Rating: 
Summary: An Exceptional Guide to Philosophy
Review: Dr. Morris has done what few others could do. He has written an engaging guide to the major issues and figures of philosophy. The abundance of quotes from primary sources is worth the price of the book. He does an amazing job of balancing various views within different debates, including positions that he himself does not hold. If you or a friend need a guide to the deep subject of philosophy, look no further! I read the book in 3 evenings and was struck by how many times I laughed out loud while also being moved to deeper reflection. Read this book and grow in your understanding of how philosophy is really a part of our everyday lives. Dr. Morris is one of the greatest living and public (not Ivory tower) philosophers of our time.
Rating: 
Summary: Slanted toward Judo-Christian beliefs.
Review: This book isn't a summary or even an introduction to all philosophies, only ones that seem to compliment Judo-Christian faiths. If less pages were spent debating only two types of western beliefs, there would have been plenty of room for several other belief systems to be mentioned, and then the book would have been a more useful resource.
Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: Tom Morris has given us an outstanding introduction into great philosophy. Most major topics of concern in life are covered. Now, I must point out that Tom Morris has two Ph.D.s, from Yale. One of them is in philosophy, and the other is in theology. One of the first things this book does is debunk relativism, moral and otherwise. In this book Morris discusses the proofs for the existence of God, the major theodices surrounding the explanation of the problem of evil, and the major thinking around the nature of God.I was lucky to have a thoroughly Catholic education, the sort of Catholic education you rarely get in Catholic schools these days, and none of Morris' thinking was new to me. This stuff was in my blood by the time I graduated high school. If you are an atheist, you may not like this book. If you are a relativist, or a nihilist you will probably not like this book. Morris is not out to handhold liberals and nut-jobs by giving bad philosophy equal time with scholasticism. If you want a great, and sane, introduction to the philosophy that gave birth to the West, i.e. the theistic philosophy of our greatest minds, like Aquinas, then this book is for you. If you are out to take a bath in the tepid waters of relativism and postmodernism, you had best look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven coverage, pop psych pull quality down
Review: I worked my way through Morris' book from cover to cover. While there were pieces of the first section that left me scratching my head (feeling like something was being left out, connections weren't being made), I mostly enjoyed the first half of the book. It was interesting to explore the various ideas and questions that Morris put forth, and they were put forth in an engaging and thoughtful way. However, the second half lacks the engagement and thoughtfulness. On the contrary, Morris seems to believe that we can only be "happy" and "successful" if we buy into his own beliefs, and those are aligned with a theism that is not presented in a convincing way. Why did he feel that he had to present theism as the only valid conclusion by always giving it the last word? I know that there are philosophers who have compelling arguments to many of his beliefs, but the tone of his writing is to debunk them and convert us to his philosophical position. Of course there will always be bias, but coverage should have been much more equal. Near the end of the book he degenerates completely into pop psychology, filling the pages with platitudes that are almost unbearable to read. They seem to be taken directly from the corporate speaking engagements that he is certainly paid a lot of money for. Telling us to set attainable goals and stick to them is an embarrassment and doesn't belong in a book of philosophical thought. I give the book some credit because the first half is fairly well done. I would not suggest to anyone that they buy the book though. The second half is without merit.
Rating: 
Summary: philosophy is not therapy
Review: I loved the editorial description at the beginning of the entry for this book: "Philosophy ... [is therapy]" Well, if you think philosophy is therapy, you should buy this book, because you'll have things laid out for you and you won't have to doubt that you're right any more. Philosophy is not therapy. It is not about "the meaning of life?" because that is an incoherent question. What should philosophy be, then? Philosophy should be an especially painful form of argumentation. This is because it helps us realize that the linguistic categories (I mean this intensionally) we've created do not pertain to the world outside our minds. We may be able to use them to delimit set of objects but they may do so inconsistently. (All of the descriptors we may use in reference to a certain object or phenomenon cannot be true at the same time.) Philosophy is a game that plays with these categories to try to deduce properties about them from the ignorance that lies at their root: there are no first principles, there is only the hope that a consistent system might be created from which an inconsistency cannot be produced. But philosophy need not have such grand ambitions- a decent paper need only to chip away at the foundation of misconception or ambiguity of a system or proposition suggested before to be worthwhile. Philosophy is a very exhilirating activity but it requires slightly more effort than this book demands as well as a more unbiased guide.
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Introduction to the World of Philosophy!
Review: Aristotle said..."Philosophy begins in wonder". Well, if you are wondering about the fascinating subject of philosophy, pick up a copy of "Philosophy For Dummies".
I have a degree in Engineering and I've always had an interest in the search for great wisdom. As I've grown older, I've been asking myself the deep questions that many have sought answers to over the ages. Dr. Tom Morris provides a foundation to understand these questions using the thoughts of some of the greatest minds of all time. Dr. Morris does this in a way even a novice, such as myself, can understand.
Starting with some of the basic fundamentals of Philosophy, Dr. Morris lays the essential foundation that is developed further in later Chapters such as "What is Good?", "What is a Person?" and "What is the Meaning of Life".
This is no dry, academic text. Dr. Morris peppers each chapter with quotes from the greatest minds of the past and some lively anecdotes from his own experiences to further illustrate the topic. Not only did I learn a lot, I had a fun time reading this book as well.
And for those who may be concerned that "Philosophy For Dummies" lacks substance, rest assured, this book expands your mind. I have used many of the ideas in discussions I've had with Master's Degree students.
A deep subject and a great read! Whether you are new to the subject or looking for guidance on some thought provoking questions, "Philosoph For Dummies" is the book for you!
Rating: 
Summary: Good for dummies...and smart people too!
Review: Normal people with real jobs often think that philosophy is as irrelevant as philosophers are weird. And while many of us philosophers should plead "no contest" to the latter charge, we can certainly do a better job of addressing the former. In my opinion, Thomas Morris does as good a job at this as anybody in his Philosophy for Dummies book. I often use this book along with Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy as a text in my introduction to philosophy courses. (Those who complain about Morris's being biased would do well to consider the bias present in Russell's work, or in Le Poidevin's Arguing for Atheism: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion.)
Philosophy for Dummies isn't the most comprehensive introduction to philosophy available (A.C. Grayling's two-volume set takes the cake, I think), but Morris does an admirable job of stating concisely some of the main views on some of the more important subjects. Those who are concerned that PPD is too superficial for use as a text can readily supplement it with articles or other works, as I myself do. Furthermore, Morris's judicious use of quotes, anecdotes, and the like help emphasize to the reader the importance of carefully considering one's own beliefs, and the beneficial role that doing philosophy can play in the cultivation of a well-lived life. The net result is an introduction to philosophy that is highly accessible to non-philosophers without "dumbing down" its content any more than Plato "dumbed down" his ideas by writing them in dialogue form as opposed to standard prose. Yes, Morris could have said a bit more in some areas and a bit less in others, but just as there are no perfect philosophers in the world, so also are there no perfect introductory philosophy texts.
Rating:
Summary: Christian Propaganda
Review: This book is thinly disguised Christian propaganda. It presents a lopsided view of philosophical views with the intent of convincing the hypothetical newcomer that christian ideas are prevalent and dominant in philosophy. Any argument that disagrees is presented as a strawman and then dismissed.
If the book was open about its agenda to began with, this wouldn't be a problem, but it sneakily presents itself as an objective introduction, which makes it subversive and blatantly dishonest.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven coverage, pop psych pull quality down
Review: I worked my way through Morris' book from cover to cover. While there were pieces of the first section that left me scratching my head (feeling like something was being left out, connections weren't being made), I mostly enjoyed the first half of the book. It was interesting to explore the various ideas and questions that Morris put forth, and they were put forth in an engaging and thoughtful way. However, the second half lacks the engagement and thoughtfulness. On the contrary, Morris seems to believe that we can only be "happy" and "successful" if we buy into his own beliefs, and those are aligned with a theism that is not presented in a convincing way. Why did he feel that he had to present theism as the only valid conclusion by always giving it the last word? I know that there are philosophers who have compelling arguments to many of his beliefs, but the tone of his writing is to debunk them and convert us to his philosophical position. Of course there will always be bias, but coverage should have been much more equal. Near the end of the book he degenerates completely into pop psychology, filling the pages with platitudes that are almost unbearable to read. They seem to be taken directly from the corporate speaking engagements that he is certainly paid a lot of money for. Telling us to set attainable goals and stick to them is an embarrassment and doesn't belong in a book of philosophical thought. I give the book some credit because the first half is fairly well done. I would not suggest to anyone that they buy the book though. The second half is without merit.
Rating: 
Summary: It could have been better: a balanced view
Review: I was noticing all the extreme's of opinion on the reviews for this book. I have finished Morris's Philosophy for Dummies and although I did read it cover to cover and enjoy his writing style, the whole time I felt like there were serious defects with the coverage of the subject. Specifically, I bought this book because I've tried to pour through Kant, Nietzche and even The Republic, and couldn't get my mind around it. There was very little in this book about Nietzche except that he is described as a 19th century wildman and something about the abdomen. Coverage of the Greeks and early modern philosophers (Descarte) was much better. I was dissapointed that basically only Mr. Morris was there, with his stories and perspective. He is obviously an intelligent and persuasive writer, but is that enough? So, here is my suggestion for improving edition II: Morris is obviously a strong and powerful arguer for Theism. I can respect that, and philosophy needs those views. However, the book needs to be CO-AUTHORED by strong and powerful arguer for Atheism and Naturalism. It can be set up in chapters like edition I, but instead they are spilt into sections like "The case for God" and "the case against God". I think then the book would be a real bang up intoduction to living, breathing philosophy. Also, I want to hear more about the Kant, the Nihilists and the 19th century wildman. I think it's funny that Morris goes on for a whole chapter about Skepticism, and then bases his later beliefs on stories of the supernatural! OK, one final specific gripe and I'm out: Regarding the cosmological reason for the existance of God, Morris fails to explain to my satisfaction why the universe cannot have an essential explanation. Seems like he's grasping at straws as to why the universe exists in its current form. Check it out on page 252...what do you think?
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