- Paperback: 191 pages
- Publisher: Routledge; Third Edition edition (1 April 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0415146941
- ISBN-13: 978-0415146944
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 236,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Review
Review of fourth edition - 'Philosophy: The Basics deservedly remains the most recommended introductionto philosophy on the market. Warburton is patient, accurate and, above all, clear. There is no better short introduction to philosophy.' - Stephen Law
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Review
Review of fourth edition -
'Philosophy: The Basics deservedly remains the most recommended introductionto philosophy on the market. Warburton is patient, accurate and, above all, clear. There is no better short introduction to philosophy.' - Stephen Law
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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What is philosophy? Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 59 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was written with the philosophical novice in mind, and it succeeds emphatically at introducing the basic philosophical problems to the beginner. The topics covered are: The Existence of God, morality and ethics, politics, epistemology (the theory of knowledge - i.e. "what can we know?"), the philosophy of science, the philosophy of the mind, and aesthetics (art and beauty).
The book is written in a VERY accessible style, so even if you have never encountered philosophy or have previously been put off by dense and hard-to-understand texts, with this book you won't have that problem.
For each of the topics covered Nigel Warburton discusses how it has been proposed, and what the counter-arguments are, and encourages you to think for yourself along the way. At the end of each section there are suggested reading lists if you want to pursue the matter with your own further reading.
The one reservation I have is that obviously, being a philosopher, the author has some preferences for particular arguments as opposed to others. There is a slight hint in places that this is so, and so STRICTLY speaking not all is neutral. But I don't think this undermines the book as a beginner's text AT ALL. I would highly recommend it.
The book is written in a VERY accessible style, so even if you have never encountered philosophy or have previously been put off by dense and hard-to-understand texts, with this book you won't have that problem.
For each of the topics covered Nigel Warburton discusses how it has been proposed, and what the counter-arguments are, and encourages you to think for yourself along the way. At the end of each section there are suggested reading lists if you want to pursue the matter with your own further reading.
The one reservation I have is that obviously, being a philosopher, the author has some preferences for particular arguments as opposed to others. There is a slight hint in places that this is so, and so STRICTLY speaking not all is neutral. But I don't think this undermines the book as a beginner's text AT ALL. I would highly recommend it.
78 of 81 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
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.
64 of 67 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An easy approach!
This gives a good depth into 'the basics' of philosophy. It is divided into seven chapters including God, right and wrong, politics, the external world, science, mind,and art. Read more
Published 1 month ago by The Reader
A almost new second hand book
It just take two weeks to receive the book, it's amazing! And the condition of the book is just the same as described.
Published 9 months ago by Katherine Ho
Laid out well
Good basic(as the title suggests) introduction to philosophy. Love how the book is laid out,with so many subjects and their counterarguments and easy precise... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mat
Good Introduction
I learned some political philosophy in my degree course many years ago and I have always been interested in finding out more about philosophy in general, a topic , which like... Read more
Published 10 months ago by L. Davidson
an excellent introduction to philosophy
This is an excellent introduction to basic ideas and topics. It is clearly written and very well structured. Read more
Published 18 months ago by louise
introduction to philosophical themes
This book is a good introduction to philosophical areas such as mind, science etc. The chapters are quite long though, Warburton provides criticisms of each theory to help clarify... Read more
Published 19 months ago by lauren1
Good book
Was interesting and easy to understand.
I'd recommend to anyone who wants a basic understanding of philosophy
I'd recommend to anyone who wants a basic understanding of philosophy
Published on 18 April 2010 by George
Good Book Review
Well written, easy to understand, not boring. You get a good grasp of what is philosophy on a basic level. Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2009 by Stefano Brini
Peace of mind
I was considering taking philosophy as part of a joint honours with fine art at university; I have been advised that this is perhaps not such a wise decision so I opted for... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2009 by Katie
Surely a better introduction to this subject is possible
I don't want to pan this outright, not because I'm a kind reviewer but because I can see that it might be helpful to some readers and my own reasons for finding it largely... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2009 by digit
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