An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy

Should be called "an unquestioning guide to the bits of philosophy that confirm my beliefs and prejudices".

Frequently irritating book that takes sides (typically conservatively) and is more often dismissive of opposing arguments than discussing them. There are much better introductions available pitched at a similar level.

I was born in 1982 and this book has completely changed my life. My only other introduction to philosophy had been an intro class in college in which I got a C because I couldn't stand to attend. The book could not possibly be more different than the material covered in that course or, just as likely, any Intro to Philosophy course around the country or the Continent. He makes this point very early in the book by saying he is going to be "doing" philosophy (not "living it" as puplexploder mis-quotes).

Interestingly, many intelligent people I've lent the book to are completely unable to read it at all. If you're open to "seeing" and you haven't already been shown, you'll like this book. His points are not argued as much as they are shown. show more (Every argument is expanded on in his much larger book 'Modern Philosophy') show less

An old-fashioned Modernist bitter about the recent popularity of Postmodernism. He uses a lot of words to say very little that actually matters, despite making claims that his explanation of philosophy is "living it" rather than "learning about it." It's every bit as pretentious as the title makes it sound.

Hmm.. I must admit I just could not finish this. Actually I could have, since I do have free will. But seriously folks. I just didn't feel it was worth it and that is indeed rare for me to say about a book that catches my interest. I think what made it painful was the 101 survey course type introduction to so many philosophers whose works I want to know more deeply. Scruton does a good job of bringing all those arguments together into a contemporary discussion, but I just didn't find it all that deep or intriguing.

Roger Scruton is concerned that science has almost completely engulfed our age -- an observation hard to argue against -- with consequent loss of respect for human beings as people, and lowering of traditional moral standards of behavior. For Scruton the enemy is 'science,' which he sees as answering all questions impersonally, although it has also been possible to hear other commentators place the blame variously on 'materialism,' or on 'humanism' as a near synonym for human self-centeredness. He surveys the philosophers of the Western tradition mainly from this perspective and you may find the book either interesting or irritating depending on whether you share his personal concern or not.

A slim volume by a modern philosopher, surveying the application of philosophical thinking to problems of epistemology, morality, freedom and history. Roger Scruton is against the dominance of scientific explanations of all phenomena. This argument is not, given my scientific approach to life, persuasive, and I think ill informed. Read this year, 1998, largely at Woodloch Pines in August.

"Modern Philosophy" is by far the better book. No reason whatever to read this if you have read or are going to read the other.