Philosophy: The Power of Ideas 9th Edition

Book Preface

This is a straightforward ungimmicky introduction to philosophy written especially for fi rst- and second-year university students. It contains separate historical overviews of the main subjects of Western philosophy and includes both the analytic and the Continental traditions. It also covers Eastern philosophy, postcolonial philosophy, and feminist philosophy; and contains a chapter devoted to major philosophical problems. We hope readers will learn that thinking deeply about almost anything can lead them into philosophy.

The following are important changes in the ninth edition:

• A new chapter (Chapter 17) on philosophical problems, which includes the problem of free will, the problem of consciousness, the problem of the gift (ethics of generosity), and problems in aesthetics
• A new section on Judith Butler
• A new section on philosophical issues in quantum mechanics
• A new section comparing philosophy East and West
• Expanded coverage of the objectivism of Ayn Rand
• A new section on zombies
• A brief cultural overview of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in connection to philosophy
• New material on Gandhi, the Satyagraha Movement, and Hinduism
• Streamlined coverage of Alain Badiou, Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, Jorgen Habermas, and Martin Heidegger
• A revised and updated fi rst chapter making reference to the case of Trayvon Martin
• Updated visuals
• Updated list of suggested readings (list now online)
• New reading selection from Sam Harris

We concluded years ago that most people like philosophy if they understand it and that most understand it if it isn’t presented to them in exhausting prose. In this text we strive to make philosophy understandable while not oversimplifying. We also concluded years ago that some people just aren’t moved by the subject. Worse, we learned that those who aren’t moved include a few who are sane, intelligent, well informed, and reasonable and who generally have sound ideas about the world, vote for the right people, and are even worth having as friends. Philosophy is just not for everyone, and no text and no instructor can make it so. So we do not expect every student, or even every bright student, who comes in contact with philosophy to love the field. But we do hope that every student who has had an introductory course in philosophy will learn that philosophy is more than inconsequential mental flexing. Philosophy contains powerful ideas, and it affects the lives of real people. Consequently, it must be handled with due care. The text makes this point clear.