Doing Philosophy: An Introduction Through Thought Experiments

Rating:
Summary: The Humanist Manifesto
Review: Disguised as an introductory text in philosophy, what you actually have here is an introduction to Atheism. Whereas the format of the text is quite appealing, with interesting quotes and and "boxed" tidbits of information, the content is lacking. Shick and Vaugn (author of The Case for Humanism) do not miss one opportunity to attack belief in God, and especially belief in a Christian God. I am accustomed to rigorous philosophical questioning, but the authors go well beyond that. They force anti-Christian examples into unrelated topics and all of the boxed 'extra tidbits' for discussion are geared to refute belief in God. They clearly have an agenda in writing this text; one that does not belong in an introduction to Philosophy text. For example, they 'prove' in about a paragraph that God and/or the Bible cannot form the basis of morals---I suppose all of the great minds that approached this subject in the past were not comparable to the genius of Shick and Vaugh...or perhaps someone should inform the authors that their dogma is showing.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Good...If You're Interested In Philosophy
Review: This is a "textbook", strictly speaking, meant for introductory philosophy students. (But, if you aren't a "philosophy student," the book is still easy to read.) It is meant for the person who is an absolute tyco (novice) in philosophy, someone who has no previous knowledge or experience in the study. Schick deals with the major philosophical problems that have been puzzling people (as well as philosophers) over the millennia, like the mind-body, personal identity, God's existence, and other problems. What makes the book interesting, though, is the numerous examples and quotes that Schick provides throughout to text, not merely to re-emphasize a concept or two but to also convince people that philosophy is still being debated in these modern times. Theodore Schick writes quite well and will entertain as well as inform. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing whether you now are you in the future, or if the mind is a separate part of the body, or...