Moving on...
Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder. I read this book from cover to cover when I was in Germany. The writing was clear enough for me to read it in German, and it's quite comprehensive. I think this might be the best book to read if philosophy-writing normally makes your eyes glaze over.
Think, by Simon Blackburn. This seems to be the introduction that most philosophers use for their students. Of all these philosophers, Blackburn is probably the most important for contemporary debates, and is also quite a good writer. The book is short, and very good. It's also biased (especially regarding philosophy of religion. Ugh!), but whatcha gonna do? There's no way to escape bias in these things. There's a companion volume all about ethics called Being Good. This one receives my highest recommendation.
Timelies all!
Fun thing I remember from my childhood is tobogganing in our backyard. Our backyard had a nice slope to it, plus there was this rock that made a great ramp when covered in snow. You just had to be careful not to crash into the fence(s).
Corwood Industries asked about Philosophy for Beginners. I have not read that book, but I have read others in the series, e.g., Kierkegaard for Beginners. The Kierkegaard one was funny and enjoyable to read, but made only the sparest of contact with anything resembling philosophical rigor. In my soon-to-be professional opinion (come on, December 2006!) I wouldn't start with this one. But like I said, I have read the Philosophy for Beginners one, and that might be different.
Oops. I should have said, "I have not read the Philosophy for Beginners one, and that one might be different."
bob bob!!!
Give me the definition of ethics and morals. I love this. pops corn
Think, by Simon Blackburn.
This sounds like a winner. If I know what the biases are walking in to it, it won't enrage me and make me toss the book against a wall.
Philosophy: The Basics, by Nigel Warburton.
Anyone else thinking "BIG BLUE PHILOSOPHICAL JUSTICE!"?
Complete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy, by Jay Stephenson
I've heard of a lot of philosophers, but I've never heard of Jay Stephenson. I haven't heard any philosopher ever mention this book, and I don't think Stephenson teaches anywhere. I doubt it's horrible, but I can't tell you anything about this book.
Per the book reviews at Amazon [link] he doesn't appear to be a philosopher:
Jay Stevenson, Ph.D., teaches writing, cultural history, and theory at Rutgers University. He is coauthor of The Concise Guide to Grammar and The Concise Guide to Legal Terms, a contributor to both the North American Biography and International Biography series for Grolier, and has written extensively on philosophy, cultural history, technology, and literature. He is an internationally recognized authority on Margaret Cavendish, the first prominent female philosopher of the modern era. Dr. Stevenson resides in Piscataway, New Jersey.
and
Jay Stevenson received his Ph.D. in English literature from Rutgers University and currently works as a writer and editor in New Jersey. He is also an adjunct professor of reading at Rider University. His most recent books are The Complete Idiot’s Guide‚ to Eastern Philosophy, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide‚ to Angels. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Bob, do you know if Morris's
For Dummies
book has anything on Plantinga?
I was excited to read your comments on
Sophie's World.
It's been on my to-be-read shelf for too long.
Yeah, this is great. I bookmarked the beginning of the whole discussion for later reference.
Bob, do you know if Morris's For Dummies book has anything on Plantinga?
According to the index on Amazon, he makes no reference to Plantinga, but I wouldn't be surprised if a reference didn't sneak in anyway, at least in a "further reading" section. Plantinga so thoroughly transformed philosophy of religion, and is such a massive presence at Notre Dame, that I doubt Morris failed to mention him. At the same time, while Plantinga is an elegant writer, much of what he discusses is at quite a high level of abstraction, so Morris might have refrained from mentioning him for that reason.
