Philosophy for Dummies

Rating:
Summary: Theology for dummies
Review: Do not read this book and think you are getting an introduction to Philosophy. This book is instead a thinly disguised justification for the authors belief in a Christian God, the afterlife, christian morals etc. A worthy topic for philosophical study, but in no way an appropriate introduction to the subject.

I had the good fortune to read Bryan Magee's 'The Story of Philosphy' before this book, and it is by contrast a facinating and readable introduction to the subject .. for Christian, Aethiest or Agnostic.

How does Philosophy for Dummies measure up as philosophical study? His 'Great idea' which he repeatedly goes back to to justify his beliefs is, the 'Principal of belief conservation'. Essentially this states that we should not reject a belief if that would cause us to have to reject alot of our other current beliefs'. Essentially a philosphy of faith. Sorry, to me that is not what Philosophy is all about.

How about teaching us about philosphical enquiry? Surely a Philosophy proffessor can help us out here? Afraid not. His agruments are truly light weight. The authors arguments consist mainly of putting up 'straw men' by simplifiying or trivialising some particular philosophical or scientific idea and shooting them down.

I loved his dismissal of Kant as Baloney.

So are there any good points? Well, if you are a Christian, conservative republican from middle America, and you would like to feel more secure in your beliefs rather than question them, this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: for the love of wisdom
Review: If one wants a sound grounding in philosophy, then get this book.
It shall get your mind reshaping, and reshaping, and reshaping from the moment you realize that its views make you think differently (or must I say philosophically?) When it hits you that the book's contents could help you in your everyday life, be it in personal or professional situations, then you'll be very thankful for having "a great conversation with Dr. Tom Morris." And I tell you, that just might take a few moments from the time you read the first few pages of the book!

Rating:
Summary: An excellent beginners guide to philosophy
Review: This book is an excellent guide for those who want to know what life is all about, student and layman alike. It explores many of the "ultimate" questions about life that science can't explain, using many of the ideas the philosophers from ancient to modern times have come up with. Morris' explanations and humor are down to earth, allowing the beginner to grasp philosophical ideas easily. He even uses examples from his own life, which help to visualize what he is talking about. So if you want a good introduction to the world of philosophy, this book is definitely an excellent buy!

Rating:
Summary: Started O.K. then pure disappointment
Review: While the first few chapters were fine, the author throws all objectivity out of the window when he gets to chapters about death, god and the meaning of life. These chapters are so uneven and Morris often does not even try to use any sort of logical arguement against an idea. For example, in his chapter on death and the belief some people have about a "Cosmic immortality" (pg 207-208), his ONLY response to their belief is, "I'm sorry, this doesn't inspire me with much comfort." That's it? That's the best response you have?
Another major, major flaw in this book is his use of anecdotes, whether it is a painfully long story about his son losing a beach ball and getting it back as evidence of God or the psychic powers of his various friends/relatives. By the end of the book, I was thankful that he did not have a chapter on U.F.O.'s otherwise I would have had to read about his abduction by little green men. Most of his anecdotes do nothing to further the book and sound like an old professor droning on about his dog "Checkers".
In summation I would not buy this book because there is absolutely no evenhandedness in the later chapters on God, death and the meaning of life. Whether you believe in God or not, the reader should expect (and receive) more objectivity from the author on these issues in this type of book.

Rating:
Summary: Heavily biased and warmed-over.
Review: The author is very obviously a Christian; he makes no effort to conceal this fact in what in what I had hoped would be an objective introduction to philosophy. For example, one chapter lists "10 Important Philosophers". Each of these philosophers amazingly is a theist and most are Chrisitian. (How could Nietzsche not be listed?). The offhanded, casual anecdotes that are the cornerstone of the "Dummy Books" are strikingly unsightful, considering that the author is a philosophy professor. He introduces a story in which his son's beach ball, having drifted out into a lake, was returned by a boater to be evidence for divine intervention. Maybe not so coincidently, Mr. Morris also makes only a very scant introduction into the rules of logic by use of a half page sidebar. For both Christian and non-Christian readers alike, his illogical arguments are insulting.

The book does contain an occasional gem, such as the authors discussion about death. Occasionaly his writing can be engaging. However, is is not worth having to wade through the rest of the fluff. If you are looking to get your feet wet into philosophy and don't know where to begin, I recommend that you look into "The Simpsons and Philosophy" and/or "The Matrix and Philosophy". These books will help introduce deep subjects and relate them in an easy-to-grasp popular culture context. These two books are by no means an exhaustive introduction though. If you're further interested, I'd recommend that you grab an introductory college textbook such as Robert Solomon's "Introducting Philosophy" and use it as a guide to the actual writtings of the philosophical giants.

Rating:
Summary: One of the worst books I've ever read.
Review: I thought it was incredibly unprofessional the way the Dr. Morris promoted his own philosophy rather than objectively giving an unbiased introduction to philosophy. This book was a terrible investment and other people would be much better served by reading a different selection. Dr. Morris makes his bias very clear.

Rating:
Summary: It must be good philosophy--it makes people mad!
Review: An excellent introduction to philosophy by a man who has earned his laurels. The other reviews have warned us all: Morris is (gasp!) a theist (how DARE he write books?)--no surprise that atheists and agnostics will whine and protest. (After all, Morris is not the only one who tends to legitimize what supports his own worldview.) A well-done intro, and worth having in one's philosophical library. (And if you're a public atheist, you can always buy a Bertrand Russell volume to balance out your shelves and save your reputation.)

I won't belabor the strengths outlined by other reviews. The book's organization, humor and brevity serves the intro philosophy student or the seasoned thinker who is seeking a review. (Yes, even by "one of those Notre Dame Catholics!") But as noted above--one can never be too careful in the books one chooses, if one wants to preserve one's worldview.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for a BEGINNER
Review: Never mind what these eggheads below say, this is a great book for the BEGINNER, in my opinion. Tom actually presents philosophy in a relevant and easy to understand manner, actually engaging and a delight to read. This is not the dusty, dry and deep stuff that you normally find in philosophy books, it's actually an easy read. Does he have a pro-theist bias? Yes, maybe, but perhaps that is because this is the road philosophy has taken him? He does present anti-theist arguments, and quite well, I feel, but those atheists out there are quite put off that Tom didn't come to their (hopeful) conclusion.
Philosophy is a fascinating subject, and deserves engaging, relevant books like this one.

Rating:
Summary: Very aptly titled indeed
Review: "Philosophy For Dummies" is a very appropriate name for this book. It's slightly misleading, though, as it's not the book itself that is for dummies, but the philosophy presented therein. If you're looking for incredibly biased, subjective philosophical reading, this book is right up your alley. This book should be called "Why You Are Wrong if You Are A Non-Theist". The whole book basically leads up to the assertion that there is a God, you should believe in him and you should believe Dr. Morris' way. I was surprised at the end of the book to find no religious tract or advertisement for Dr. Morris' church. He presents many different philosophical concepts, but proceeds, in a very condescending way, to discredit ideas that he personally disagrees with. The author profiles a series of important philosophers, pointing out that only one of them is a non-theist, subtly suggesting that that makes theism more valid.

I bought this book expecting an objective foray into philosophical thought by someone who was himself seeking the truth and attempting to aid others in their pursuits. But instead I got a very biased book written by someone who thinks he knows the truth and is trying to convert others to his viewpoint. Very disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: unbelievably biased writing
Review: Anyone with any real philosophy background will imediately see the bias Morris has that gets in the way of an objective analysis of philisophical issures. (But what do you expect when you have a 16 year professor of Notre Dame write a "philosopy book")? This book should be called "the catholic worldview, with some extra stuff". I am normally happy with "dummies" books but this one is very dissapointing. Morris's bias reaks on almost every page, with his usage of quotes, "great idea" marks, and poorly covered topics.

If you really want an objective analysis of philosophical issues, dont buy this. If you are a christian who wants to reinfoce your worldview, this will help.