Book Description
KEY BENEFIT: Written for individuals who have little or no knowledge of the arts, Perceiving the Arts has a specific and limited purpose: to provide an introductory, technical, and respondent-related reference to the arts and literature.
KEY TOPICS: Intended to give basic information about each of the arts disciplines–drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture, music, theatre, dance, cinema, landscape architecture, and literature–the book seeks to give its readers touchstones concerning what to look and listen for in works of art and literature.
MARKET: For arts and humanities instructors and enthusiasts.
Customer Reviews:
Good resource.......2007-10-09
I had to purchase this book for my Arts & Humanities requirement at WGU. I have enjoyed the user friendliness of the book. I have a greater knowledge of Art History, but next to nothing about composers etc, I have found this book to be a wonderful introduction into the world of the Arts, and look forward to finding ways to utilize what I've learned in the classroom!
Great Replacement for our old book.......2007-01-17
I managed to have this book added as an alternate after fighting for years to teach another text, Humanities Through the Arts. That text had a very bad habit of talking in circles and I spent more time trying to explain the book than I did teaching the course. Our students normally have little to no exposure to the Arts and are easily discouraged. Not only is this little book half the price of the other but it is very straight forward in its approach. If you want a book that offers lots of chapters for testing purposes this isn't it. If you want a book that nails down the basics, especially if you do a lot of group work and use projects rather than test, this text nails down the basics..
Pretty good book.......2005-01-02
I have taught a course on the Humanities using this book, and found it mostly spot on in its specific contents. How to present all of the Humanities using one paperback? But - with just a few exceptions - this presents a good first look and useful rules of thumb in approaching the various disciplines. In areas that are underserved, such as Landscape Art, it actually fills a void. I recommend it and will use it again.
Informative.......2004-01-05
I used this book for my introduction to fine arts class and thought it was very good. Easy to understand and follow, and gave good information straight out without haveing to search for defintions or other stuff.
If it were possible...........2003-11-17
If it were possible to describe this book in stars it would be 0 stars. Here are just a few of the problems found within the text. 1) Writing is boring. 2) Some of the pictures are repeated in the black & white sections. 3) The usage of webpages instead of having illustrations & pictures makes the text boring. 4) No companion website for the web addresses noted.
In other words - it can bore a student to death!
Book Description
Praised for its accessibility and comprehensiveness, Philosophy: The Quest for Truth provides an excellent selection of classical and contemporary readings on nineteen key problems in philosophy. Louis P. Pojman has carefully organized the essays in each section so that they present pro/con dialogues that allow students to compare and contrast the philosophers' positions. Topics covered include the nature of philosophy, the existence of God, immortality, knowledge, the mind-body question, personal identity, free will and determinism, ethics, political philosophy, and the meaning of life. The sixth edition offers selections from Plato, Rene Descartes, John Locke, David Hume, William James, Bertrand Russell, John Hick, John Hospers, and James Rachels--as well as essays by Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Blaise Pascal, Thomas Hobbes, George Berkeley, Immanuel Kant, Gilbert Ryle, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Alvin Plantinga, and many others. In Philosophy: The Quest for Truth, Sixth Edition, Pojman offers substantial introductions to each of the nineteen philosophical problems. In addition, each of the seventy-six readings is accompanied by an individual introduction with a biographical sketch of the philosopher, study questions, and reflective questions that challenge students to analyze and critique the material. Short bibliographies following each major section and a detailed glossary further enhance the text's pedagogical value. Invaluable for introductory courses in philosophy, this highly acclaimed text inspires and guides students' quest for wisdom. New to the Sixth Edition:: * Six selections: William Lane Craig: The Kalam Cosmological Argument and the Anthropic Principle William Rowe: An Analysis of the Ontological Argument Daniel Dennett: Postmodernism and Truth William James: The Dilemma of Determinism Harry Frankfurt: Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person John Rawls: The Contemporary Liberal Answer * More exercises in the excursus on logic
Customer Reviews:
A Solid Intro to Philosophy.......2004-07-21
I have used this test as a college philosophy instructor. Overall, I think it is one of the better introductory philosophy anthologies available. With a few exceptions (some noted below), the readings are well-chosen and reflect a balanced approach to controversial issues. The section introductions, reading summaries, and study questions for each of the readings are generally quite good.
My only substantive complaint, and it is one that applies to every other introductory philosophy anthology I have looked at, is that the selection of readings could in a few cases have been better. The essay on libertarian free will by Corliss Lamont is particularly weak and would be better replaced with a classic essay by Chisholm or a selection from Van Inwagen. Also, there are some significant lacunae in the philosophy of religion section. For example, there is no mention of the distinction between the deductive and the evidential problems of evil. Nor is there any treatment of important post-Paley theistic arguments such as the kalam cosmological argument and the cosmic fine-tuning version of the design argument.
On a positive note, I am pleased that Pojman included a recent defense of substance dualism by J.P.Moreland. Most anthologies only give a selection from Descartes' Meditations. Moreland's case is better than Descartes and sets up a good discussion of mind-body issues vis-a-vis the selection from materialist Paul Churchland.
The search for knowledge.......2003-06-20
Iam a student at west los angeles college and I will be using this textbook for a begining Philosophy 1 class. the only thing I that does need inprovment: there should be more words in the glossary. and a study guide to go along with this book.
Book Description
Keeping pace with current issues and professional requirements, such as standards and teacher certification, this classic text offers solid coverage of the foundations of education. This best-selling text by respected authorities in their fields continues to develop successful teachers by providing a broad introduction to the foundations of education through interesting and current discussions of theory and practice. The book offers a thorough overview of the historical, legal, philosophical, social, and practical aspects of American education. The thirteenth edition includes features dedicated to classroom observation, INTASC standards, and teacher certification. Pre-service and in-service teachers.
Customer Reviews:
I've seen better.......2004-01-23
The tenth edition is not very well organized. Overall, a very boring book.
Okay, but other books are out there........2003-04-21
Like I said in a precious review, I like National University, but they could have chosen a different book. I am Caucasian, white, Christian, heterosexual, male, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and let me tell you, this book will make it seem that the whit people in this country are racist bigots. And that we are trying to indoctrinate every single child that comes to America while keeping all the other people in lower classes. That is how I felt.
I was shocked by how biased this book is. I am beginning to think that the publishers Allyn and Bacon have an agenda.
One of the only topics I liked about this book is the short parts at the end of each chapter that tells the reader different ideas for making a professional portfolio. But, I can imagine that there are other books better.
Okay, for a Textbook.......2002-02-25
This book wasn't too bad, considering it is a textbook. If you're forced to read it for class, take heart! It's not too boring--once you get started, it actually moves pretty quickly, and you will learn a lot. If this isn't required for a class, I would not suggest curling up in front of the fireplace with this book, or, really, reading it at all, unless you're really into learning more about the basics of American Education.
Book Description
The History of Mathematics: An Introduction, Sixth Edition, is written for the one- or two-semester math history course taken by juniors or seniors, and covers the history behind the topics typically covered in an undergraduate math curriculum or in elementary schools or high schools. Elegantly written in David Burton’s imitable prose, this classic text provides rich historical context to the mathematics that undergrad math and math education majors encounter every day. Burton illuminates the people, stories, and social context behind mathematics’ greatest historical advances while maintaining appropriate focus on the mathematical concepts themselves. Its wealth of information, mathematical and historical accuracy, and renowned presentation make The History of Mathematics: An Introduction, Sixth Edition a valuable resource that teachers and students will want as part of a permanent library.
Customer Reviews:
Like New.......2005-10-03
The book arrived in time for my class, and in almost perfect condition!Excellent Transaction!
Interesting reading.......2003-02-03
I haven't read much on this subject, but I enjoyed this book. The description above says that it's designed for college juniors and seniors, and many of the technical details really will require that level of mathematical maturity. However, there is enough of what the author calls an emphasis on the "bibliographical element" that much of it would be interesting to read through only skimming the technical parts. The author also tries to explain why progress was made at certain times in history but not at others.
The scope is relatively comprehensive: spanning from archeological finds that suggest early numbers systems to early twentieth century work in countability and set theory.
The text itself reminded me quite a bit of my old high school history books -- readable but a little slow-paced at times. More interesting, though, are the problems at the end of every section
-- problems that require the use of ideas and techniques from the time period being described. The author suggests these exercises as a good way to learn both mathematics and history, but they can be safely skipped.
Just a single complaint: the book seems to have a slight slant toward Western mathematics: early Greeks, Europeans from the middle ages, modern Americans recieve the bulk of the attention while there is a single ten-page section entitled "Mathematics in the Near and Far East". While not a fatal flaw (it is of course true that most of modern mathematics has its roots in the West), I would have liked to see a more balanced account.
Easy to learn about the history of Math........2001-05-07
I got a lot of information from this book. It has easy to follow explation about the therom.
Book Description
The author turns his attention to sex and the reasons why we are driven constantly to analyze and discuss it. An iconoclastic explanation of modern sexual history.
Customer Reviews:
Foucault.......2007-02-09
Great introduction in the area of sexuality. Can be an asset to refrencing in academic work. In my opinion not really a book you could 'take to bed' as difficult to read.
Somewhat wordy, but deserves consideration.......2007-01-04
Foucault has been criticized for being too wordy, and to a large extent I agree. He deals with complex topics and histories and tries to mesh philosophy with sexuality with politics with morality, etc. It can be very confusing. But Foucault nontheless presents many unique ideas. He wants you to radically reconsider your definitions of morality and sexuality. The book focuses on the hijacking of, and incessant focus on, the bourgeois-created notion of sexuality.
Sexuality, Foucault argues, is a recently constructed term (17th century-present). It is a term which today conjures up certain notions (which the author deconstructs), and this has been accomplished via the "ethics" of the (European) Christian ruling class. Simply put: it is morality foisted upon the masses. That is his thesis. Strange, radical, unique, philosophical, wordy, but regardless, an interesting read. If you can get through it, it will make you think.
Hard...but worth it........2006-06-20
Foucault is one of the most important thinkers of our time. He is a historian, a cultural theorist, and a philosopher. When looking at the History of Sexuality Foucault does not see powerful figures repressing sex, but actually encouraging people to discuss it. This discourse was encouraged so that sex could be controlled and this discourse actually created what is today called sexuality--a norm that we believe to be culturally independent or universal. The belief that sex is repressed is only another strategy formed through a series of power relationships that desires for people to keep discussing sex in order that this "sex" can be classified and controled. For example: Encouraging a discourse on the act of sodomy enabled a catagory of homosexual to be created. Instead of sodomy being a act that a person may engage in, that person instantly became a homosexual, his sexuality constituting his entire being--how he/she should talk, act, and live in general. The discourse that was encourage to develop around sex enable power to classify and control sexuality--power actually created what we believe to be the "real sexuality". Foucault explains the complicated relationship between power and discourse that developed a set of complicated and sometimes contradicting--and always changing--ideas about what sex is and how we are to approach it.
This book is not easy. I will have to read it again. However, I believe that this book is a good intro to Foucault's very important theories on power relationships. An important factor to be recognized is that this book is a translation from french and, as many people have already expressed, has made it more difficult to comprehend. I did not understand everything in totality but I feel that the most imporant concepts were revealed. If you get confused take a deep breath and reread the previous paragraph, doing this helped alot and gives your brain a second chance to wrap itself around the really difficult parts. This is a very rewarding book that will give you valuable tools for confronting and interpreting the ideologies and power relationships we are confronted with. Good Luck!
Influential and important work, absolutely dreadful translation.......2006-04-16
I would concur with the Marquis point regarding the quality of the translation, which is obfuscating at best, and downright misleading at its worst. For those with the French, go with the original text (French title "La Volente de Savoir"). But I thought it worth mentioning that there does apparently exist an alternative translation of the work by a Robert Hurley, which has been published rather recently under the title "The History of Sexuality: the Will to Knowledge" (ISBN: 0140268685). Unfortunately I haven't had an opportunity to check out the new translation, though I would love to know whether it's any better.
Incidentally, one aspect of this work which appears to have been only eluded to by other authors, is that as the introductory volume of what was intended to be a more far reaching study, there is a significant portion of the work relevant for those interested in Foucault's (contra Dmitry) genealogical method, which made quite a splash in contemporary political theory, as well as the exposition of Foucault's rather novel theory of power. Unfortunately much is left out, and I would therefore suggest inquisitive readers to acquire the collection of Foucault's essays published under the English title "Power: Essential Works of Foucault, 1954-1984" which contains many texts particularly relevant to this work.
Abysmal.......2006-03-23
All Volumes Reviewed: Is this the work of Michel Foucault, the author of "Order of Things," "Discipline and Punish," and "Archeology of Knowledge?" Surely, this must be a hoax. Foucault is notoriously provocative, keenly insightful, and always virulent. So what happened here? Hardly much of a history, anything but provocative, entirely pedestrian, already outdated, and woefully incomplete. Accessibility is not a problem, unlike "Archeology of Knowledge," but truly lacking in information, perspective, and relevance. Compare, for example, this trite and superficial reading with Compton's expansive and exhaustive "Homosexuality and Civilization." After all, Foucault was gay and into sado-masochism. The two are incomparable. A complete waste of time (since I was sure Foucault had something quixotic to write over three volumes), but hope never materialized into reality. PASS.
Book Description
Philosophy is an exciting and accessible subject, and this engaging text acquaints students with the core problems of philosophy and the many ways in which they are and have been answered. Introducing Philosophy: A Text with Integrated Readings, Eighth Edition, insists both that philosophy is very much alive today and that it is deeply rooted in the past. Accordingly, it combines substantial original sources from significant works in the history of philosophy and current philosophy with detailed commentary and explanation that help to clarify the readings. The selections range from the oldest known fragments to cutting-edge essays in feminism, multiculturalism, and cognitive science. At the end of each chapter is a summary, a list of review questions, a glossary, and a bibliography with suggestions for further reading. Important philosophical terms are carefully introduced in the text and also summarized at the end of each chapter, and brief biographies of the philosophers are provided at the end of the book. New to the Eighth Edition: * Addressing the needs of a new generation of students, Robert C. Solomon has included for the first time more than 300 study and review questions. Appearing throughout the text and at the end of each chapter, these questions require immediate feedback from students. They encourage students to articulate the central ideas of what they have just read, instead of just "passing through" on the way to the next reading. * New selections expand and update the chapters on religion, knowledge, mind and body, freedom, ethics, justice, and beauty. The selections include work by Charles Hartshorne, Paul Davies, Cory Juhl, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Sextus Empiricus, Edmund L. Gettier, David Braddon-Mitchell and Frank Jackson, John R. Searle, Colin McGinn, Daniel Dennett, Harry Frankfurt, Gilbert Harman, Emma Goldman, and Arthur C. Danto. * A companion website at www.oup.com/us/solomon8e features 300 study and review questions (100 multiple-choice, 100 true-or-false, and 100 fill-in-the-blank), discussion questions, chapter overviews and summaries, topical links, suggestions for further reading, and PowerPoint lecture aids.
Customer Reviews:
Comprehensive; tells how to think about Philosophy without telling what to think.......2007-07-02
Back when I took Intro. to Phil. (when dinosaurs still walked the Earth), the text used was Joel Feinberg's "Reason and Responsibility". Professor Feinberg's book (current and past editions are available from Amazon) takes a thematic approach with discrete readings and relatively little commentary from the editor. By contrast, the readings in Professor Soloman's book are short fragments woven throughout his text. To me, this gives the book a somewhat choppy feel; but for a someone encountering the subject for the first time or engaged in self-study, this connective tissue will probably be helpful in explaining passages that may not be entirely clear and placing them in their proper context.
One of the great virtues of this book is its sheer breadth. Readings are included from African, Indian, and East Asian cultures. There are some well-chosen excerpts presenting feminist perspctives that many students will probably not be familiar with (except perhaps as conservative caricatures).
My own favorite part of the book was the section dealing with philosophy of mind. Despite the immense advances in cognitive psychology and neurophysiology over the past thirty years, the precise nature of human consciousness still remains elusive (see philosopher Colin McGinn's "The Mysterious Flame" for good reasons why this is likely to remain the case). Questions of personal identity and free will are inextricably mixed with this, and Professor Soloman does a good job of disentangling these controversies and giving them a through airing.
To conclude, it is sad to report that Profesor Soloman died suddenly in Zurich airport while awaiting a flight in January of this year with his wife by his side. It later emerged that he had a congenital (and inoperable) heart defect which he was aware of and knew could potentialy prove fatal. Professor Soloman was, by all accounts, a gifted teacher who decried what he called "thinking thin" and believed that Philosophy was not merely a parlor game of puzzle-solving, but had a powerful contribution to make to 'real life'. My sincere condolences to his wife, family, and students, past and present.
"If death was truly an evil, than Socrates would have told us as much."--Epictetus, "Enchiridon"
A text book for the beginner and student........2007-06-28
Integrated is a good term because, similar to most teaching texts, the author attempts to relate the knowledge across all disciplines within the subject. Written as an "Introduction" to Western philosophy, this book is by no means a focused study on the western tradition, but covers a wider area, touching on other traditions as well.
However, Solomon manages to creatively distill the western tradition of philosophy into a highly readable form.
Where do you begin as a teacher when given the task to teach a group of beginners about the western tradition? Solomon begins at the beginning with Plato and the words of Socrates.
"The Apology", and "The Crito" are certainly good places to start, and Solomon certainly "explains" the essence of these works in a readable form.
After the Introductory chapter, Solomon inserts his interpretations and "connections" to present day philosophy, and manages to build a construct of "modern thought" throughout the ages.
Extremely well done.
Excellent work and informative to the extent that a first year student can actualy understand where and what these ancient "thinkers" thought and most importantly how these thoughts relate to our everyday lives.
This text is a important beginner's text, but more essential, is that it can be used as a reference when writing on matters not so familiar, such as:
Ethics
Epistimology
Skepticism
Self identity, Mind and Body.
The Problem of Consciouness.
Although over 700 hundred pages, do not be taken aback by its size or weight because the text holds applicable, interesting and worthwhile summaries of the subject of philosophy overall.
For the young student or writer, a necessary reference.
Superb Introduction to Philosophy.......2002-07-29
Robert C. Solomon's "Introducing Philosophy" is a superb introduction to philosophy. I have the 6th edition published in 1997 but this (the 5th edition) is the only one I could find on Amazon. This book is so good because it takes a Topical approach but integrates excerpts from the great philosophers. Historical introductions don't give you the intelletual excitement of great thinkers across time addressing the great problems which is why I like a topical approach (another good topical approach is Tom Morris's "Philosophy for Dummies"). But the great thing about this book is that it integrates selections from philosophers throughout history, in manageable chunks, so that one gets to read some Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell and more.
The chapters are also very well organized and build on each other. The introduction introduces us to Socrates and the philosophic tradition and some logic. Then we deal with Reality, Knowledge, Truth, Necessary Truth (mathematics, logic), Religion, Personal Identity, Mind and Body, Freedom, Ethics, Political Philosophy and Aesthetics. So everything is covered and there are excerpts from all the relevant thinkers on these topics. This book is a fantastic way to get a really good feel for the issues of philosophy and some of the great writings in philosophy. Highly recommended.
Greg Feirman (...)
Book Description
This classic introduction to philosophy explores the major fields, problems, theories, and personalities of philosophy through the biographies and writing of leading thinkers. Contemporary Applications sections in each chapter show how classic philosophy connects to contemporary issues. Each chapter begins with a biography of a great philosopher, combines simple, clear explanations with short selections from classic texts, and focuses on WHAT the great philosophers said, and WHY they said it. Theory of Knowledge. Philosophy of Science. Ethical Theory. The Ethical Dimensions of Medicine. Social and Political Philosophy. Philosophy of Art. Philosophy of Religion. For anyone interested in Philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
Terrible Text Book for a Beginner.......2006-02-02
This is one of the worst text books I have ever had to read and try to understand. Used this text for an online class -- tough subject to figure out on one's own and the text, laden with the author's opinion and stories, made it difficult to weed out what was important and what was crap. I had to use a different, older Philosophy text book as a guide to understand what Wolf was trying to convey in this text. I thouht I was going to enjoy philosophy--I'm counting the days until I don't have to open this book ever again!
gooses review.......2005-09-05
This book will teach you nothing about philosophy. I would have given this book a negative star review but thats not an option on this grading scale. The most common theme in this book is telling you how philosophers work. they tell you a step by step processes that are oversimplified and can be combined to make less steps or in some cases one step. what is important in philosophy is what the questions are then what the suggested answers are and finally how to understand how to come to the suggested answer.
I would reccomend a book called sophies world which is advertised as a story ( that is really boring ) but is actually a text book that does what I suggested earlier. if you can force yourself to read through sophies world you will actually learn something about philosophy. Anyone who reads this book will notice there is a lot of information that was just added in to make the textbook long enough to be considered a text book. one example is how the book tells us that platos written work is considered a philosophical work as opposed to a work of art. wow how important. another problem is the definition format. instead of explaining a philosophical aspect they just waste the readers time an example of this is aristotles term catharsis which is "a cleansing or purging" the book could have just stated that some people feel plays arouse emotions while others feel they purge emotions and then explained the argument behind both views.
A Professor's Perspective.......2001-09-15
Wolff's perennial textbook, now in its eighth edition, has faults. This is a given for any book or other work in the print medium, and, for that matter, for any human artifact. Nevertheless, after teaching philosophy for thirty-six years using everything from classic sources to newspapers to novels as texts, I have settled on Wolff's About Philosophy as the best means for introducting the most diverse of all academic disciplines.
Naturally, the book reflects the author's interests and preferences, although these are never presented as truths above debate. In fact, Wolff reveals his willingness to revise his own traditional, Western preferences for rationality-based theoretical constructs devised (virtually solely) by those of the male gender. Objectivity, too, comes up for careful scrutiny and, ultimately, rejection as an appropriate property of an acceptable philosophical theory.
In the end, About Philosophy is both a highly personal, and yet, a highly accurate documentation of 2500 years of philosophical speculation and research. Its faults may include that, in spite of its thoroughness and clarity, it does not summarize the views of every philosopher and movement in the Western tradition. No volume, introductory or not, could accomplish this, but the ideas selected by Wolff are clearly among the
germinal springboards for the entirety of Western Civilization.
Student from NY.......2001-07-31
I give such a high rating to cancel out the overly critical opinions of the two other reviews. This book is fine introduction to Western Philosophy with all of the major topics discussed in detail in a way that is very approachable to the beginner with good citations of the major work of each philosopher where appropriate. The others reviewing might suggest their own idea for a text book since they understand so much better than the auther the proper way to teach philosophy to the beginner.
The author is way too opinionated to get anything across........1999-10-09
This is the philosophy textbook that we're using in my Philosophy 101 class... and it's driving me nuts. The author finds a 'favorite philosopher' for each chapter, which is completely annoying if you wish to have any opinion of your own about western philosophy. The information might be complete, but it's extremely difficult trying to cut through the author's views in order to get to that information. The completely unsubtle partiality makes it difficult to learn anything concrete from this book.
Book Description
This book provides the first clear, comprehensive, and accessible account of complex adaptive social systems, by two of the field's leading authorities. Such systems--whether political parties, stock markets, or ant colonies--present some of the most intriguing theoretical and practical challenges confronting the social sciences. Engagingly written, and balancing technical detail with intuitive explanations, Complex Adaptive Systems focuses on the key tools and ideas that have emerged in the field since the mid-1990s, as well as the techniques needed to investigate such systems. It provides a detailed introduction to concepts such as emergence, self-organized criticality, automata, networks, diversity, adaptation, and feedback. It also demonstrates how complex adaptive systems can be explored using methods ranging from mathematics to computational models of adaptive agents.
John Miller and Scott Page show how to combine ideas from economics, political science, biology, physics, and computer science to illuminate topics in organization, adaptation, decentralization, and robustness. They also demonstrate how the usual extremes used in modeling can be fruitfully transcended.
Customer Reviews:
Annie Wu -- Book #1.......2007-08-10
I am a purchasing agent who buys books for my faculty, and as far as I know, this faculty member is very impressed with this particular book.
The Emergence of Convergence .......2007-08-04
At the time of writing this review, this book isn't searchable through Amazon, that's too bad because if you're reading the reviews wondering if it's worth buying, just browsing through any page from the intro or appendix B would clearly resolve any remnant hesitation. This book is a must have for anyone even remotely interested in complex adaptive systems. Scott Page and John Miller dress the landscape and state of the art of computational social science, the issues are motivated from the ground up and the existing approaches to resolve them explicitly detailed, yet using clear and jargon free language. For example, descriptions of the many concepts repeatedly used in the scientific method (of CAS et al) such as ergodicity or optimization theory are refreshing and insightful, simply stuff you don't get from textbooks, but rather that one would learn over years of experience doing.
In summary, the authors are handing us an expert summary of literature and developments of a complex field in a concise, fun and delightful read, it would be a shame to miss it.
Book Description
This book presents the major philosophical doctrines of phenomenology in a clear, lively style with an abundance of examples. The book examines such phenomena as perception, pictures, imagination, memory, language, and reference, and shows how human thinking arises from experience. It also studies personal identity as established through time and discusses the nature of philosophy. In addition to providing a new interpretation of the correspondence theory of truth, the author also explains how phenomenology differs from both modern and postmodern forms of thinking.
Customer Reviews:
a clear presentation of the basics.......2005-12-19
This is an excellent introduction to phenomenology. While the history of phenomenology is fascinating and rewards serious study, this book, unlike others, cuts through the differences between phenomenological thinkers to the 'meat and bones' of the approach and presents the basic methods of phenomenological analysis in a clear and penetrating fashion. I found it thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening. Anyone interested in philosophy would do well to sit down with this book for a few hours. It could very well change the way you look at the world and the way you approach philosophical problems (for the better!). Highly recommended.
What is phenomenology?.......2005-09-16
As Cal Schrag notes in a fantastic litte essay called "The Recovery of the Phenomenological Subject": "In 1945 Maurice Merleau-Ponty began the preface to his classic work Phenomenologie de la perception, with the observation that the reader might find it odd that the question What is phenomenology? still needs to be answered one-half a century after the first writings of Edmund Husserl. The fact however remains, wrote Mereleau-Ponty, that this question still awaits an answer. Some fifty years after the publication of Merleau-Ponty's seminal work on perception we are still asking the question What is phenomenology?"
I do not hesitate (well, maybe a little) to reply that reading this excellent book by Sokolowski will certainly put the beginner on the path to answering this difficult question. Perhaps it answers best What is Husserlian phenomenology? but what better place to begin the journey than at the beginning. This is certainly not a scholarly text. You will not find footnotes at the bottom of every page. You won't even get citations to Husserl's texts. And you certainly won't find anything like a ten-page analysis of the words "phenomenon" and "logos" as encountered at the outset of Heidegger's Being and Time. But it's not supposed to be a critical scholarly text, it is just what it says: an introduction to phenomenology.
I think this text will be especially beneficial to readers who are familiar with philosophy but who stand outside the continental tradition - e.g. analytic philosophers. Also, those who already understand Husserl (or think they do) will find this book a fantastic read as well. Don't think that just because it is an introduction that it is beneath you. I think you will be suprised (and perhaps encouraged) by the ability of Sokolowski to state so clearly an answer to the question What is phenomenology?
Phenomenal Introduction to Phenomenology.......2005-08-27
I came to this book hoping to find an overview of phenomenology that wouldn't tax my middle-aged brain with dense prose or obscure jargon. It met my expectations fully. The writing is clear and graceful; phenomenology is related to broader cultural concerns (such as the rise of mathematized science); and the narrative tackles simple issues (such as perception and memory) before moving on to tough ones (such as temporality and language). Throughout, the "natural attitude" (our experience of the world) is contrasted with the "phenomenological attitude" (our reflection on the natural attitude). The book has whet my appetite for sampling the phenomenology canon.
I gave the book only four stars because Sokolowski doesn't really engage with rival philosophical projects, especially analytic philosophy. To be fair, he does draw distinctions between phenomenology and analytical approaches to human experience; in particular, he rejects any suggestion that internal mental entities mediate our experience of the world. Unfortunately, he rarely grapples with analytic arguments in detail.
Maybe it's unfair to expect this in an introductory work. However, given phenomenology's minority status in academia, most readers will have an analytic background. Sokowlowski needed to show them, with explicit arguments, why phenomenology gives a superior account of our experience. He rarely rose to this challenge. But with that caveat, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in modern philosophy.
The Meat-n-Potatoes of Phenomenology.......2004-02-03
Perhaps the most important philosophical movement in the 20th century, phenomenology is also one of the more abstruse and varied disciplines in philosophy. Indeed, it would be quite difficult to give a definitive description of what phenomenology is, as defined by the multifarious practitioners, and an onerous task of sifting through the thousands of pages of primary texts. Moreoever, as I can attest, encountering a phenomenological text for the first time is a daunting experience, like trying to navigate through a large city without a map or guide. While there are several good introductory texts on phenomenology in general (Moran's for example), and many texts discussing the many phenomenologists, Sokolowski has graciously and generously given us a very general and useful introduction to the basic structures of phenomenology as a method. To this extent, Sokolowski's book is strongly Husserlian and, in some aspects, echoes in simplistic terms his very good 1974 book, Husserlian Meditations. This, however, is not to be taken as a deficit. To the contrary, Husserl is the recognized father of phenomenology, and also a writer of terse and often impenetrable verse. Thus, it behooves anyone wishing to begin to study phenomenology to get the gist first before delving into the more difficult texts.
What Sokolowski has done for us is to simply explain phenomenology in much the same way one would explain their hobby or a good book they have read. That is to say that it is casual and clear, and very helpful and informative, without an excess of jargon or unnecessary info. However, Sokolowski does go through pains to clarify and define the terminology implcit in phenomenology, e.g., terms such as noetic, noema, parts, wholes, eidetic intuition, etc.
I cannot agree with one of the reviewers below, who claims that an introduction to phenomenology ought to be historical. For as much as phenomenology evolved since Husserl, it is indeed important to see it in such an historical context, however, when considering phenomenology simply as a method one does not need to know how it was transformed by Heidegger or Sartre. Further, I cannot help but feel comparison to Dermot Moran's sweeping and powerful Introduction to Phenomenology to be misguided; in either case the intentions are different. Besides, Sokolowski does mention the variations of phenomenology over the past century. All the same, the province of Sokolowski's book is an attempt to help us understand HOW TO DO PHENOMENOLOGY, as opposed to other aspects of phenomenolgy such as its history and context.
The Perfect Point of Entry.......2003-02-14
Sokolowski's work is the perfect point of entry into a complex school of thought. Although written primarily from a Husserlian perspective, it will inspire the neophyte to pursue phenomenology in its fullness. The reader will close the final page of this book eager to see the world in a new light.
Book Description
This classic work on critical thinking--now fully updated and revised--uses a novel approach to teach the basics of informal logic. On the assumption that "it takes one to know one," the authors have written the book from the point of view of someone who wishes to deceive, mislead, or manipulate others. Having mastered the art of deception, readers will then be able to detect the misuse or abuse of logic when they encounter it in others--whether in a heated political debate or while trying to evaluate the claims of a persuasive sales person.
Using a host of real-world examples, the authors show you how to win an argument, defend a case, recognize a fallacy, see through deception, persuade a skeptic, and turn defeat into victory. Not only do they discuss the fundamentals of logic (premises, conclusions, syllogisms, common fallacies, etc.), but they also consider important related issues often encountered in face-to-face debates, such as gaining a sympathetic audience, responding to audience reaction, using nonverbal devices, clearly presenting the facts, refutation, and driving home a concluding argument.
Whether you're preparing for law school or you just want to become more adept at making your points and analyzing others' arguments, The Art of Deception will give you the intellectual tools to become a more effective thinker and speaker. Helpful exercises and discussion questions are also included.
Customer Reviews:
Incredible book,incredible review.......2005-06-08
Exactly as Dr. Schweinsberg said. This text was a magnificent accomplishment. Reading some of the reviews, I was dismayed. I of course believed that there was some sort of miscommunication, or perhaps that the readers knew nothing of the subject, or that they simply didn't know what they were getting when they purchased the book. Whatever the case, I would suggest to anybody to read Dr. Michel Schweinsberg's brilliant review. His comical yet serious review offers advice to the argumentation student in words I can't achieve. With a playful attitude, he has delivered valuable information in the same spirit with which one should "weild" the tools in the text; that is, as a serious weapon, but done mostly for enjoyment and clarity of thought. READ DR. SCHWEINSBERG'S REVIEW, AND FOLLOW HIS ADVICE!
Argue Well.......2005-05-25
If you have ever been told that your arguments lack facts, structure, or logic, then this book is for you. Learning the skills to challenge and defend anything and everything is an art indeed. Highly recommend it for partisan zealots.
PenetratingArmenian
A Self Certified Blogspot Blogger
Good idea poor execution.......2004-07-14
The book mainly promotes the use of deception over reason. I know you're thinking, duh. But this is contrary to what the author says in the introduction. The deception is supposed to be used as a device to aid in learning informal logic, not as a tool to crush others. The author has a very aggressive and pretentious tone. Capaldi, the author, encourages people to be stubborn and uncompromising rather than problem solving. This book is classic sophism. I think the most valuable part of this book is the appendix. The practice problems are nice to look over. This book is effective at being uncompromising, but that is incompatible with being a good communicator. I should have borrowed this one. Since, I want my money back. -laughs- Also, the references to the "Great Books" by the author were interesting, but extraneous in my opinion.
Good Weapon Against the Trogs.......2004-04-22
The techniques outlined in this book are good when you are arguing against yahoos and troglodytes. If taken to heart, this book can help you can vanquish almost everyone you encounter in day-to-day life. Do NOT use these techniques against more skillful opponents or against sincere, intelligent questioners seeking real answers to important questions. These are powerful debater's tricks, not tools for getting to the bottom of honest inquiries. Caveat emptor.
Good Intentions, Faulty Execution.......2004-03-19
I appreciate what the author was trying to do: teach logic and rhetoric in a fun how-to-succeed format. I don't think it works very well, though. It's too disjointed to be helpful to the beginner and too familiar to be interesting to more advanced students.
For the beginner: To learn logic, start out with David Kelley's "The Art of Reasoning" and Irving Copi's "Introduction to Logic". To learn rhetoric and argumentation, try David Zarefsky's audiotape course on "Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning" and his books on public speaking.
More advanced students will want to check out Chaim Perelman's books on rhetoric and Douglas N. Walton's studies of informal fallacies. An excellent but out-of-print book is William J. Brandt's "The Rhetoric of Argumentation" which gives detailed analyses of effective and ineffective rhetorical strategies in essay-writing.
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