Wonder and Critical Reflection : An Invitation to Philosophy

Christenson, Tom D.

ISBN 10: 0130400416 / ISBN 13: 9780130400413

Published by Pearson Education, Limited, 2000

Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 9453382-6

Synopsis:

For use as the first text in Introduction to Philosophy courses.

Using honesty, enthusiasm, and humor, this text addresses and answers questions posed by students new to the study of philosophy―about how critical philosophy is, the kinds of questions it raises, its cultural and social value, and the applicability of philosophy to their lives. Philosophy gives examples of a wide variety of thinkers from the ancients―Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes, Guatama Siddhartha, up to twentieth-century thinkers including Wittgenstein, Sartre, deBeauvoir, Roger Scruton, and Iris Murdoch. Each chapter contains a brief summary of major themes, an introductory student-voiced dialogue, a clarifying discussion, and questions for further reflection. The upbeat tone encourages students to begin thinking philosophically about issues of personal interest, such as the nature of freedom and the understanding of the self.

From the Back Cover:

What is philosophy? Who pursues it, and why? Aren't people who study it sort of weird? How is philosophy connected to wonder? How is it connected to being critical? What good does it do? How is it like / unlike psychology or history? What kinds of questions do philosophers pose? Do they ever answer them?

These are the kinds of questions perplexed students often ask when first encountering philosophy as an academic discipline, and these are the kinds of questions this text takes seriously and attempts to answer. Designed to be a first encounter with philosophy, this text includes:

• Dialogues that provoke and engage students in philosophical thinking.
• Discussions that clarify and explain issues and introduce the "discipline" of philosophy.
• Inquiries pursued with seriousness and a sense of humor.
• Brief introductions to a variety of thinkers from Socrates and Diogenes the Cynic to Iris Murdoch and Suzi Gablik.
• Philosophical theorizing about human freedom, the nature of the self, the ends and means of education, the way language shapes thinking, why we often think in clichés and stereotypes, etc.
• Questions at the end of each chapter designed to encourage students in critical reflection and writing.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Wonder and Critical Reflection : An ...
Publisher: Pearson Education, Limited
Publication Date: 2000
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good