Schaum's Outline of Introduction to Philosophy

by William James Earle

Book Overview

A comprehensive review of the material covered in a college-level - Introduction to Philosophy course. This book provides an overview to the nature of philosophy, epistemology, the philosophy of science, metaphysics, ethics, social and political philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and aesthetics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0070187835
• ISBN13: 9780070187832
• Release Date: October 1991
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Great Introduction

An excellent, concise, easy to read introduction to philosophy. Professor Earle has an amazing and unfortunatly rare ability to find and lay out only what is essential to a philosophical argument. In addition, he gives a useful bibliography after each section for those who want to learn more on the subject. I found this book a useful tool for understanding not only particular arguments , but also for showing how the particular arguments fit into the bigger picture in the history of philosophy, and for this reason I suspect it might be more useful to an intermediate student than a beginner.

Intro to philosophy review

This book made me a student of philosophy. I never knew philosophy could be so interesting and I was pleasantly surprised that even I could grasp the basic of the activity. It really demonstrates that philosophy is a lot more approachable than I imagined. Do not move a step forward into philosophy until you've read this book. You will not regret this purchase at all.

Good Reference Guide

Excellent book for a student of philosophy or the general interested reader. A difficult read, mainly due to the complexity of the content. My only qualms were the author's constant use of variables when expressing certain ideas, which I found to be somewhat distracting. However I do recommend this textbook to anyone starting on their arduous yet fulfilling endeavour into philosophy.

An easy book about philosophy.

I took professor Earle's introduction to philosophy class some years ago when I was an undergraduate at Baruch College and was assigned this book. The book presents basic philosophical topics in an easy form. We only read about 30 pages with the professor explaining important concepts in class. There were two relatively easy midterms. Prior to exams one could go to his office with questions. If one wants introduction to philosophy, this book is the place to begin. By the way, professor Earle is one of the best professors you would ever meet--funny and caring. He teaches at Baruch College in downtown Manhattan. A great guy!

Philosophy in a nut shell

William James Earle's Introduction to Philosophy is a basic introductory text given to the problems, terminology, and methodology of philosophy, from a philosophical perspective. The book is broken up into the typical fields, and then each chapter ends, which I found strange. Nonetheless, I highly recommend the book, as it strips the subject down to reveal its red, pristine back-side, never succumbing to the sort of sensational camp that is typical of your basic introductory text. He perfectly sets the tone with the opening sentence: "Philosophy is not what is, but what cannot be that is, and the summation of all that can never not be." Powerful.