rest of the book, or if one is like-minded, begin at the beginning with enthusiasm.
Nuanced, if rambling, prose makes for an interesting look at the history of Western thought
I once heard a story that Tarnas would fire up a doobie before sitting down to write material for this book, and the rumor seems true in light of Tarnas' regular use of extended turns of nuanced phrase. That prose style is at once the major strength and weakness of this work. The fact that each paragraph comprises several precisely written (if overlong) sentences each containing at least one exhaustive list of examples makes for cumbersome reading, as I often have to reread the same sentence three or more times for the whole import to sink in. At the same time, this style does a fine job of articulating the manifold, complex, and often contradictory ways in which the seminal themes of Western thought have interacted. (For example, Tarnas does a brilliant job of showing how many of the ideas of the Protestant Reformation ironically contributed to the later undermining of Christian certitude and the rise of scientific materialism.)
A Passionate Mind - Note the Passion!
The title of the book says it all, and not to be overlooked. This is a book that seeks to ascertain the passion that underpins the development of the western mind. Tarnas does a tremendous job of what is the Herculean task of tracing the roots of that development from the Ancient Greeks, through the birth of Christianity, the middle ages, the enlightenment and the birth of the modern world.
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Subjects:  1. Civilization, Western    2. History    3. History & Surveys - General    4. Philosophy    5. Religion and science    6. Philosophy / General   

Editorial Review

One of the best descriptions of the nature and implications of Darwinian evolution ever written, it is firmly based in biological information and appropriately extrapolated to possible applications to engineering and cultural evolution. Dennett's analyses of the objections to evolutionary theory are unsurpassed. Extremely lucid, wonderfully written, and scientifically and philosophically impeccable. Highest Recommendation! ... Read more

Reviews (135)

Caveat
I must play the devil's advocate here. While I pretty much agree with the previous reviews I have read here, my recommendation and approval comes with one caveat. For me, the book would have been much more enjoyable had Mr. Dennett not constantly reminded me of how well he thought of himself and how important and significant he thinks his own work is. Tedious might be an appropriate aphorism as well.
And getting more dangerous every day
"Darwin's Dangerous Idea" by Daniel C. Dennett is a fantastic book but definitely not for the faint of heart. The book is almost 600 pages long and written in a style that requires college-level analysis to understand. My review can hardly do it justice but hopefully it might encourage you to buy it or at least to check it out of the library for a couple of weeks of interesting reading.
Dennett is amazing - a quick review for the religious (as I used to be that way myself)
Dennett's metaphor for Darwinism is that acts like a Universal Acid upon everything it touches--and that means literally everything.It eats into the foundations of the hard sciences, the various and rather less solid underpinnings of the social sciences, the sometimes ridiculous and sometimes incisive branches of psychology, and the claims made as to any potential (though often simply vaporous and intentionally obscure) philosophical or theological `truths' in the round.There is nothing that it does not take a substantial bite from, and that fact cannot be avoided unless you merely opt for silly, ignorant avoidance, i.e., you either refute or run for cover!Bravo Dennett, then, as somebody needed to say this as loudly as possible.ALL the work we have done to understand ourselves and our origins needs to be refigured in the light of Darwin, and thankfully Dennett is both brave enough and smart enough to take the heat and rebound the criticism from numerous sources.Anyway, here are the facts as offered:
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Subjects:  1. Evolution (Biology)    2. General    3. History & Surveys - General    4. Human evolution    5. Life Sciences - Evolution    6. Natural selection    7. Philosophy    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Mathematics and Science    11. Science / General   

Reviews (6)

Very Good
This is a very good overview of Plato's philosophy. I would recommend this volume for those that want to learn of his philosophy without reading that acual works.

(no title)
I cannot recommend this volume highly enough. It's a collection of essays, all (bar one) especially written for this volume, each of them authored by a leading scholar on the respective dialogue or topic. Especially the pieces by Frede and Fine constitute path-breaking, durable contributions to Plato scholarship; each of them would merit the purchase by itself. Between them, Frede and Fine also introduce the reader to two rather different approaches to interpreting Plato, and at once present these approaches at their very best.
Your time and money are better spent elsewhere
Plato is perhaps the most approachable of the major philosophers. His work is largely presented in short dialogues. Their brevity allow them to be read in a single sitting, and their characterizations, humor, and stories engage even the reader new to philosophy.Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Ancient & Classical    2. History & Surveys - General    3. Philosophy    4. Plato    5. Ancient (Classical) Greek    6. Ancient Greece    7. Ancient Greek & Roman philosophy    8. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys   

Reviews (3)

A Very Useful Anthology
I have taught introductory philosophy using both the first and the second editions of this book.It is a fine anthology.However, the book is clearly designed to be used in the context of an introductory college course.For that reason, a person who is approaching the book outside of a classroom context might benefit from using it in combination with a reference guide such as the _Oxford Companion to Philosophy_.The book was shortened in its second and third editions, because of feedback the authors received from instructors using it for introductory courses.The first edition included more readings and was not as influenced by the pressures of the college-text marketplace; it is my favorite.The third edition paperback is much easier to carry around, and in fact this remedies a marked failing in the previous editions.It also corrects some typographic errors (previously a minor annoyance.)

a comprehensive and thorough overview
I used this book in an intro philosophy course in college and have been looking for it ever since. It presents original texts, plus thoughtful commentary and overviews that did not condense or simplify difficult topics. It is also incredibly thorough - if a work is part of the philosophical canon, it is in here, no matter how obscure. Now that I've found it again, its definitely going into my library as a standard reference text.

Intro to Philo.
This book covers the very basic of philosophy and does its job well.It also provide some sample parodoxes though not extensive. Heavy reading in some area for philosophy is not my strong point.This books resonate with many philosophical discussion to be had.I enjoy most of the readings. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - General    3. Introductions    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy (General)    6. Textbooks    7. Philosophy / General   

Editorial Review

"It is common," Alain de Botton writes in Read more

Reviews (86)

Interesting Musings
de Botton takes the commonplace concerns that probably affect us all from time to time and attempts to cast light our wayward thoughts: umpopularity, money, frustration, inadequacy, broken heart, difficulties. Some of the ideas/philosophies are somewhat romanticised, but for the most part they offer insight from the philosophical geniuses in the past. For each scenario/philosopher de Botton provides a short bio before going on to develop the thoughts/musings. From each he draws some central tenet(s) that, hopefully, might provide the reader with a new approach to their plight and ultimately a resolvable outcome. The book is listed as Self Help/Philosophy. For the most part it provides an interesting attempt at the former, if that's what you're looking for, as well as an entertaining introduction to the latter. Well written. You might not resolve your problem, but you may learn something on the way...a very interesting read.

Well done,But why stop at a single insight?
De Botton provocatively declaresthe genesis of his "consolations..." as being the result of a personal insight: Socrates integrity contrasted with his own personal osequity.But why not rigorouslyinvestigate and developtheself-awarePROCESSof insight itself? Where would that lead? Wouldn't Socrates approve?

Fantastic- a practical book on philosophy that is enjoyable to read
I really enjoyed this book. I had heard about philosophers like Socrates before, but really had no idea what they did, or indeed, what philosophy was. The Consolations of Philosophy was an easy-to-read introduction, expressed with good humour and with lots of practical examples. There are pictures too. I lent my copy to a friend, and haven't got it back yet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Personal Growth - General    3. Philosophical counseling    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys   

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Philosophy    3. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys    4. Philosophy | History   

Reviews (1)

Do not eliminate the negative
This book is an admirable effort to detect a new strain, a new line of thought, a new philosophy in the realm of political thought. It is an effort to locate a 'philosophy of pessimism' which in the author's opinion provides a more legitimate way of seeing the world, than the various philosophies of optimism, which he claims dominate philosophical thought today.
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Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. History & Theory - General    3. Movements - General    4. Pessimism    5. Philosophy    6. Political    7. Political aspects    8. History of ideas, intellectual history    9. Philosophy / General    10. Political Science and International Relations    11. Topics in philosophy   

Reviews (34)

seminal work of the greatest of philosophers
I am an avid reader of philosophical books and without any doubt i consider Immanuel Kant as the greatest mind who has ever written on such abstract subjects.This work is a real copernican revolution,putting forth the structure of our cognitive systems and the way we perceive the world around us.At least it changed my own worldview,making me recognize that i am the creator of my thoughts and not a simple observer.For this reason i consider it one of the most important books i have ever read.

Poor translation
I read the long but fruitful review about the results of different translations of this text.So I went to my in-law who is German and she read a few paragraphs from the German.When I showed her the parallel text in English by Guyer and Wood, she was appalled at how inaccurate it was.She said the German was beautiful prose whereas the translation was aweful and didn't reflect the style of the German at all.She thought that the NK Smith was good English, but that it wasn't very accurate either.Unfortunately, I didn't get her opinion on the other translations.
Very Poor Translation
Please note that I am reviewing only the Guyer-Wood translation, not the work itself.
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Subjects:  1. Epistemology    2. History & Surveys - 17th/18th Century    3. History & Surveys - General    4. Metaphysics    5. Philosophy    6. Epistemology, theory of knowledge    7. Europe    8. Knowledge, Theory of    9. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys    10. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Identity (Philosophical concept)    3. Mind & Body    4. Philosophy    5. Self (Philosophy)    6. Self-knowledge, Theory of    7. History of ideas, intellectual history    8. Philosophy / General    9. Philosophy of mind   

Reviews (1)

Superb Introduction to Philosophy
Robert C. Solomon's "Introducing Philosophy" is a superb introduction to philosophy.I have the 6th edition published in 1997 but this (the 5th edition) is the only one I could find on Amazon.This book is so good because it takes a Topical approach but integrates excerpts from the great philosophers.Historical introductions don't give you the intelletual excitement of great thinkers across time addressing the great problems which is why I like a topical approach (another good topical approach is Tom Morris's "Philosophy for Dummies").But the great thing about this book is that it integrates selections from philosophers throughout history, in manageable chunks, so that one gets to read some Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell and more.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - General    3. Introductions    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (73)

not too good
This book is perfunctory and extremely shallow. Russell's reductive reading of the tradition shows little insight. However, it is amusing at times, hence the star.

Excellence
Bertrand's Russell's History of Western Philosophy is amazing. I read it twice and could not put it down each time and probably will go back for another.Not only will you get a history of philosophy, you'll learn some general history as well. You may get lost in time as did I. Yes, you will get some of Russell's own views, criticisms, and personal preferences, but I believe it's nice to read what the great minds of the world have thought. And I cannot hold his timing against him when it comes to falling short of including every philosopy of his time and after...

Tjhe evolution of thought.
I have srudied philosophy for over 40 years, and this is, without a dount, the best book I have ever read on the subject.It is very comprehensive, insightful, and easy to understand.A must read for anyone who wants to understand who we are and how we got there. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History & Surveys - General    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy / General    5. Western philosophy   

Reviews (11)

a clear presentation of the basics
This is an excellent introduction to phenomenology.While the history of phenomenology is fascinating and rewards serious study, this book, unlike others, cuts through the differences between phenomenological thinkers to the 'meat and bones' of the approach and presents the basic methods of phenomenological analysis in a clear and penetrating fashion. I found it thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening.Anyone interested in philosophy would do well to sit down with this book for a few hours.It could very well change the way you look at the world and the way you approach philosophical problems (for the better!).Highly recommended.

What is phenomenology?
As Cal Schrag notes in a fantastic litte essay called "The Recovery of the Phenomenological Subject":"In 1945 Maurice Merleau-Ponty began the preface to his classic work Phenomenologie de la perception, with the observation that the reader might find it odd that the question What is phenomenology? still needs to be answered one-half a century after the first writings of Edmund Husserl.The fact however remains, wrote Mereleau-Ponty, that this question still awaits an answer.Some fifty years after the publication of Merleau-Ponty's seminal work on perception we are still asking the question What is phenomenology?"
Phenomenal Introduction to Phenomenology
I came to this book hoping to find an overview of phenomenology that wouldn't tax my middle-aged brain with dense prose or obscure jargon.It met my expectations fully.The writing is clear and graceful; phenomenology is related to broader cultural concerns (such as the rise of mathematized science); and the narrative tackles simple issues (such as perception or memory) before moving on to tough ones (such as temporality or language).Throughout, the "natural attitude" (our experience of the world) is contrasted with the "phenomenological attitude" (our reflection on the natural attitude). The book has whet my appetite for sampling the phenomenology canon.
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Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Movements - Phenomenology    3. Phenomenology    4. Philosophy    5. Phenomenology & Existentialism    6. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys    7. Topics in philosophy