Philosophy: A Guide Through the Subject

This is an introduction and guide through philosophy. It is intended to accompany a complete university course in philosphy, orientating, assisting, and stimulating the student at every stage. It comprises eleven extended essays, specially commissioned from leading philosophers. Each essay surveys a major area of the subject and offers an accessible but sophisticated account of the main debates. An extended introduction maps out the philosophical terrain and explains how the different subjects relate to each other. The first part of the book deals with the foundations of philosophical enquiry: epistemology; philosophical logic; methodology; metaphysics; and the philosophy of mind . The second part offers four historical chapters, two on ancient and two on modern philosophy, introducing great thinkers from the past, explaining and discussing their ideas, and showing the value of studying them today. The third part comprises two chapters devoted to questions of value, in ethics and aesthetics. Full annotated bibliographies are provided at the ends of chapters to serve as guides to further reading. This is real philosophy, not simplified philosophy: it will be accessible for the beginner but equally valuable for the third year student. Difficult and challenging questions are not shirked; the reader will be given a sense of involvement in the practise of philosophy today. This book is intended for all undergraduate students of philosophy (first-year to third-year) and their teachers. Also general readers and readers from other academic disciplines.