Philosophical Dilemmas: Building a Worldview

by Phil Washburn

Book Overview

Lucidly written, this extensive and very original introduction to philosophy features over fifty brief, jargon-free essays arranged in pairs. Each pair answers one of the principal philosophical questions, such as "Does God exist?" or "Are we free?", with two opposing points of view. On the topic of relativism, for example, one essay argues that morality is created by society and relative to it, while the other claims that moral standards are absolute...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195106938
• ISBN13: 9780195106930
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent, easy-to-read, pro and con format for topics

This introductory text seems to me to offer students a well rounded, topic-oriented, introduction to philosophy. There are five main topic categories with four to six sub topics in each. The topics are presented in a pro-con format, with Washburn writing as an advocate of the pro, con and sometimes middle position. He puts himself in the position of a defender of each position, summarizes their arguments and forcefully presents them as an advocate might. These are written in a style that should be very easy for students to understand, without compromising substance. Each sub section is followed by a brief look at a specific philosophical method or technique (such as arguments, analgoies, and more specific techniques) and by a summary outline of the nature of the dilemma just presented. Both of these sections are very useful in introducing critical thinking techniques, analytic tools philosophers use, and for pin-pointing the precise nature of the issues raised in the pro-con sections. While I have not yet taught from this book, I am using it in all my intro classes this fall. I anticipate that my students will find the book gets them into important topics, provides a good outline of the various positions taken by philosophers on the topics, and gives them additional insight into what philosophy is and how it is practiced. I am very much looking forward to trying the text out next semester. There is also an instructor's manual available, but I have not yet received my copy, so I cannot comment on it. Overall, the only possible drawback is that this is not a book that contains any primary source materials, either as excerpts or full texts of articles. If you are the kind of instructor who wishes such primary sources, perhaps a supplemental anthology would help. Otherwise an excellent topic-oriented text!!