Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings

by John R. Perry, John Martin Fischer, Michael Bratman, et al.

Book Overview

Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings, Sixth Edition, is the most comprehensive topically organized collection of classical and contemporary philosophy available. The text includes sections on God and evil, knowledge and reality, the philosophy of science, the mind/body problem, freedom of will, consciousness, ethics, political philosophy, existential issues, and philosophical puzzles and paradoxes.

Easy to use for both students and instructors alike, the book incorporates boldfaced key terms (listed after each reading and defined in the glossary); a guide to writing philosophy papers; and a "Logical Toolkit". The sixth edition includes five new readings--by renowned contemporary philosophers Anthony Brueckner, John Martin Fischer, Alan Goldman, Rosalind Hursthouse, and Thomas Nagel--and additional descriptive material on the authors throughout the book.

An updated Instructor's Resource CD includes a test bank of exam questions, sample syllabi, summaries of each reading, and additional pedagogical tools. A Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/perry features the same material included on the CD and also links to a separate site for students, which offers multiple-choice self-quizzes; pedagogical material; and an interactive blog featuring recommended websites, news articles, helpful anecdotes, and interviews.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199812993
• ISBN13: 9780199812998
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 896 Pages
• Weight: 3.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 9.2" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Leftists Indoctrination Textbook

This is an indoctrination text meant to sway kids into accepting an anti-Christian worldview and replacing it with "the self." Start with the Bible, then read actual philosophers and intellectuals such as Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Richard Hooker, Monstesquieu, Locke, Blackstone, Edmund Burke, Edward Coke, Thomas Reid, Pufendorf, Burlamaqui, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Elias Boudinot, Leo Strauss, Russell Kirk, C.S. Lewis, etc.

Introduction to Philosophy Classical and Contemporary Readings

This collection of excerpts gives the reader a good overview of western philosophy on several broad topics, suchas the Nature of God and The Problem of Good and Evil. Some of the readings are rather long, particlarly the political philosophy sections. Although a student of philosophy should supplement a thourghly conducted overiew with additional literature, Introduction to Philosphy is a great place to start.

a comprehensive and thorough overview

I used this book in an intro philosophy course in college and have been looking for it ever since. It presents original texts, plus thoughtful commentary and overviews that did not condense or simplify difficult topics. It is also incredibly thorough - if a work is part of the philosophical canon, it is in here, no matter how obscure. Now that I've found it again, its definitely going into my library as a standard reference text.