Introducing Philosophy: A Text with Integrated Readings

Introducing Philosophy: A Text with Integrated Readings, Ninth Edition, is an exciting and accessible introduction to core philosophical problems and the many ways in which they are, and have been, answered. Insisting both that philosophy is very much alive today and that it is also deeply rooted in the past, acclaimed teacher and author Robert C. Solomon combines substantial selections from significant works in the history of philosophy with excerpts from current philosophy, clarifying the readings and providing context with his own detailed commentary and explanation. Spanning 2,500 years, the selections range from the oldest known fragments to cutting-edge essays in feminism, multiculturalism, and cognitive science. They include work by a multitude of prominent thinkers, from Plato, Confucius, Ren Descartes, and Immanuel Kant to Emma Goldman, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Malcolm X. Organized topically, the chapters present alternative perspectives--including analytic, continental, feminist, and non-Western viewpoints--alongside the historical works of major philosophers; this juxtaposition encourages students to carefully evaluate the theories themselves. Topics covered include the nature of reality, the existence and nature of God, the possibility of human knowledge, the mystery of the self, the problem of consciousness, the essence of freedom, ethics and morality, and the nature of truth. The ninth edition has been streamlined to make it more accessible to students. Featuring new selections by Phillip Bricker, Martin Heidegger, Friedrich Nietzsche, Judith Orr, Amartya Sen, Tara Smith, Galen Strawson, and Malcolm X, it also offers new translations of several of the Nietzsche excerpts.
Introducing Philosophy, Ninth Edition, incorporates numerous pedagogical features including more than 300 review questions that appear throughout the text at the end of each chapter. Each chapter ends with a summary, a list of key terms, and a bibliography with suggestions for further reading. Key philosophical terms are carefully introduced in the text (and boldfaced at their first appearance) and also summarized in the glossary at the end of the book. Brief biographies of the philosophers discussed in the text are provided at the end of the book. A Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/solomon9e offers valuable resources for students and instructors. An Instructor's Manual--in both print and CD editions--is available to adopters.