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Title: Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy by G. Lee Bowie, Robert C. Solomon, Meredith W. Michaels ISBN: 0-15-507854-2 Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Pub. Date: 09 December, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $75.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: A distorted picture of philosophy
Comment: This is a terrible book. True, it's hard to go wrong with the likes of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Wittgenstein, and the other great figures represented in this volume. But the editors manage it just the same.
One problem is the length of the selections. There is no way a reader can come to grips with, say, Marx's critique of capitalism or Russell's theory of sense-data after reading a two-page snippet wrenched from its context. Some of the selections are even shorter than this; at least one is only 80 words long. Often the reader is given a philosopher's position on a particular issue, but without getting the arguments for the position! The subtext seems to be that reasons don't matter -- which seems distinctly unphilosophical.
Another problem is the banality of many of the chapter headings. As the title indicates, the book is structured around twenty philosophical questions; each chapter gives the answers of various philosophers to a different question. Chapter 10 is called, "How Should I Feel About Abortion?" This one seems easy to answer -- presumably, everyone feels pretty badly about abortion, regardless of their position on the issue. The more important question, obviously, is how we should *think* about abortion. Chapter 4 is called, "Which Should I Believe: Darwin or Genesis?" This question assumes that there is no way to harmonize Darwin's claims with those found in Genesis. It also assumes that, if they can't be harmonized, there are only two possible positions on this issue. Anyone with a passing acquiantance with the literature on creation and evolution knows just how naive these assumptions are.
Finally, the book's selections reflect a palpable bias toward the extreme left of the political spectrum. For instance, in the chapter on creation and evolution, Duane Gish, an ignoramus, is pitted against Philip Kitcher, a leading philosopher of science. The fight might be fairer had the editors chosen J.P. Moreland, Alvin Plantinga, William Lane Craig, William Dembski, or any of a number of other leading critics of naturalistic evolution, rather than a minor figure from the fundamentalist lecture circuit. Another question asks, "Does Religion Give My Life Meaning?" Apparently the answer is NO, since, with the exception of a couple watery selections on Buddhism, all of the other selections in this chapter come from opponents of traditional religion. There is also an emphasis placed on irrationalist views of science, linguistic determinism, and other liberal themes. The editors are entitled to their opinions, of course, but anyone interested in an objective and fair-minded introduction to philosophy should look elsewhere.
Rating: 5
Summary: A great starting point for a journey through philosophy
Comment: This book is used as the primary text in my university's introductory Philosophy course, and I think it's an excellent choice. It includes classic texts written by well-known philosophers and the writings of scientists, novelists, religious figures and many others. The inclusion of philosophical writings from such unlikely sources is a great illustration of how philosophy is woven into all aspects of our lives. Reading this book will help you to realize how many philosophical issues you already deal with in your own life and will also help you to find new ways of thinking about and dealing with them.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great introduction into philosophical thought
Comment: I ordered this book as a requirement from a great professor during college. Having only read just more than a handful of chapters in that semester I became hooked. I have since moved on and really started to appreciate the ultimate questions of life. Not that this book answers them. That is still the uniqueness of humanity, individual thought. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to be a better skeptic. We so readily just accept things that our ancestors accepted without a thought as to how reality really is. The wide array of topics is to be applauded and a great concept to take a look at may arenas of thought. Thank you professor Buenter(Binter).
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Title: Shadow & Light: Literature & the Life of Faith by Stephen R. Weathers, Jack Welch, Darryl L. Tippens ISBN: 0891120688 Publisher: Abilene Christian Univ Pr Pub. Date: August, 1997 List Price(USD): $33.95 |
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Title: The Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy by Robert Soloman, Robert C. Solomon, Robert J. Fogelin ISBN: 0155036866 Publisher: International Thomson Publishing Pub. Date: October, 1997 List Price(USD): $53.00 |
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Title: Microeconomics (12th Edition) by Richard G. Lipsey, Paul N. Courant, Christopher T.S. Ragan ISBN: 020136011X Publisher: Pearson Addison Wesley Pub. Date: 17 December, 1998 List Price(USD): $88.00 |
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Title: Created from Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism by James Rachels ISBN: 0192861298 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: October, 1998 List Price(USD): $13.37 |
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Title: A Rulebook for Arguments by Anthony Weston ISBN: 0872205525 Publisher: Hackett Publishing Co. Pub. Date: January, 2001 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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