Product Description

Does Farmer Field really know his prize cow, Daisy, is in the field? When is an unexpected exam not wholly unexpected? Are all bachelors (really) unmarried? Martin Cohen's bestselling 101 Philosophy Problems is a witty and engaging introduction to philosophy, covering classical as well as contemporary problems from the fields of medical ethics, modern physics and artificial intelligence.

For the third edition, many of the problems have been revised and there are several brand new ones, including Lewis Carroll's problem of people who don't eat lentils and Poincare's problem of the gaseous people whose measurements keep changing.

With an updated glossary of helpful terms and possible solutions to the problems at the end of the book, 101 Philosophy Problems is essential reading for anyone coming to philosophy for the first time.

Customer Reviews (14)

Philosophy Problems
Cohen puts a new twist on traditional philosophical problems.It would have been nice to see a few more "original" problems, however.

101
I have not finished it yet, but it seems to be a very intersting book, more of a brain-teaser then really a philosphy book. Diiscussions at the end of the book are not solutions, but more stuff to think about.

A C Tort

A very good intro to Philosophy. Recommended!
No matter how hard I tried, I never could finish a whole book on philosophy. This is the first one I made through. It's not the common books that talked a lot on one or a few particular concepts or philosophists, but many short, interesting and life relevant "questions" with partial "answers/solutions" or sheerly "suggestions". I like very much its light and non authoritative style. Or should I say I hate the "I am absolutely right" attitude of many other authors/philosophists. Afterall, per Pascal, "only a good philosopher can laugh at philosophy." A good appetizer or food for thought to those who like to know more about philosophy but had been frustrated beforehand. Recommended!

masterpiece of eccentric genius
I have read both the English edition and now have the Chinese edition too. I quite agree with what it says about the book, viz: this is a masterpiece of eccentric genius with a world-sweeping humorous philosophy. After all, does philosophy have to be cut and dried and boring?
Dr Martin Cohen, would never agree even if he has to be bitten to death twice, as the Chinese proverb has it. Because what he hates most,are those boring philosophic theories and the boring philosophers. In the book, he even suggests some philosophers are like vampires,shuddering and covering their eyes in fear and loathing at the clarity of a well-constructed sentence.
The humorous Dr Martin Cohen is in fact the editor of the Philosopher, the highly respected English Journal, founded in 1923, for which thefamous John Dewey, Bertrand Russell and so on used to write, as well as the frequent stirrer of waves and blower of wind in today's Britishphilosophical world.
In his book, Dr Cohen has collected 101 interesting Philosophy Problems. Together with his humorous and sharp commentary, these provide readers with a unique experience and in-depth understanding that philosophy is actually a game which everyone is able to play.
The readers, as if charmed by Martin's spell, will follow his instructions and dance with him. The book has been translated into many other languages. Dr Martin Cohen says, "if the boring philosophers find this all too easy, let them answer some of the questions!"

masterpiece of eccentric genius
I have read both the English edition and now have the Chinese edition too. I quite agree with what it says about the book, viz: this is a masterpiece of eccentric genius with a world-sweeping humorous philosophy.After all, does philosophy have to be cut and dried and boring? Dr Martin Cohen, would never agree even if he has to be bitten to death twice, as the Chinese proverb has it. Because what he hates most, are those boring philosophic theories and the boring philosophers. In the book, he even suggests some philosophers are like vampires, shuddering and covering their eyes in fear and loathing at the clarity of a well-constructed sentence.

The humorous Dr Martin Cohen is in fact the editor of the Philosopher, the highly respected English Journal, founded in 1923, for which the famous John Dewey, Bertrand Russell and so on used to write, as well as the frequent stirrer of waves and blower of wind in today's British philosophical world.

In his book, Dr Cohen has collected 101 interesting Philosophy Problems.Together with his humorous and sharp commentary, these provide readers with a unique experience and in-depth understanding that philosophy is actually a game which everyone is able to play.

The readers, as if charmed by Martin's spell, will follow his instructions and dance with him. The book has been translated into many other languages. Dr Martin Cohen says, "if the boring philosophers find this all too easy, let them answer some of the questions!" ... Read more

Product Description

Drawing on a wide range of films from around the world, and the ideas of a diverse selection of thinkers from Plato and Descartes to Marcuse and Foucault, Philosophy Goes to the Movies introduces and discusses central areas of philosophical concern, including:

*the theory of knowledge

*the self and personal identity

*ethics

*social and political philosophy

*critical thinking

Ideal for beginners, this book guides the reader through philosophy using lively and illuminating cinematic examples including A Clockwork Orange, Mulholland Drive, Blade Runner, Modern Times, Wings of Desire and The Lord of the Rings. This fully revised and updated second edition features an expanded introduction providing guidance on teaching and discussing philosophy through film, as well as new material on notable philosophers such as Rousseau, Aquinas and Nietzche, and discussion of a wide range of recent films.

Customer Reviews (1)

a popular approach
Every author wants as large an audience as possible. Given his field of philosophy, Falzon takes the approach that teaching this via popular movies is one way to get attention. Hence, by looking at examples like Star Trek: The Next Generation, he segues into discussions of self and personal identity. Bringing in luminaries like Locke and Kant. Probably a far easier approach than traditional philosophy texts that invoke these people and their writings.

It also affords some lighthearted ways to raise serious issues. By considering GroundhogDay or High Noon, the book brings in questions of morality and justice. At a level made comprehensible by these common cultural references. ... Read more

Product Description
We look to ecologists for many things, from accurate descriptions of natural systems to guidance on our proper relationships to them. Yet ecologists often disagree on matters that affect their own field's basic philosophical underpinnings. This international gathering of twenty-three seminal readings both illustrates the range of philosophical approaches available to ecologists and provides a basis for understanding the thinking on which many of today's environmental ideas are founded.

Opening with a general introduction to the challenges of defining scientific ecology, tracing its genealogy, and distinguishing the science from various forms of "ecological-like" thinking, the volume is organized into thematic sections. Issues covered include the ontology of ecological entities and processes; selected concepts of community, stability, diversity, and niche; the methodology of ecology (rationalism and empiricism, reductionism and holism); and the significance of evolutionary law for ecological science.

This is the first introductory anthology on the philosophy of ecology edited by an ecologist and a philosopher. It makes a powerful statement on the value of ecological knowledge and thinking in alleviating the many problems of modern industrial civilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Thorough yet accessible--a quality survey of its subject
This book is the only one I found on Philosophy of Ecology in general, and it is quality. The editors include many authors from many time periods to gather the discourse on ecology's biggest questions. I highly recommend it for scientists and others alike, because what we think about the nature of the world influences how we act in and on it. I checked it out from the library but I'm going to buy it as a staple in my referece library--it's that good.

Very important book!
This is one of the best books in the field of ecological sciences. Nowadays, there are few ecologists who use the 'search light' approach (sensu Popper). Theory is considered a secondary issue by the many people of the present generation, who think that a real ecologist should just "go to the field and describe what he sees there" (the 'bucket approach').

However, without a deep knowledge of the ideas, hypotheses, theories and history of Ecology, a researcher is unable to properly test knowledge, do valid generalizations, and thus contribute to the advancement of the field. This book provides an excellent 'Epistemology of Ecology', and together with McInstosh's "Background of Ecology" should be read by every student in the undergrad course, and also by professionals.

Perspectives Emerging
It may come as a surprise to many who first encounter this book that the science of ecology might have anything to contribute to philosophy in general -- this, despite the fact that popular notions of ecology are in the forefront of the search for new directions, be they in the guise ofthe "Deep Ecology" of Arne Naess, or the "Web of Life" advanced by Frijthof Capra. But scientific perspectives unique to ecology are arising, and making connections between ecological outlooks and how nature generally is perceived is the primary goal of this book -- as stated in its subtitle.

No dominant ecological perspective has yet emerged, but Keller and Golley do an excellent job of sampling the various issues. For example, Part One includes five papers that take sides on whether one should emphasize the entities in ecosystems (the Eleatic approach) or concentrate on the processes that are occurring (the Milesian stance.) Part Three presents the debate between the rational and the empirical approaches to ecology; Part Four between reductionism and holism; and the final section gives consideration to what ties (if any) should exist between contemporary evolutionary theory and ecosystems science.

I have used the volume (in early manuscript form) as the primary text for a graduate seminar I taught last year on "Philosophical Issues in Ecology" at the University of Maryland. Most students in the seminar were amazed to discover that philosophical issues have a history within the scientific practice of ecology, and they found the chapters of the book to be well- chosen illustrations of the various attitudes now vying for a permanent place in the evolving philosophy of ecology.

I was quite impressed by how the editors were able to winnow down the component papers to their most essential elements and by how the publisher was able to put this volume on the street at a price that is affordable to the typical graduate student. I foresee a significant potential for this compendium as a textbook and as a catalyst for initiating productive debate on issues that address not only ancient philosophical abstractions, but affect our attitudes towards urgent contemporary problems as well. ... Read more

Product Description
This book's thirty essays explore philosophically the nature and morality of sexual perversion, cybersex, masturbation, homosexuality, contraception, same-sex marriage, promiscuity, pedophilia, date rape, sexual objectification, teacher-student relationships, pornography, and prostitution. Authors include Martha Nussbaum, Thomas Nagel, Alan Goldman, John Finnis, Sallie Tisdale, Robin West, Alan Wertheimer, John Corvino, Cheshire Calhoun, Jerome Neu, and Alan Soble, among others. A valuable resource for sex researchers as well as undergraduate courses in the philosophy of sex. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not what it looks like
This book presupposes a working knowledge of philosophy. If you have not read and are not fluent in the philosphies of a wide spectrum of writers, this book makes very little sense. It is densely written and should be viewed as an upper level or graduate reading.

thanks
i really appreciate it when people but their books online because it helps me save my parents some money on textbooks.I am a college student who lives at home at drives back and forth everyday to school.so anything i can do to save some money is very appriciated

Sex, Sexual, Love; Only Sex Here
This book has been around for a couple of decades, updated periodically to make it more contemporary. It was a required text in a course I took on "The Philosophy of Sex," and I did not like it then, and I still don't like it. Why?

Because it's obviously a textbook. It's a collection or readings about "sex," and as the word "sex" can be quite elastic, so is this book. And because of that, this book finds its way into academia. Yes, it has readings on all sorts of "sex" issues, from abortion to homosexuality to bestiality (I might be kidding), but sex to me is none of those things (okay, homosexuality is sex). But "sex" here is distinct from "sexual," and that's the rub.

If you want a textbook that examines "sex," but not the "sexual," this book may interest you, but I assure you that you will not be entertained. It's as dry as they come (pun intended). If you're interested in theories about "love" and "sexuality," then mosey over to Robert Solomon. He has several (unfortunately some of his books have different names for the same text; be careful). His wonderful book "Love" is truly extraordinary (but it appears in different incarnations).

If you've been assigned this book as a text, you have my complete and total sympathies.

Finally a book about sexuality that isn't based in fear!
Thank you for finally writing a book about the diversity of humans and their sexuality in a clear and positive light! ... Read more

Product Description
A Collection of essays from famous Scottish philosopher David Hume, one of the most prominent figures of the Scottish Enlightenment and a close friend of Adam Smith. Hume's contributions to economics are found mostly in his Political Discourses (1752), which were later incorporated into his Essays (1758). ... Read more

Product Description

This four-volume work represents the most comprehensive documentation and study of the creation of general relativity; one of the fundamental physical theories of the 20th century. It contains the direct facsimile, transcript and explanation of and comments on the Einstein Zurich Notebook as written in 1912. The research by Einstein herein forms a pivotal part of his creation of the theory of General Relativity (1915) from Special Relativity (1905) and Newton's law of gravitation. Additional sources from Einstein and others who from the late 19th to the early 20th century contributed to this monumental development sources are presented here in translation for the first time. The volumes offer detailed commentaries and analyses of these sources that are based on a close reading of these documents supplemented by interpretations by the leading historians of relativity. All in all, the facets of this work, based on more than a decade of research, combine to constitute one of the most in-depth studies of a scientific revolution ever written.

Product Description
Colin Brown surveys the thought of over 400 philosophers from the Middle Ages to the present day, showing how various thinkers and ideas have affected Christian belief. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Concise Christian view of Philosophy
I utilized this in seminary and found it very useful. Brown's review of the history of philosophy and critiques thereof are not overly authoritative. This book is an easy read for the non-philosopher or novice. It was broad in its reach but it could not plunge deep enough due to its format. If you are looking for a quick trustworthy reference from a Christian perspective, this is a must. It covers many of the important philosophers in history. Brown even provides short coverage of Van Til and Schaeffer. This is a good book for a beginner or a seminary student.

Simple but not simplistic
I've owned, read, and reread this book for thirty years. Found myself referring to it again last night. As a Christian who is decidedly non-expert in philosophy, this work has proved invaluable to me over the decades. It never wears out.

Why is this awful book still being sold?
Colin Brown, professor of systematic theology at an evangelical institutionpublished this book in 1968 to give a survey of the history of philosophy and its effect on the Christian religion. The surveys starts with Thomas Aquinas, his main "enemy" and ends with Francis Schaeffer (a fundamentalist missionary / activist who is not a philosopher)...

Let me be direct: the book is full of awful errors. Misconceptions or ignorance stain every page. Just an example: while leading his main assault against Aquinas, Brown shows that he has not the least understanding of Aquinas, including the five ways, and in particular of the cosmological argument. He thinks that the argument fails because it would require the first cause to be also caused... so he is unaware of the distinction between contingent and necessary beings... Who would not be ashamed of writing such a book?

In addition to the ignorance of the subject-matter, Brown takes party, moralizes, praises or condemns. Taking the same philosopher again, Aquinas isfailure because his various arguments could lead to several gods (hasn't Brown heard of Ockham's razor?) or because his God is not necessarily identical tp the God of the Hebrew patriarchs (so what?)....

No need to display more of this and put more shame on Brown. In the preface to a more recent book, Christianity and Western Thought, vol. 1 (IVP, 1990), which should have been a revision of the present book, Brown honestly admits : "Twenty years ago I wrote a book entitled Philosophy and the Christian Faith (...) I feel a growing kinship with Saint Augustine who towards the end of his career wrote his Retractations. (...) I have never heard of (...) If I had paid more attention to the texts of (...) I might have known better. But I did not. My ignorance (...) I have made countless changes in my exposition and assessment of numerous thinkers and movements. (...) I have also changed my perspectives. (...) limitations (...) limited perspective and failure to see (...). shortsightedness..." Indeed Brown has in these years learned some basics of philosophy, the number of errors and misconceptions in Christianity and Western Thought is not appealing as in the present book, it may be acceptable although I would not recommend it, but rather Copleston's nine volumes History of Philosophy, or for those who want a short history, Ralph McInerny's A History of Western Philosophy.

A first question comes. How could someone write a book on something he knows almost nothing about? The answer is to be found in the inclusion of two fundamentalist, fideist thinkers at the end of the book, Van Til and Francis Schaeffer. The later wrote some extremely radical and arrogant booklets (e.g. Escape from Reason) on the history of Western ideas, while he knew absolutely nothing of the subject. Inspired by the example of Schaeffer, Brown thought he could write such a book without knowing philosophy, naively holding Schaeffer's totally wrong ideas for revealed truths. The results shows. Even if Brown at the end of the other book (Christianity...) explains that he rejects foundationalism (foundationalism = accepting basics such as logic, common sense, evidence as foundations for thinking), following Wolterstorff's Reason within the Bounds of Religion (1976), he has luckily departed from Schaeffer's nonsense. This is possibly due to the good influence of L. Rush Bush (Southern Baptist Theol. Sem, mentioned as a great help in the preface), whose humble books dealing with philosophy and the history of ideas display a knowledgeable and sound approach.

My second question is more disturbing. Why couldn't the publishers of the present book (Tyndale, then IVP) see through its blatant, shameful weakness? Why would they naively think it so good to the point of asking for a second edition? And Brown, who does not hide that he knows how horribly wrong this present book is (see Christianity and Western Thought), seems happy about the dozen of printings this book has undergone, not to speak of the numerous translations. When a manufacturer produces a product with a defect, he recalls it. Why can't IVP or Brown, whom I would expect to be servants of Truth, stop selling this book?

Great Intro to Philosophical Theology
The author writes that the aim of this book is to make a survey of the main thinkers and intellectual movements of western thought of the past thousand years, with a view to showing how they affect Christian belief" (9). He writes, "There are many people who have heard of such names as Kant, Hume, Aquinas, and Kierkegaard and keep coming across terms like empiricism, rationalism, Existentialism and Logical Positivism, and who want to know what they mean and how they affect Christianity" (10). This is the book for those people. He divides the book into 4 sections:

1. Medieval Philosophy
2. From the Reformation to the Age of Enlightenment
3. The Nineteenth-Century Ferment
4. Philosophy and Faith in the Twentieth Century
-----In just over 300 pages, Brown covers a lot of ground. This is a great intro to philosophical theology, or for a general overview of the history of philosophy.
Quotes:
-----"to go through life putting off thought about ultimate questions is to miss the whole point of human life." 30
----"As we saw when we were looking at theological trends in the nineteenth century, Evangelicals made great contributions to evangelism and even to biblical scholarship; but they contributed little or nothing to the philosophical defence of their faith. For many, scholarship had a largely negative value. It was useful to defend the faith against hostile criticism. Few Evangelicals seem to have considered the philosophical implications of a faith based upon God's revelation of himself and their significance for apologetics." 245

Helenization of Christianity to Baptism of Aristotle
Work Scope:
Dr. Brown starts by introducing his own reflective observations, on the tenuous liaison of philosophy and faith. Both theologians and philosophers had their respective doubts and frustrations. He pursues his goal by surveying the intellectual movements and their western thinkers during the second millennia.
He categorizes his work thus; "Histories of philosophy are not normally designed to be read through in bed, and the present one is not necessarily intended to be read through consecutively."

Views & Conclusions:
Colin Brown exposes an insightful brief survey of alternative philosophical bases of Christian doctrine, that influenced the faith of Christian Churches in the course of history. This is a systematic work of an uncommonly talented, and deeply commited theologian to present an analytical history of philosophy, with an emphasis on the different interpretations of the sustained encounters of the fads and fashions of philosophy with Christian faith. Colin Brown concludes in the postscript with lessons from the past criticizing the incompleteness of philosophical systems. Although he warns against dependence on a particular philosophy, he recognizes the necessity of the philosophy's invigorating inquiry that drives Christian theologians to reconsider their positions.

Unique treatment:
In contrast to his intentional fast tour of medieval philosophy, he already started to interpret Anselm by Barth and Hartshorne. The author gave the Twentieth Century a relative elaborate and critical evaluation of new trends in logical positivism, and religious language before he reviews existentialism in the example of Bultmann and Tillich. He then introduces New Radicalism in Bonhoeffer, before his thorough exposition of J.A.T. Robinson's, Honest to God. He would not refrain from analyzing the 'Death of God' movement, but gives his debut on Cornilius Van Till and Francis Schaeffer.

Biographical note:
Colin Brown (D.D., U. of Nottingham; Ph.D., Bristol University) is professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena. He is an Episcopal minister, and has served as Associate Rector of his parish church for decades. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
One of the most successful volumes in its field over the last 20 years, Philosophy and Contemporary Issues introduces today's readers to philosophy with timely, approachable readings of philosophical significance. The authors strive to demonstrate how philosophy illuminates and helps solve some of the important problems facing contemporary man, and they encourage readers to engage in philosophizing themselves. This book successfully makes the subject interesting and intelligible for readers encountering philosophy for the first time.Essays address freedom and determinism, morality and society, state and society, and knowledge and science.For individuals interested in an accessible introduction to philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

textbook!
was a good product, cheaper than the bookstore, had some underlined stuff, which every college student loves!

Amazing condition!
arrived in fantastic condition. the description said "like new" but the book was in AMAZING condition. like it was never opened.

Interesting
This book is a bit confusing for a beginner philosopher. i suggest reading ultimate questions by rauhut first because it helps to understand this novel.

Philosophy Textbook
Item was in specified condition. Seller lacks communication. The shipment arrived on the last day it was allotted. Mediocre transaction.

Review of Text Received
I was pleasantly surprised with the condition of the text I bought. It was in great condition, and it looked brand new off the shelf. The price was also a plus, if I had bought the book at the school bookstore in the same condition it would have cost me almost $100. Instead, I got the book for $24 with shipping. ... Read more

Product Description
The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Biology is an exciting collection of new essays written especially to give the reader an introduction to one of the most vibrant areas of scholarship today, and at the same time to move the subject forward dramatically.Written in a clear and rigorous style it will give the more experienced scholar much to think about and will also be of great value to the new student of the subject.The handbook covers the history of the topic, then moves into important analyses of contemporary evolutionary thinking, and continues with discussions of genetics and the moral and epistemological foundations of our understanding of heredity.The book goes on to cover ecology, behavior and morality, and does not neglect religion or feminist issues.Finally, it takes up matters to do with language and metaphor.

The authors range from the senior and experienced to new and exciting young scholars.The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Biology is a collection that will be of interest to philosophers of science, to philosophers generally, as well as biologists of all kinds.There is no better way to learn about this dynamic field than through the essays in this volume. ... Read more

Product Description

The new anthology by Jack Bowen, author of The Dream Weaver, introduces the important issues and thinkers in philosophy with a strong, academic approach made accessible and relevant to the introductory-level student.  The readings include many of the most well-known historical pieces as well as contemporary ethical issues presented in a debate-style format. 

To balance the rigorous nature of the readings, the book’s introductions, author biographies, discussion questions, and the involvement of the companion book, The Dream Weaver, provide a welcoming atmosphere for students new to philosophy, sparking interest, assessing comprehension, and stimulating discussion. 

Customer Reviews (2)

good
its not new. the cover was very messed up. The original user probably used it every day of his life. no page was missing thou.

Great anthology for the price.
This new anthology is one of the best deals around.It includes a wide variety of selections from both classical and contemporary sources, with a few multicultural ones as well.There are short, but decent introductions to both topics and readings as well as discussion questions.It also includes a nice section on logic and critical thinking.I teach introductory philosophy sections at a community college and this book contains every thing I like to use in the course.The best thing is this text costs about half the price of most other comparable anthologies. ... Read more

Product Description

This user-friendly collection of essays on topical issues in philosophy of sport draws principally from philosophy, but contains some writings from sociological and psychological literature that has a philosophical slant. The anthology contains 44 essays on diverse and contemporary issues in sport from different perspectives. Each article addresses critical and topical issues such as “What is Sport?”“Are female athletes of the same rank as men?”“Is sport a species of art?”and each invites critical discussion. The essays address the following issues: the nature of the sport; aesthetics and sport; ethics and sport; sportspersonship; cheating; winning; violence; performance-enhancing drugs; epistemological issues in sport; sport and society; heroism; gender; race; pedagogy; and sport in society. For athletes and sports fans interested in the philosophy of sport.

Customer Reviews (1)

Review for Philosophy of Sport Textbook
The textbook I received was acceptable.The book does contain marks like underlining and highlights.The textbook was being sold as acceptable condition, so the markings did not surprise me. ... Read more

Product Description
Analytic philosophy has been the dominant philosophical perspective in the English speaking world in the second half of the 20th century. Grounded in the logical advances of Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell, analytic philosophy is characterized by logical precision, technical sophistication, and expositional clarity.

Recent work in the history of early analytic philosophy has shown that in a large part it developed in reaction against the critical thought of the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant. While the relationship between Kant and other major figures in early analytic philosophy, such as Russell, G. E. Moore, and Rudolf Carnap, has been the subject of full length studies, no such work yet exists on the relationship between Kant and Frege.

The Origins of Analytic Philosophy: Kant and Frege addresses this gap in our understanding of the origins of early analytic philosophy. Its concern is to chart the nature and significance of Frege's break with Kant over the question of whether arithmetic is a synthetic a priori or an analytic a priori science. In rejecting Kant's claim that arithmetic is an a priori synthetic science, Frege returns to a conception of the scope and power of pure reason that shows important similarities to the philosophical outlook of Kant's great predecessor and philosophical opponent Gottfried Leibniz. Here, Delbert Reed shows how, in his attempts to establish the foundations of arithmetic on analytic principles, Frege developed many of the tools, concerns and problems that would dominate the development of analytic philosophy in the 20th century. As such, this book makes a crucial contribution to the study of the history of early analytic philosophy. ... Read more

Product Description
This book gives a synoptic view of the significance of the Abhidharma as presented by the Theravadins and brought to its climax by the Vaibhasikas and Yogacara-Vijnanavadins. It analyzes the concepts of Mind and its States with reference to healty and unhealthy attitudes towards life and deals with the psychological factors and problems in Meditation which is geared to an individual's capacity and temperament. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume provides representative texts of transcendental idealism, including ones by J. G. Fichte (Some Lectures Concerning the Scholar's Vocation and A Crystal Clear Report Concerning the Actual Essence of the Newest Philosophy), E H. Jacobi ("Open Letter to Fichte" and "On Faith and Knowledge in Response to Schelling and Hegel"), F. W. J. Schelling (Ideas on a Philosophy of Nature, Deduction of a Universal Organ of Philosophy, and Philosophical Investigations into the Essence of Freedom), and an anonymous text ("The Oldest Systematic Program of German Idealism") variously attributed to Hegel or Schelling. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a new, updated and revised edition of a reference work that has proved invaluable as a tool for the student of philosophy, as well as a handbook for the general reader. From the classical thinkers through Aquinas, Descartes, Spinoza, Kant, up to the modern age of Russell and Wittgenstein, this comprehensive dictionary spans the personalities, terminology, and vocabulary of hundreds of philosophers over thousands of years.

This second edition of an important and invaluable work has been completely revised, and fifteen new major articles have been added. Now, more than ever before, A Dictionary of Philosophy is a necessary and timely work for the modern student of thought.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Philosophy Book
I took a class this summer and the instructor added books onto our syllabus at the last minute and I didn't know what to do.I went to Amazon to see if I might be able to find the books he wanted us to have and lucky me I found just what I needed!I ordered it and received it in about 2-3 days.I'm not sure what I would've done if I hadn't been able to find this book because it has been so helpful in explaining certain aspects of my philosophy class and the philosophers that we're studying.

A Primer on the People and the Schools that Make Philosophy such a Fascinating Discipline

Philosophy has as many different and varied definitions as there are thinkers and philosophers to define it. This book is a comprehensive reference guide in A to Z format of the personalities, terminology, and definitions of hundreds of philosophers and schools of thought, from classical time up to the modern age.

In this book there is not analysis of doctrines, just definitions. The book presents itself as a wonderful way to ignite an interest in the subject as well as to deeper one's knowledge of a particular school of thought or thinker. From Abelard, the French philosopher, logician, and theologian, to Zeno's four paradoxes, this fascinating dictionary presents the greatest thinkers of all time and the vast array of philosophic concepts, premises and thoughts in an accessible, thoroughly cross-indexed, A to Z format. This reference includes a table of symbols and abbreviations to help clarify meanings of key words and phrases.

This guide is an invaluable reference to the student, the thinker, and most of all, to the curious little person inside of every one of us.

A good concise dictionary
This dictionary has entries on the major philosophers, on the terminology and concepts of philosophical thought. It is written in a very clear way. My one problem with it is that its entries are too short when it comes to covering major subjects.
For instance in its Kierkegaard entry it focuses on his Anti- Hegelianism without even outlining the major stages of Kierkegaard's thought, without listing his major publications, without really telling anything of his remarkable story, or his conception of ' faith'.
Where it is good is providing information on such a large number of subjects.Fr example on one page chosen for no special reason it has entries on 'seafight' 'secondary causes' 'secondary qualities ' 'secundum quid''self' 'self' contradiction' But again the articleon ' secondary causes' is longer than the article on ' self', a sign that major subjects are perhaps not treated as thoroughly as they should be.

Anecessary and fundamental tool for thestudent
For the undergraduate setting out on a Liberal Arts degree, studying philosophy or any related subject in the humanities, this important reference is absolutely valuable.

It is my own experience that understanding the foundational terms of a subject is paramount in the attainment of grasping the whole. I remember as a first year university student, sitting down in my first philosophy class, expecting to learn the secrets of the ages, and the young professor flippantly entering the classroom, only to hand us a list of technical terms, and giving us our first assignment: "Learn these terms. Come back in a week and expect to be tested. If you receive anything less than 100%, I would sincerely advise dropping this class and taking up psychology or something." He then left the lecture hall. Needless to say, I worked the entire week learning or more so, memorizing these terms, such as, Idea in the Platonic sense; Socratic Method; dialectic, reminiscence, anamnesis, justice, truth and aesthetics. A week passed and the test consisted of the word and enough blank space to write the answer. Only eighty percent of us passed the test (an extraordinary outcome) and over half ended up dropping the course. Looking back at the blood sweat and tears of this first year class, I only wished I had owned this valuable reference then - it would have made life a lot easier. However I had learned a valuable lesson: no matter what the subject may be, before embarking on the particular ideas and basic tenets, learn the foundational terms, and the journey will be a lot less difficult.

A Dictionary of Philosophy will make the journey of learning philosophy or the history of ideas much easier. It includes the classic thinkers, Plato, Aquinas, Descartes Spinoza, Kant, through to James, Pierce, Russell, and Wittgenstein. The definitions are clear and straightforward, encompassing thousands of years of western thought.

Unfortunately, this dictionary is heavily cross-referenced. This will be a great chore for some individuals; however, the editors have used an asterisk... "Preceding a text word or name to indicate that the word or name itself constitutes a separate entry, where additional relevant information will be found, which indicate a separate entry." In a dictionary that defines terms in so many disciplines, including the more recent encroachment of the "social sciences", cross-referencing is unavoidable. But this is part of the process in learning philosophy as one school of thought invariably moves into another and so forth.

For the student this text is highly recommended.

An interesting read
I read every entry in this dictionary in hopes I would learn about philosophy.I did learn many interesting things but then I forgot most of them.I think I did not get a very organized experience of philosophy.Still it was a challenging read.I think I'm doing better now. ... Read more

Product Description
Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston's nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of  its author to universal acclaimas the best history of philosophy in English.



Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who once tangled with A.J. Ayer in a fabled debate about the existence of God and the possibility of metaphysics, knew that seminary students were fed a woefully inadequate diet of theses and proofs, and that their familiarity with most of history's great thinkers was reduced to simplistic caricatures.  Copleston set out to redress the wrong by writing a complete history of Western philosophy, one crackling with incident and intellectual excitement - and one that gives full place to each thinker, presenting his thought in a beautifully rounded manner and showing his links to those who came after him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Volume 4: The Birth of the Modern
Volume I of this series covers the pre-Christian philosophies of Greece and Rome, while Volumes II and III are devoted to Medieval and Scholastic philosophers. (I have, for the moment, jumped over those last two).

Volumes IV, V, and VI cover "modern" philosophy from Descartes through Kant, and this volume (Volume IV) has a special treat at the beginning.There is a fascinating, well-written introduction which is actually an introduction to Volumes IV, V, and VI --- and is therefore a brilliant 62-page essay on everything from Descartes to Kant.Naturally, it's a bird's-eye overview, but it is the first thing I have ever read which actually made me feel I understood Kant!(When in college, I made a serious blunder and just went and bought "The Critique of Pure Reason" and sat down and tried to read it!:-)30 pages later, I abandoned my foolish task with a bad headache!)

Volume IV covers Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, and Leibniz.As usual, the discussion and illustrations are excellent.

Excellent
Fr. Copleston is a treasure. Initially, he wrote these books of history to better a seminarian's understanding of philosophy, but his influence now goes beyond the classroom. Thank God!

Interesting
After the modern philosophers shed Aristotlianism and Platonism at least to a large extent, things got a lot more interesting when they started espousing their theories.The first principles of their arguments became more divierse, and many times lead to some very different metaphysics.How much you enjoy a philosopher probably says a lot about what your own mentality is.

I personally liked Descartes, that, though still more or less a dualist, he came from the existential principles of experience.Some of his thought was flawed, like being able to espouse metaphysics without sufficient empirical study to back it up, but he most certainly was on the right track.

Spinoza, on the other hand, I could not stand.He just replaces Nature with the word God and hopes nobody notices he's not saying anything at all.I hate people who deny any sort of freedom then espouse how one can live a virtuous life.Hey Spinoza, it's all either matter in motion or it's not.

Liebniz was downright headache inducing at points, and his theory of monads was wonderfully goofy.That being said, his theory of knowledge was excellent.Can't say I ever thought of the universe the way he did.

As always, Copleston is even handed, probably too even handed for some of the sillier things they said.Then again, as a layperson with no formal training, maybe I missed something too that he saw.Still, I'd prefer Copleston's fairness to the in your face bashing of Russell anyday.

The Best Introduction to Philosophy Ever!
Copleston's series, "The History of Philosophy", is quite possibly the best introduction to the history of philosophical thought that has ever been published and certainly the best currently in print.

You will be hard pressed to find a better collection of solid philosophical surveys in one place.The beauty of the series is that Copleston has clearly done his research on each period and each thinker of Western philosophy.

I cannot recommend this series any more highly.It is a must-have collection for anyone who is a scholar (professional or casual) of philosophy, theology or any of the arts.

If this isn't on your bookshelf, it should be!

Comprehensive and enlightening
I read the whole series nine volumes twice. Being a business major in school I didnot have any true understanding of philosophy, but this book really got me interested and I started reading on philosophy. I definitely recommand it for anyone interested in serious reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Analytic philosophy is roughly a hundred years old, and it is now the dominant force within Western philosophy. Interest in its historical development is increasing, but there has hitherto been no sustained attempt to elucidate what it currently amounts to, and how it differs from so-called 'continental' philosophy. In this rich and wide-ranging book, Hans Johann Glock argues that analytic philosophy is a loose movement held together both by ties of influence and by various 'family resemblances'. He considers the pros and cons of various definitions of analytic philosophy, and tackles the methodological, historiographical and philosophical issues raised by such definitions. Finally, he explores the wider intellectual and cultural implications of the notorious divide between analytic and continental philosophy. His book is an invaluable guide for anyone seeking to understand analytic philosophy and how it is practised. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An astounding work
I cannot help but echo the Notre Dame Philosophical Review's opinion: this is, indeed, a great book. Sure, there are flaws here and there, but that's nitpicking. Glock really does know his stuff, and he doesn't make any of the errors standard works on this topic do. He understands analytic philosophy, knows its competitors, and helps us to delimit the bounds of our own discipline.

The book is essentially divided into three topics: historical hatchet-work, defenses of analytic philosophy, and substantive metaphilosophy. For anyone new to the field of analytic philosophy, he offers a nice overview of where we've come from. For those skeptical of it, he should help disabuse readers of some analytic monolith, or the bizarre yet widely repeated notion that analytic philosophy is positivistic. For those already in the tradition, he offers a great synoptic view of the discipline and some genuinely interesting metaphilosophical ruminations.

Not only this: his writing style is clear, engaging, and entertaining. Indeed, there's a possibility he'll actually make reader smile. Even if you disagree with many of his more substantive points (indeed, I disagree with several major points he makes), nobody should pass up this book.

The book is eminently readable by anyone with a modicum of interest in what philosophers do nowadays. There is no reason this book cannot be read by any intelligent reader, and, in my opinion, there is no reason that it shouldn't. ... Read more

Product Description
German philosophy stands at the center of modern thought. Without Kant, Frege, Wittgenstein, and Husserl there would be no Anglo-American "analytical" style of philosophy. And without Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, the "Continental Philosophy" of Derrida, Foucault, Deleuze, Badiou, and Zizek is incomprehensible. This compact introduction offers an illuminating discussion of German philosophy, presenting it as one of the most revealing responses to the problems of "modernity." The rise of the modern natural sciences and the related decline of religion raise a series of questions, which recur throughout German philosophy, concerning the relationships between knowledge and faith, reason and emotion, and scientific, ethical, and artistic ways of seeing the world. The book also highlights the ideas of early German Romantic philosophy, including the works of Friedrich Schlegel, Novalis, Schleirmacher, and Schelling, significant thinkers who are generally neglected in most existing English-language treatments of German philosophy. This Very Short Introduction will include reference to these thinkers and suggest how they can be used to question more familiar German philosophical thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Impressively Concise and Readable Introduction to German Philosophy
There are very few countries that can boast of an intellectual tradition that is as impressive as that of Germany. This is particularly true of the "hard" sciences and philosophy. In fact, when it comes to philosophy, it could be argued that for a couple of centuries Germany was a philosophical "superpower." The time period that is roughly spanned by Kant on one side and Heidegger on the other saw the emergence of several giants of philosophical thought. This time period and its greatest philosophers is the subject matter of this very short book, and it does a tremendous job of elucidating some of the most difficult works in all of philosophy.

German philosophy fell out of favor in most of the Western world shortly after World War II. This was in part due to politics, but a shift towards analytical philosophy played a major role as well. In recent decades, however, interest in German philosophy has been rekindled; many of the most significant thinkers are being "rediscovered" and their works discussed in academic circles. In light of this trend, a short primer like this book is a useful introduction to German philosophy for a new generation of readers. The book is aimed at the general readership, and no formal knowledge of German philosophy is assumed. The author does a tremendous job of succinctly and lucidly presenting the most important ideas in German philosophical tradition. This is no small feat as some of the works discussed include the most notoriously difficult works of philosophy ever written: Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason," Hegel's "The Phenomenology of Spirit," and Heidegger's "Being and Time." To fully appreciate this book, however, it would be useful for the reader to be at least familiar with some philosophical questions and themes. Some other books in this "Very Short Introduction" series could be of great use in that regard. I would in particular recommend Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions). ... Read more