Philosophy

Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction

Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction

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  • Author：Edward Craig
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Summary

How ought we to live？ What really exists？ How do we know？ This Very Short Introduction discusses some of the key questions philosophy engages with。 Edward Craig explores important themes in ethics， and the nature of knowledge and the self， through readings from Plato， Hume， Descartes， Hegel， Darwin， and Buddhist writers。 Throughout， he emphasizes why we do phiilosophy， explains how different areas of philosophy are related， and explores the contexts in which philosophy was and is done。

This new edition includes a new chapter on free will， discussing determinism and indeterminism in the context of Descartes and Hegel's work。 Craig also covers the Problem of Evil， and Kant's argument on the source of moral obligation。

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area。 These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly。 Our expert authors combine facts， analysis， perspective， new ideas， and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable。

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Reviews

Jeremy Ngadiman3 ，

This book is an introduction to philosophy， and a good one at that。 It consists of eight chapters。 It begins by describing what philosophy is （broadly enough to include more spiritual branches of philosophy） and then exploring philosophy's three main questions: what should I do （morality）， how do we know things （epistemology）， and what is the general nature of things （ontology/metaphysics）。 It then proceeds to mention common themes explored in philosophy， well-known philosophical theories （the a This book is an introduction to philosophy， and a good one at that。 It consists of eight chapters。 It begins by describing what philosophy is （broadly enough to include more spiritual branches of philosophy） and then exploring philosophy's three main questions: what should I do （morality）， how do we know things （epistemology）， and what is the general nature of things （ontology/metaphysics）。 It then proceeds to mention common themes explored in philosophy， well-known philosophical theories （the author calls them "philosophical doctrines"）， and the author's own selection of recommended philosopher's and their works summarized （which finally helped me understand Hegel， amongst others）。 It then ends with a chapter exploring why philosophy could benefit people despite the impression that it is "unworldly" and "remote from reality。"Perhaps the best point of this book is its clarity。 The work is made in such a way that you know what each chapter's main point is about and how it connects to the book's structure overall。 It successfully inserts selected philosophical passages in each chapter to illustrate what the subject of philosophy is about and give readers a taste of how it goes about doing so through the subject's famous authors and their works。 The chapters on general themes and philosophical doctrines also presents the discipline systematically which is useful for readers to navigate specific branches and theories in philosophy later on。 In short， the book is able to convey a condensed amount of （sometimes complex） information with good clarity， something that I think not all past books I've read in the "A Very Short Introduction" series was successful with。There are other good points worth mentioning。 Its language retains the series' conversational tone which means the book is written in easy-to-read language。 The author also writes very honestly， so the book is critical enough to explore debates and the author's limitations or opinions。 It can also at times be humorous; indeed， if I recall correctly， this may be the first time that I look forward to reading the captions because of the funny jabs they make while describing their pictures。 I even found a flat earth reference， and this book was written in 2002。 Finally， the book also includes non-Western perspectives， mostly Indian philosophy， and does not shy away from describing the more spiritual backgrounds behind Western philosophy as well。The book begins and ends with a compelling message overall。 Everyone has a sense of values and has thought about philosophy's three main questions， so everyone is virtually a philosopher even if they are not academics in a university's philosophy department。 Moreover， philosophy can at times be very weird because it reflects the diversity of thinking and viewpoints of humanity at large， so even if studying philosophy does not help you answer the big questions in life， it could help you understand better what people can be like， if not in terms human nature then at least in terms of how they think。 。。。more

Andrew Allison ，

Just wanted to get my bearings before getting too deep into the subject。

Tamuna Margievi ，

ცუდი არაა， მაგრამ ბევრი იდეაა ჩაყრილი და ცოტა ქაოტურია。 პ。ს。 შრიფტის ზომამ თვალები დამთხარა。

Andy ，

Definitely enjoyed this Very Short Introduction compared to some of the others I've read。 I really like how he has organised this book， covering some important texts and what they are trying to convey。 I do wish it went more into the branches of philosophy， but overall a short easy read。 Definitely enjoyed this Very Short Introduction compared to some of the others I've read。 I really like how he has organised this book， covering some important texts and what they are trying to convey。 I do wish it went more into the branches of philosophy， but overall a short easy read。 。。。more

Maryam ，

This book was in my bookshelf for a long time， but I thought with a couple of degrees in Philosophy why should I bother to read an introduction！Such a naive arrogant l was to deprive myself from this little gem written by the editor of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy， Edward Craig。 No matter whether you are an expert in the field or completely an outsider， this short introduction has something for everyone。

Vysh ，

I wish I could say I understood anything this book said， it put me to sleep so thank you for curing my sleeping problems I guess。 Did not enjoy the last chapter including two groups not yet discussed， added in as an afterthought - women and animals。

Grace ，

Really great book for a beginner and made me realise how much there is to learn。 Very interesting and at times a little confusing as slightly complex ideas were summarised quickly。 It offers lots of insight into where to carry on with developing knowledge on the subject。

Sam ，

Pithy， conversational， with a sense of humour。 I've read some more comprehensive overviews or histories of philosophy lately， which I loved， so I turned to this to briefly refresh。 These kinds of brief overviews often have gems that turn up， and this introduction did not disappoint。 Craig could not quite conceal how difficult it is to write succinctly about philosophy。 He did a pretty good job in the writing though， and the visible effort to summarise vast areas of knowledge and thinking was act Pithy， conversational， with a sense of humour。 I've read some more comprehensive overviews or histories of philosophy lately， which I loved， so I turned to this to briefly refresh。 These kinds of brief overviews often have gems that turn up， and this introduction did not disappoint。 Craig could not quite conceal how difficult it is to write succinctly about philosophy。 He did a pretty good job in the writing though， and the visible effort to summarise vast areas of knowledge and thinking was actually quite enjoyable and informative to absorb。 Some background knowledge casts in relief the bones from which Craig is sketching; that is to say it is apparent how truncated some of his explanations （necessarily） are， but this might make an accessible first foray for the curious into my favourite field of inquiry。 。。。more

Julia Lo ，

I’ve never read one of these Very Short Introduction books before。 It’s like a series of book reviews。

Liam ，

This is a whirlwind introduction to a slew of ideas in philosophy。 The author examines time tested works put forth by some of the most influential thinkers of previous generations。 I especially enjoyed the survey of Descartes， Hegel and Nietzsche。 I disliked how at times the author sprinkled in some of his own， unelaborated opinions， slightly weakening the objectivity of this survey。Nonetheless， as an introductory book， I believe it has achieved its goal， leaving me wanting to dive into some of This is a whirlwind introduction to a slew of ideas in philosophy。 The author examines time tested works put forth by some of the most influential thinkers of previous generations。 I especially enjoyed the survey of Descartes， Hegel and Nietzsche。 I disliked how at times the author sprinkled in some of his own， unelaborated opinions， slightly weakening the objectivity of this survey。Nonetheless， as an introductory book， I believe it has achieved its goal， leaving me wanting to dive into some of the big ideas in which us readers were merely given a taste for。 。。。more

Hom Sack ，

I didn't feel that he explained clearly what he deem as the main goal of philosophy， i。e。 "What should I do？"， "How do we know？"， and "What am I？"。 At least not to me。 The respective chapters are interesting nevertheless。 I think he could have done a better job in 116 pages。 Nice bibliography for further reading though。 I didn't feel that he explained clearly what he deem as the main goal of philosophy， i。e。 "What should I do？"， "How do we know？"， and "What am I？"。 At least not to me。 The respective chapters are interesting nevertheless。 I think he could have done a better job in 116 pages。 Nice bibliography for further reading though。 。。。more

Jason Broander ，

A useful overview of major peaks in the landscape of philosophy。 But！—where is Martin Heidegger？ Not to be found （not even in the index）。 The author does mention the French deconstructionists who are derivative of Heidegger， but does not mention the man himself。 And thus， this book is quite useful to understanding philosophy through Nietzsche， but almost useless to understanding it through today。One can speculate as to why there is such a glaring crater in the work， it was certainly not an accid A useful overview of major peaks in the landscape of philosophy。 But！—where is Martin Heidegger？ Not to be found （not even in the index）。 The author does mention the French deconstructionists who are derivative of Heidegger， but does not mention the man himself。 And thus， this book is quite useful to understanding philosophy through Nietzsche， but almost useless to understanding it through today。One can speculate as to why there is such a glaring crater in the work， it was certainly not an accident to exclude Heidegger。 One suspects it is because to mention Heidegger would also mean that the dismissal of Aristotle in the work too wouldn’t stand， for Heidegger himself said his own thought began only after decades of grappling with Aristotle himself。 And then we would have to bring in those who reacted to Heidegger like Leo Strauss， but they would lead us to have to also address the crisis of modernity。 And then， one would see how superficial and hollow this work is， doing nothing philosophic and only providing the history of philosophy。 What tasted sweet at the outset leaves one only hungry for real sustenance。 And， as I said， all intentional by the author。How unphilosophic， to avoid the hard questions of our modern existence， leaving the neophyte thinking they know something about philosophy when instead they have been deceived by omission。 How indeed does the author sleep comfortably with this professional malpractice on his conscience？ 。。。more

Ruth ，

Very clear and accessible。

Viltarė Platzner ，

Not great not terrible。 For what it is - a short introduction to philosophy - this book serves its title。 Introducing the main themes of philosophy， takes few philosophers and speak about them a bit in a deeper sense。 But it is not a book where you will find a short history of philosophy and philosophers。 It rather a mix of names and themes。 But for a complete start I would say can be the book。

Ajay ，

Pithy and （mostly） accessible， the true value of this work is in the roadmap it provides for a more detailed foray into the subject of philosophy。

สฤณี อาชวานันทกุล ，

อ่านเพลินๆ สนุกดี ชอบที่ผู้เขียนเน้นอธิบาย "วิธีคิด" ของนักปรัชญา มากกว่าจะไล่เรียงปรัชญาไปทีละสำนัก ประเด็นที่ชอบคือการอธิบายความคิดของนักปรัชญาในบริบทยุคสมัยของพวกเขา และการแสดงความเชื่อมโยงระหว่างแขนงต่างๆ ของปรัชญา ผ่านการยกตัวอย่างความคิดของนักปรัชญาคนสำคัญๆ ในอดีต เช่น เอพิคิวรัส โสเครติส ฮูม คัมภีร์อุปนิษัท เดส์การ์ต นิทเชอ เฮเกล มิลล์ ฯลฯ บทสุดท้ายปิดฉากได้ดีด้วยการตั้งคำถาม "มีอะไรในปรัชญา และเพื่อใคร" ยกตัวอย่างประเด็นถกเถียงโลกแตกอมตะ อาทิ รัฐ แรงงาน ผู้หญิง ฯลฯ เป็นหนังสือเล่มเล็ก （< อ่านเพลินๆ สนุกดี ชอบที่ผู้เขียนเน้นอธิบาย "วิธีคิด" ของนักปรัชญา มากกว่าจะไล่เรียงปรัชญาไปทีละสำนัก ประเด็นที่ชอบคือการอธิบายความคิดของนักปรัชญาในบริบทยุคสมัยของพวกเขา และการแสดงความเชื่อมโยงระหว่างแขนงต่างๆ ของปรัชญา ผ่านการยกตัวอย่างความคิดของนักปรัชญาคนสำคัญๆ ในอดีต เช่น เอพิคิวรัส โสเครติส ฮูม คัมภีร์อุปนิษัท เดส์การ์ต นิทเชอ เฮเกล มิลล์ ฯลฯ บทสุดท้ายปิดฉากได้ดีด้วยการตั้งคำถาม "มีอะไรในปรัชญา และเพื่อใคร" ยกตัวอย่างประเด็นถกเถียงโลกแตกอมตะ อาทิ รัฐ แรงงาน ผู้หญิง ฯลฯ เป็นหนังสือเล่มเล็ก （< 200 หน้า） ที่ใช้แนะนำ "วิธีคิด" ของนักปรัชญาได้โอเคเลย อาจารย์สายพิณแปลได้ราบรื่นและเลือกใช้คำได้อย่างเหมาะเจาะ น่าเสียดายที่พูดถึงนักปรัชญาหญิงแค่คนเดียว ในยุคที่วงการตื่นตัวกับบทบาทของนักปรัชญาหญิง （รวมทั้งในอดีตที่ถูกลืม） อย่างมาก 。。。more

عدنان عوض ，

كتاب جديد من "مقدمات قصيرة جداً" من مطبعة أكسفورد。من اطلاعي القليل على كتب في مقدمات الفلسفة، وجدت أنه لا يوجد كتاب "المقدمة" في الفلسفة، بل توجد عدة كتب وعدة مقدمات。。。 وهذا الكتاب هو أحدها。。。فمن خلال لغة سلسة وسرد بسيط ومختصر، يركز الكاتب على السؤال، أحد أساسيات الفلسفة وأعمدتها。。。 فينتقل في أهم وأقدم وأعم الأسئلة الفلسفية ويسرد فيها أراء الفلاسفة سرداً تعريفياً لطيفاً يجعلك تدرك ماهيّة الفلسفة。。。 قبل أن تبحر في فلاسفتها وخلافاتهم。。。 كتاب جديد من "مقدمات قصيرة جداً" من مطبعة أكسفورد。من اطلاعي القليل على كتب في مقدمات الفلسفة، وجدت أنه لا يوجد كتاب "المقدمة" في الفلسفة، بل توجد عدة كتب وعدة مقدمات。。。 وهذا الكتاب هو أحدها。。。فمن خلال لغة سلسة وسرد بسيط ومختصر، يركز الكاتب على السؤال، أحد أساسيات الفلسفة وأعمدتها。。。 فينتقل في أهم وأقدم وأعم الأسئلة الفلسفية ويسرد فيها أراء الفلاسفة سرداً تعريفياً لطيفاً يجعلك تدرك ماهيّة الفلسفة。。。 قبل أن تبحر في فلاسفتها وخلافاتهم。。。 。。。more

Jonathan Thompson ，

It's fine though waffles a bit on some topics （might just be my lack of interest which makes it seem this way） and is lacking on others。 Would be nice if all terms could be explained。The VSI collection has extended face and back covers of the book， presumably to act as bookmarks but they are too short。 If you use them， the pages will be squashed and bend so bookmark with something else。 It's fine though waffles a bit on some topics （might just be my lack of interest which makes it seem this way） and is lacking on others。 Would be nice if all terms could be explained。The VSI collection has extended face and back covers of the book， presumably to act as bookmarks but they are too short。 If you use them， the pages will be squashed and bend so bookmark with something else。 。。。more

Mariam Kajaia ，

ყველასთვის მარტივად გასაგები ენით დაწერილი， ძალიან ზოგადი წიგნია。 ფილოსოფიის შესახებ უკვე არსებული ცოდნის დახარისხებაში დამეხმარა， მაგრამ არანაირი ახალი ინფორმაცია არ მიმიღია。

Kirsty ，

admittedly， I didn't read this entirely of my own free will （if I have any at all， but that's a question for another day） because I did and buy and read it with the intent of putting it on my personal statement， and it does a very good job of being useful for that purpose。 but， it's also a good text in its own right - Craig's writing is smooth， and his choice of topics neither too narrow nor too wide to make philosophy feel impossible to navigate。 I would keep in mind that some points are diffic admittedly， I didn't read this entirely of my own free will （if I have any at all， but that's a question for another day） because I did and buy and read it with the intent of putting it on my personal statement， and it does a very good job of being useful for that purpose。 but， it's also a good text in its own right - Craig's writing is smooth， and his choice of topics neither too narrow nor too wide to make philosophy feel impossible to navigate。 I would keep in mind that some points are difficult to understand without being able to read the text he's talking about， making this a far more expensive and time consuming introduction than it might first seem if you want to do it properly。 but， that isn't necessary - it's a good starting point in its own right 。。。more

Maxim ，

A decent attempt to introduce the topic， provide a motivation for doing philosophy and the key questions it covers and a short introduction into some key texts from Plato， Hume， Buddhist philosophy， Mill， Descartes， Hegel， Nietzsche and a few others。 The explanations are easy to follow and Craig does a good job to make his readers curious about reading the primary works himself - which is probably the most important take away from this short book。

Alok Sharma ，

woah！don't get into trap of this book being a short introduction。it is short in size， yes。but the range of philosophical ideas it possess is vast。author touched various domains。a glaring glimpse for people who would like to start philosophy 。 woah！don't get into trap of this book being a short introduction。it is short in size， yes。but the range of philosophical ideas it possess is vast。author touched various domains。a glaring glimpse for people who would like to start philosophy 。 。。。more

Jason ，

An enjoyable book that was always readable （which is lacking a lot of the time in philosophy books） and that was issue-based as opposed to school-based。 Had some clever things to say throughout and was deeply insightful often。

W ，

A fairly gentle and encouraging introduction for someone who （like me） doesn't have much familiarity with philosophy but is genuinely interested in it。One warning: Craig requests the reader to go through texts such as Crito and Hume's Of Miracles before reading his chapters on them。 However， these are long （relative to Craig's book） and complex pieces which are analysed in the VSI only briefly， and it is not necessary or particularly fruitful to read them in conjunction with this book。 A fairly gentle and encouraging introduction for someone who （like me） doesn't have much familiarity with philosophy but is genuinely interested in it。One warning: Craig requests the reader to go through texts such as Crito and Hume's Of Miracles before reading his chapters on them。 However， these are long （relative to Craig's book） and complex pieces which are analysed in the VSI only briefly， and it is not necessary or particularly fruitful to read them in conjunction with this book。 。。。more

Aaron ，

Can’t say this is the best introductory book about philosophy one can ever imagine。 As a matter of fact， given what we’re dealing with here is a subject ranked among the most abstract of all fields of knowledge and presented in its broadest sense， I doubt whether it’s possible for such a book to ever exist。 Still， it’s done a fairly decent job of inducting lay readers into this bewildering thicket of cerebral domain。 A little prior knowledge is certainly recommended， though by no means necessary Can’t say this is the best introductory book about philosophy one can ever imagine。 As a matter of fact， given what we’re dealing with here is a subject ranked among the most abstract of all fields of knowledge and presented in its broadest sense， I doubt whether it’s possible for such a book to ever exist。 Still， it’s done a fairly decent job of inducting lay readers into this bewildering thicket of cerebral domain。 A little prior knowledge is certainly recommended， though by no means necessary。The author， whose writing marked by casually conversational prose style and whimsical sense of humor is vividly articulate and indelibly memorable， serves as a great tour guide showing us around an intimidatingly vast intellectual kingdom， giving us a sense of its contours and occasionally leading us into a deeper appreciation of some of its most prestigious attractions， while for the rest， leaving us a map with signposts on it referring us to other academic sources to help navigate through。 The chapters are well-arranged so that readers can easily follow and the Western philosophy-dominated content properly balanced with some mention of Hindu philosophy here and there。The topic-based rather than people-based approach， with one philosopher’s whole system of thought， comprising typically of various works homing in on different aspects， meticulously taken apart first and then dished up in accordance with the topic in question piece by piece， is consciously designed to eschew overwhelming readers and in this way offer them an opportunity to naturally familiarize themselves along the process with the jargons and lines characteristic of this philosopher。 Some topics are more beautifully addressed than others。 Few， unfortunately， are discussed at length as they deserve to make the exposition less difficult to penetrate or to evince their larger context， due to the limited scope of this project as demanded by this series。 。。。more

Michael Brown ，

Introduces one， but only just， to several important concepts in Philosophy。 Doesn't go to deeply into any one idea more than skimming the surface of a series of important names throughout the ages， and posing the questions。 How ought we to live？ What really exists？ and How do we know？ If you have already read a big book on the subject， this little one might revise your interest， but as to answers， it doesn't do much。 I found it a bit confusing。 Introduces one， but only just， to several important concepts in Philosophy。 Doesn't go to deeply into any one idea more than skimming the surface of a series of important names throughout the ages， and posing the questions。 How ought we to live？ What really exists？ and How do we know？ If you have already read a big book on the subject， this little one might revise your interest， but as to answers， it doesn't do much。 I found it a bit confusing。 。。。more

Netcy ，

A great introduction to philosophy。 I loved it。 I'm not usually interested in philosophy， but this book changed my way of seeing things， and gave me the interest to learn more on this very broad field。 Definitely recommend it。 A great introduction to philosophy。 I loved it。 I'm not usually interested in philosophy， but this book changed my way of seeing things， and gave me the interest to learn more on this very broad field。 Definitely recommend it。 。。。more

Toby Katz ，

Craig’s short introduction is a compact commentary on philosophy; where and when different philosophical themes have developed and where they have led us。 A brilliant addition to the series by OUP。 Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an introduction into the subject。

Steen Ledet ，

Too idiosyncratic in its choices and it’s conversationalist style grows stale。

Jaymes Dunlap ，

I found this book to be a useful introduction to the subject。 I have some familiarity with the intro concepts on a basic college level。 Applied versus historical， this writing favors the later， and seems most concerned about defining where this field originates and who/when the ideas came into being。If you generally enjoy the theory behind philosophy， and like to know when， where， and who the ideas originated from， then this book is a great place to start。 You will be briefly introduced to the i I found this book to be a useful introduction to the subject。 I have some familiarity with the intro concepts on a basic college level。 Applied versus historical， this writing favors the later， and seems most concerned about defining where this field originates and who/when the ideas came into being。If you generally enjoy the theory behind philosophy， and like to know when， where， and who the ideas originated from， then this book is a great place to start。 You will be briefly introduced to the ideas of specific thinkers and their fruits of mind （think Aristotle， Plato， Descartes， Hume， Darwin， Hegel， Kant， Marx， Nietzsche， Buddhism）。Let me use food as an analogy to philosophy。 To think of this book another way， it is more like a "brief history of food and cooking。" If you are more interested in the applied ideas （and only vaguely interested in who developed it）， you might want to pick up another book more on par with being a philosophical version of a standard cookbook。 。。。more

Reference

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The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0