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Teach Yourself Western
Philosophy
Western philosophy
is a term that describes, and is limited to, a line of
philosophical thinking, that begins in Ancient Greece, and
includes the dominant philosophical thinking of Europe and its
holdings, right through to modern-day thinking. The term
philosophy originated in the West coming from the word
philosophia meaning the love of wisdom. Now many eastern and
other societies have adopted the term to describe various forms
of intellectual and theological thinking.
Western philosophy is
difficult to separate from Western religion, science, and
politics. Central concepts in these areas are considered
branches of Western philosophy. The Ancient Greeks considered
all of them as part of general intellectual thought. So today,
Western philosophy is hard to pin down. The only thing agreed
upon today, is the idea that philosophy is a more profound and
rational form of thought than the others.
The books below will
help you teach yourself more about Western
philosophy.
Click images to see more on Amazon.com
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Classics of Western
Philosophy - Steven M. Cahn - This
collection features unabridged works and
thoughtfully annotated translations and
editions. Introductions by distinguished
scholars including William Mann, Steven Cahn,
Patricia W. Kitcher, George Sher, Derk
Pereboom, Philip W. Kitcher, Charles Guignon,
Israel Scheffler, and Jonathan Vogel offer
authoritative guidance to the philosophers and
their work. Coverage extends into the twentieth
century currents of recent philosophical
thought.
Book - 5 stars
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A
History of Western Philosophy -
Bertrand Russell - From product
description: Since its first publication
the book has been universally acclaimed as
the best one-volume work on the subject --
unparalleled in
comprehensiveness, clarity,
erudition, grace and wit. In seventy-six
chapters he traces philosophy from the rise of
Greek civilization to the emergence of logical
analysis in the twentieth
century.
Book - 4 1/2
stars |
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Looking At Philosophy: The
Unbearable Heaviness of Philosophy Made
Lighter - From description: Distilled
from Donald
Palmer's more than 30 years of
teaching experiences, this approachable text
exemplifies Dr. Palmer's very successful
light-hearted approach to teaching introduction
to philosophy. Through the use of humor,
drawings, charts, and diagrams, serious
philosophical topics come alive for the
readers--without compromising the seriousness
of the subject matter. The text can be used as
a core text or as a supplement to any
reader.
Book - 4 1/2
stars |
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Philosophy Now
Magazine - How should we live? Is there a
God? What can we know? Philosophy Now is the
lively magazine for anyone who enjoys a good
argument about the big questions. Readable
and informative, it covers all aspects of
philosophy and is read by everyone from total
beginners to retired professors.
Magazine - 4
stars |
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Story of Philosophy:
The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest
Philosophers - Will Durant - Easily the most
engaging writer of Western intellectual history
in the English language, Durant breathes life
into philosophers and their ideas. He is
colorful, witty, and above all, informative.
Beginning with Socrates and ending with
American philosopher John Dewey, Durant
summarizes the lives and influence of
philosophy's greatest thinkers, painting them
with humanity and adding a few of his own wise
platitudes. Seventy-some years after its first
printing, The Story of Philosophy still stands
as one of the best of its kind.
Book - 4 1/2
stars |
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Batman and Philosophy: The
Dark Knight of the Soul - Why
doesn't Batman just kill the Joker and end
everyone's misery? Can we hold the Joker
morally responsible for his actions? Is Batman
better than Superman? If everyone followed
Batman's example, would Gotham be a better
place? What is the Tao of the Bat?
Batman is one of the most complex
characters ever to appear in comic books, graphic
novels, and on the big screen. Combing through
seventy years of comic books, television shows, and
movies, the book explores how the Dark
Knight grapples with ethical conundrums, moral
responsibility, his identity crisis, the moral
weight he carries to avenge his murdered
parents.
Book
- 4 stars |
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Introducing Philosophy: A Text
with Integrated Readings -
Robert C. Solomon
- an exciting and accessible introduction to
core philosophical problems and the many ways
in which they are, and have been, answered.
Insisting that philosophy is very much
alive today and that it is also deeply rooted
in the past, Solomon combines
significant
historical and current excerpts of
philosophy, clarifying the readings and
providing context with his own detailed
commentary and explanation. Spanning 2,500
years, the selections range from the oldest
known fragments to cutting-edge essays in
feminism, multiculturalism, and cognitive
science. They include work from Plato,
Confucius, Rene Descartes, and Immanuel
Kant through Emma Goldman, Sigmund Freud,
Albert Einstein, and Malcolm X.
Book - 4
stars |
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What Does It All Mean?: A Very
Short Introduction to
Philosophy- Thomas Nagel - In this
cogent and accessible introduction to
philosophy, Nagel sets forth the central
problems of philosophical inquiry for the
beginning student. Arguing that the best way to
learn about philosophy is to think about its
questions
directly, he considers possible
solutions to nine problems--knowledge of the
world beyond our minds, knowledge of other
minds, the mind-body problem, free will, the
basis of morality, right and wrong, the nature
of death, the meaning of life, and the meaning
of words. Although he states his own opinions
clearly, Nagel leaves these fundamental
questions open, allowing students to entertain
other solutions and encouraging them to think
for themselves.
Book - 4 1/2
stars |
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Philosophy Through
Film - Mary M. Litch - Do humans
have free Will? What distinguishes morally
right from morally wrong action? Does God
exist? Does life have meaning? What is the
ultimate nature of reality? What are the limits
of human knowledge?
The book offers a
stimulating new way to explore the basic questions
of philosophy. Each chapter uses a popular film to
examine one such topic -- from free will and
skepticism to personal identity and artificial
intelligence -- in an approachable yet
philosophically rigorous manner. A wide range of
films is employed all of which are readily
available through major video rental chains.
This is an exciting new way to learn about
philosophy, and connects complicated philosophical
questions to the familiar settings of popular
culture.
Book - 5
stars |
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Film and Knowledge: Essays on
the Integration of Images and
Ideas - Kevin L. Stoehr
- Film's potential for inspiring
serious thought is often overlooked. Our
intellectual involvement with film has been
minimized as more in the audience want to be
merely amazed and entertained. In this
book essays by established and
cutting-edge philosophers of film concentrate
on the value of film in general and the value
of certain films in particular for the study
and teaching of ideas.
Book - 5
stars |
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