Tom Morris - Philosophy For Dummies

14 Index

15 About the Author

16 Advertisement Page

17 Connect with Dummies

18 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 5 TABLE 5-1 Examples of Three Belief Categories

2 Chapter 8TABLE 8-1 Humanity’s Relationship to TruthTABLE 8-2 Two Modes of Experiencing Beauty

3 Chapter 12TABLE 12-1 Philosophical Views on the Question of Free WillTABLE 12-2 Philosophical Views on the Question of Free Will

4 Chapter 23TABLE 23-1 An Example of a Bet to Illustrate the Expected Value FormulaTABLE 23-2 The Issue of Theism and Atheism Cast as a Gambling Situation

5 Chapter 26TABLE 26-1 Is There a God?

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Copyright

4 Table of Contents

5 Begin Reading

6 Index

7 About the Author

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P hilosophy For Dummies ? What a concept! Is this the ultimate oxymoron, a contradiction in terms, or at least an utter impossibility in the making, an exercise in futility on a par with Advanced Calculus For Toddlers or Neurosurgery For Nitwits ? No. Not at all. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates (fifth century, BCE) thought that, when it comes to The Ultimate Questions, absolutely everyone starts off as a dummy. But he also thought that if you’ll humbly admit how little you actually know, you can really begin to learn. With an open mind and a keen focus, you can discover great things.

The word philosophy comes from linguistic roots that mean, simply “the love of wisdom.” And this is worth pondering. Consider for a moment any real object of love. When you lack it, you pursue it. When you have it, you embrace it. Philosophy, then, is just about the pursuit and embracing of wisdom, which involves some of the most fundamental truths and insightful perspectives about life that can help us on our path through the world.

This is the right book for you if you ever wonder about the big issues in life, or the deeper truths, and want a little guidance for making some progress with them. It is also a great help if you’re a student taking your first course in philosophy and are not quite sure about what’s going on in class. I aim to be clear about things that are often confusing and help you make progress in thinking through for yourself some of the most important and basic human questions. My son’s Introduction to Philosophy professor at Harvard long ago once confided to him that he used this book to prepare for his own Friday discussion groups. But we’ll just keep that between us, okay? So, yeah, even if you’re an Ivy League professor, I hope you’ll find things here that are helpful. We’ll do some real philosophy together and have more fun with it than you might ever have thought possible.

Philosophical questions deal with serious issues, but serious isn’t the same thing as somber. You can actually have fun and enjoy thinking about things that matter. In a top university course I had the joy of teaching for many years, I told stories derived from my own wild life experiences, as well as borrowing many illustrations from the great philosophers of previous centuries to clarify the issues. Personal tales from my own path through the world often provided just the right imaginative boost necessary to help my first-time students see the importance of a big question about life — and then maybe glimpse a good path or procedure toward for its resolution. I hope my stories here help you in the same way.

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