What Is Philosophy?: An Introduction - Softcover

Alistair Sinclair

3.38

8 ratings by Goodreads

9781903765944: What Is Philosophy?: An Introduction

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1903765943 ISBN 13: 9781903765944

Publisher: Dunedin Academic Press, 2008

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What is Philosophy? provides a short but comprehensive view of the whole field of philosophy. The question, What is philosophy?, is answered in a forthright and unique way. It is difficult to see any common factors underlying all the different philosophies and movements of philosophy. The so-called, great philosophers, seem to have little in common with each other. The history of western philosophy features a bewildering variety of philosophical movements that pop up from nowhere. Philosophy itself seems to be an unfathomable subject that applies everywhere and nowhere. This book makes sense of all these disparities and confusions. When someone says, Nobody knows what philosophy is, that person has not thought much about the subject. The great philosophers thought deeply about philosophy and arrived at clear ideas concerning just what it is. There is no getting away from philosophy and this book shows the importance of philosophy in our thoughts and our lives. It also makes clear the role that philosophy has played in making western culture so dominant in the early twenty-first century. In this book, Alistair Sinclair presents an orderly view of philosophy, of what it consists and where it appears to be going, and gives a unified view of how philosophy developed historically in western culture. The author shows how philosophy has often moved from dogmatism to scepticism and vice versa. It is an ideal introduction for all those wishing to learn more about the subject and those questions which have exercised some of the great thinkers of the past.

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Review:

Overall, What is Philosophy? is a clear, useful, and welcoming introduction to philosophy. Sinclair s love and admiration for the discipline and the potential of philosophy to benefit the world are obvious. To the degree that feelings of the author influence readers, the future of philosophy may be the resolution of entrenched philosophical arguments and the emergence of the discipline as a direct public benefactor. --Teaching Philosophy

What Is Philosophy? An Introduction, is a serious-minded yet accessible text for readers of all backgrounds, about the origins and history of the mental discipline of philosophy, from the early Greek and classical Greek era to medieval times to the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Further chapters explore the core and peripheral subjects discussed by philosophy, twentieth-century philosophical movements, and well-known philosophical problems revolving about such fundamental issues as free will, time, truth, facts and values, personal identity, and more. A thoughtful, exhaustively researched, and well-grounded primer, What Is Philosophy? An Introduction lives up to its title - a more difficult task than one might first guess, considering the complexities of the subject. Highly recommended, especially for public and college libraries, and as a textbook for Philosophy 101 courses. --Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

About the Author:

Dr. Alistair J. Sinclair is an independent philosopher living in Glasgow. For many years, he taught philosophy courses for adult learners in the University of Strathclyde Continuing Education programme.

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