Conditions
A read copy, but remains in excellent condition.
Conditions
A read copy, but remains in excellent condition.
Perhaps one of the best introductions to philosophy in English next to James Collins and Copleston. Joad has a terrific writing style and is very very clear in articulating difficult philosophical ideas. An absolutely terrific book you will read and reread.
Cyril Edwin Mitchinson Joad (1891-1953) was an important and prolific English philosopher. This book, first published in 1936, remains an excellent introduction to philosophy. GUIDE TO PHILOSOPHY is, as its name and length (almost 600 pages) suggest, not a typical introduction. In addition, its scope is more limited than most introductions. Metaphysics and epistemology are the focus. Joad's approach is to take a topic, explain the various issues and problems associated with it, and discuss how philosophers have reacted to them. For example, Joad begins the book with the "common sense" approach to the "outside world." He explains the obvious problems and how Locke, Berkeley, Hume and others responded to them. He next shows how their inability to provide a solution lead to the philosophies of Kant and Hegel. Joad had an interesting life. He recently returned to my attention by reading Jospeh Pearce's book LITERARY CONVERTS. A life-long agnostic, he became a religious believer toward the end of his life, partly as a result of reading C.S. Lewis' THE ABOLITION OF MAN.
This is a classic, still in print, thanks to Dover. It is one of the clearest introductions to philosophy in English.
