Author(s): Professor of Philosophy David Papineau (King's College London King's College, London Kings College London King's College London King's College London King's College London King's College London King's College London King's College London King's College London King's College London)

Culture & Ideas

What is reality? Is there free will? Is war ever justified? These are questions that philosophers have spent centuries contemplating. In Philosophy, an international team of scholars offer intriguing answers to these and many other key issues that have long puzzled humanity. Vividly written and beautifully designed, this stimulating volume takes readers on an informative, thoughtful tour of philosophy. The book examines six major topics--The World, Mind and Body, Knowledge, Faith, Ethics and Aesthetics, and Society--and under these headings, it considers such subjects as Time and Space, Feelings and Emotions, Induction and Deduction, the Afterlife, Love and Friendship, and Crime and Punishment. Indeed, the contributors discuss all of the most important issues in the history of philosophy, shedding light on what the great thinkers have written about them. There are special sections on some of the most important philosophers who ever lived--Aristotle and Descartes, Locke and Hume, Spinoza and Pascal, Schopenhauer and Sartre, Foucault and Rawls--along with portraits or photographs of each. In addition, the book includes special features on major philosophical works, such as Descartes' Meditations or Plato's Symposium, and on interesting philosophical concepts, such as the Gambler's Fallacy or Sartre's example of the waiter and the loss of individuality. A perfect starting point for the exploration of philosophical thought, Philosophy offers life-changing perspectives on some of the great questions, from the nature of the mind to the morality of cloning and stem-cell research.