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Title: What Does It All Mean?: A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy by Thomas Nagel ISBN: 0-19-505216-1 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: December, 1987 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (9 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: An excellent introduction to philosophy.
Comment: This is a very readable introduction to philosophy, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has done no previous reading in philosophy. It is a little short, but should serve to stimulate interest and provide a basis for further reading.
Topics covered are:
1. introduction
2. how do we know anything?
3. other minds
4. the mind-body problem
5. the meaning of words
6. free will
7. right and wrong
8. justice
9. death
10. the meaning of life
After reading this, you might wish to take a look at these books:
a. The Problem of the Soul (author: Flanagan)
b. The View from Nowhere (author: Nagel)
c. Language, Truth and Logic (author: Ayer)
d. Life and Death (author: Hackett)
e. The Meaning of Life (author: Klemke)
f. The Examined Life (author: Nozick)
g. The Symbolic Species (author: Deacon)
These books should serve to stimulate further interest in philosophy, and introduce you to some good writers. They are all written for the non-specialist, and are available as low-cost paperbacks.

Rating: 5
Summary: a step in the right direction...
Comment: I've fought for several years now against accepting the implications that this book brings to light. No one could tell me there wasn't more to life than the meager conclusion Thomas Nagel provides here. After a great deal of time & effort invested in proving Nagel wrong, I now admit he's correct.

I have found, however, that taking up the philosophy of biology after carefully considering Nagel provides the necessary sustenance I sought. Especially recent work on reciprocal altruism and other forms of cooperative effort.

Any good philosophy of biology will provide the necessary information. From the text and bibliography of the works by Sober, D. S. Wilson, Konner, Dawkins, Mitchell, Ruse and many others, the curious reader will find a wealth of reality-grounded consolation.

This work by Nagel is no cause for despair... it is a very good starting point.

Rating: 5
Summary: Brief philosophy at its very best.
Comment: I am a doctoral candidate in philosophy, and I still enjoyed reading this book. Never before have I seen such a brief, lucid introduction to some of the key problems of philosophy: Is there really an external world? Are there other minds? How does the mind relate to the brain? Is there such a thing as free will? What is the nature of morality and justice? How do words manage to refer to things? How should one feel about death? What is the meaning of life? Nagel offers short, engaging discussions of each.

One will not find in this book all of the major problems one is typically introduced to in a philosophy class - notably absent is the problem of induction and, except for a side note or two, the question of whether or not there is a god. However, one will find more than enough to stimulate much deep thought and many restless nights. Heartily recommended to all.

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