Featuring a remarkably clear writing style, Philosophy: Asking Questions--Seeking Answers is a brief and accessible guide designed for students with no prior knowledge of the subject. Written by renowned scholars Stephen Stich and Tom Donaldson, it focuses on the key issues in Western philosophy, presenting balanced coverage of each issue and challenging students to make up their own minds. Each chapter incorporates discussion questions, key terms, a glossary, and suggestions for further readings to help make the material more understandable to novices. While comprehensive enough to be used on its own, Philosophy can also be used as a supplement to any introductory anthology.
"It's very good. Accessible to my students and their abilities, and very similar to how I teach an introduction to philosophy class. The chapters on epistemology (5 to 8) are by far the best: clear, careful, and methodical. The chapters on the philosophy of religion (3-4) seemed very good as well, though I did not use them this time (I cover this material less and less, nothing to do with the book). I quite liked the reading/writing tips at the end. And appendix B is a very good idea" - my department has a brochure I use in class covering similar material. Some weaknesses include: the chapter on logic (2) is a bit thin: no explanation of logical connectives (truth-tables), no discussion of the most basic forms of inference. Perhaps a more advanced chapter could be added."
- Philippe Chuard, Associate Professor, Southern Methodist University