Philosophy For Dummies Paperback – September 21, 1999

Having only a cursory exposure to the study of Philosophy, this work was very helpful. If you are looking for a start at the very basic level, that is the Author's goal, and I think he does it very well.I have seen some negative comments of being an attempt to steer people to a particular belief, I disagree. The Author is very up front regarding personal experiences that have shaped his perceptions of things before he ever found and interest in Philosophy. I wonder about some of the comments: If they read the beginning of the book, the, "About it Book", section in particular; He is very up front; if he didn't give some idea of the process he used to reach HIS conclusions (also something to think about), it would be a work as interesting as the teacher in, "Ferris Buller's Day Off".If it does offend offend someone's sensibilities in what truth is, who never delved into the Philosophy of it or the Philosophical Arguments before, and it gets them thinking as well as looking deeper into the arguments, because they aren't satisfied with what is presented; Hasn't the Author achieved one of his stated goals? It got them interested.He does a great job of introducing and exploring the definitions, and terms, used in the world of studying philosophy. To someone who has no idea what the premise of materialism is, they will come away knowing it's not who believes in acquiring as much stuff as you can. So in applying that example to the rest of the, "isms", out there - is the mission not accomplished?

Tom Morris presents a user friendly guide into the ancient discipline of philosophy. He calls us to wrestle with the great questions: The nature of knowledge, questions about death (and life after death) and ultimately, is there a God. Now while I understand some of the criticims of this book, I believe them to be unfounded. True, I bought the book to get an understanding of philosophy NOT for theistic apologetics; however, Tom provides a clear, step-by-step roadmap to why philosophy ultimately leads a rational person to a belief in God. Tom sets out to make philosophy fun and accessible and mission accomplished. To often are we distracted by the things in this world and we don't ask the real questions that matter. Blaise Pascal thought this a shame and it's clear that Tom agrees. What's more, he's put forward a convincing case why the reader should as well. I think this book will benefit not just the person curious about philosophy but the person who is willing to see the distractions of this life for that they really are, distractions, and to begin wrapping their mind around the most fundamental questions. Highly recommend.

The book is good and will provide a beginner with a helpful introduction to a vast array of philosophy topics. It is a little biased, though, towards a dualist-western-Judaic-Christian world view. As it seems to be the case, in many philosophies works, the criticism against his opponents is positively sound, while the arguments for his opinions are not so appealing.

Tom has written a brief and delightful book here about the subject of philosophy. He does seem to favor his own views of dualism and theism, much to the dismay of other philosophers who have read this book. I liked the presentation and his message. If you are of some more religious disposition you'll probably like this book. If not then this might not be the one for you. Or maybe this is the one for you? At the very least he quotes a lot of philosophers and writers and is a very good example of a motivational theistic philosopher.

My very conservative Christian school used this book as the textbook for their general-level philosophy class. I think people are very sensitive to bias when it goes against their own bias, hence the very divided reviews for this book. I think it would be very hard to write a completely unbiased philosophy book, because the issues are so personal. The author does cover many different viewpoints, but this definitely gives you more of one side of the story and less of the other. But the way I see it, whether you agree with it or not "read it and grow wise!"You can read my bias in my book rating (:

This book has amazing worth for those who have not had the opportunity for formal training in Philosophy. Morris lays out opposing views and walks us through the personal debates we each face as we consider some of the deeper meanings of life. His purpose for being is evident with each chosen word.

Love the book, price was great and shipping time fantastic!

I read this book having previously studied philosophy and more or less finding philosophy tedious. Ask a question, talk in circles until you can’t bear it any longer and arrive back where you started, without an answer. Or maybe you attempt a proof of something that cannot be proven, yet 99.999% of all sane people believe.My purpose for revisiting this was because I was reading a theological treatise and wanted to refresh my understanding of some of the philosophy and philosophers referenced in that text.I was disappointed in that end, but if you are truly looking for a primer, this book is as good as any. It offers a light and at times entertaining look at many of the basic principles off the topic.If you want anything more than a glancing look at what some of the major philosophers actually thought and wrote, this probably isn’t it.