Product Description

This text is aimed at anyone coming to philosophy for the first time, gently easing the reader into the world of philosophy. Each chapter considers a key area of the subject, explaining and exploring the basic ideas and themes. The third edition updates and expands the main text. It is being published to coincide with the publication of "Philosophy: Basic Readings", a companion guide of key philosophical readings. These two books together seek to make an ideal and straightforward introduction to philosophy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #261069 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

Every philosopher at every level should own this book
I did a philosophy degree and I remember getting a bit dismayed by some of the books I had to read. Then I stumbled across this. In his introduction he writes that philosophy is often seen as harder than it actually is and this is because many philosophers aren't good writers.

This is 100% true and restored my faith in philosophy. Warburton is an extremely clear writer and covers the essential points is a lucid manner. If it's within the scope of this book then any essay you have to write, or topic you are interested in should begin with this book. Of course you will need others but this is a great starting point.

See also his 'philosophy: a-z' You might also find Bryan Magee's books useful and Bertrand Russell is a bit of a genius too.

Great for anyone!
I have just embarked on a two year philosophy A-Level course and i am using Warburton's book as a stepping stone to discoving many aspects of philosophy. The clarity and use of language makes this book easy for anyone to understand, not just academics. It allows easy access to the world of philosophy unlike so many other books on this topic. Well done Nigel!

Excellent summary, ideal for beginner
Context: I always wanted to do a philosophy degree, but other subjects always seemed more practical. So at the age of 32, after a BA, MB, BChir, and MRCS, I started reading with the help of Warburton's book and a couple of philosophy PhD students at Cambridge.

The book: Short, crisp, lays out philosophical positions well. A wonderful starting and jumping-off point and organiser when you don't have the structure of an academic course to follow. I would recommend it to people with similar requirements to me. However, remember that philosophy needs to be discussed, not merely read. My first mistake was to treat philosophy as a body of knowledge to be acquired, much as science and medicine was.