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 When I began Philosophy for Dummies a couple of months ago, I was not sure what I expected. I need not have worried. After a few pages, I realized that this was going to be an intellectual and spiritual adventure in vintage Tom Morris style. I finished with a vision of a college bookstore and a beginning philosophy student catching sight of a stack of Philosophy for Dummies. She picks one up thinking she is going to get some generic overview of the various teachings of different philosophers, something that might help her in the course she is worried about. What a surprise she is in for! Sure, what she reads there will give her an edge on her course work. But, more importantly, she will find herself challenged to come to grips with the most basic and important issues which she faces as a living, thinking, questioning inhabitant of this incredible universe. Theories, speculation, philosophical argumentation will take their proper place in relation to those ultimate concerns that will push her to make choices on the worldview she will commit to and live by. If you want just an overview of the history of philosophy, there are numerous books you can find. But if you want to be engaged at the deepest level of your being, if you want to face life's most compelling questions and find a road map to guide you in seeking the most convincing answers to those questions, then get a copy of Philosophy for Dummies. I guarantee you won't be disappointed!
In "Philosophy For Dummies", Dr. Morris covers the main themes debated throughout the history of philosophy, starting from what philosophy is, to more central issues, like our ability to know, what is good, freedom vs. determinism, soul vs. materialism, theism vs. atheism, life after death, meaning of life, then he finishes the book off with a quick overview of the ten greatest philosophers and the ten greatest questions. Throughout the process of analyzing these issues, Morris always presents both sides of the arguments and always let's you decide for yourself which side to take. The book is written in a conversational style and is broken up into independent sections, making the book much more easy to read and use as a book to go back too. There are also great quotes, sprinkled throughout the book, and the format of the "for dummies" books make it easy to see Dr. Morris's central points, and hints at ways of understanding the issues. The author is obviously very knowledgeable about the topic, and has a great way of explaining the material.
Hume? Quoted once or twice. Wittgenstein? Quoted once. Spinoza? Not in the index. Rather than a survey of philosophy, a history of philosophy, or a distillation of philosophy, Morris provides us with a series of anecdotes, a few feeble ripostes to positions he disagrees with, and a lot of flabby writing. Basic objections to his material are ignored: Why, in questions of a god's existence or non-existence, is the Christian god the default position? Why are poorly documented anecdotes considered evidence for anything? Has Morris no understanding of basic statistics probability theory? Morris spends the book in a mawkish effort to a) justify his faith in God, and b) impress us with his broad-mindedness. Ugh. Anyone interested in a well-presented, basic history of philosophy that's entertaining is encouraged to buy Sophie's World instead. If this is philosophy, Chicken Soup for the Soul is literature.
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Oh, thank goodness I just read a library copy.
Thomas Morris has done a good job of making philosophy understandable, although he necessarily only scratches the surface of most philosophic topics.
