The Art of Living is a new series from
Acumen. Each book takes a single theme and explores it from a broadly
philosophical point of view. This is an interesting approach to applied,
rather than academic, philosophy; it shows what can happen when serious
arguments are brought to bear on features of life that we may all too often take
for granted. They are readable and assume no prior knowledge of Philosophy.
There are other titles already available, and more
will follow next year. Certainly quite different from your average book on
philosophy!
But for those coming to philosophy as students...
Outline notes, suitable for AS/A2 students, are
available on the following:
Plato and the Forms
Free Will and Determinism
Language
There's nothing like starting with some of the great
works of philosophy for getting a taste for the subject. Pick up Plato, Hume or
Nietzsche and see how they dissect the fundamental issues. Or start with an
anthology, like The Classics, by Nigel Warburton, or his The Basics
Here are some introductory texts for philosophy, particularly
suitable for those doing A level:
Interested in Hume, Hutcheson or Adam Smith?
For a fascinating article by David Denby, published in 2004, on the contribution
of philosophers from 18th century Edinburgh, which touches on the origins of
Utilitarianism, Hume's theory of knowledge, the development of political and
economic theory, and much more, see:
www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/10/11/041011crat_atlarge |
