Thinking It Through: An Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy
by Kwame Anthony Appiah
On This Page
Description
Here is a thorough, vividly written introduction to contemporary philosophy and some of the most crucial questions of human existence: the nature of mind and knowledge, the status of moral claims, the existence of God, the role of science, and the mysteries of language, among them. In Thinking It Through, esteemed philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah shows us what it means to "do" philosophy in our time and why it should matter to anyone who wishes to live a more thoughtful life. Opposing the show more common misconceptions that being a philosopher means espousing a set of philosophical beliefs, or being a follower of a particular thinker, Appiah argues that "the result of philosophical exploration is not the end of inquiry in a settled opinion, but a mind resting more comfortably among many possibilities, or else the reframing of the question, and a new inquiry." Thinking It Through is organized around eight central topics -- mind, knowledge, language, science, morality, politics, law, and metaphysics. It traces how philosophers in the past have considered each subject (how Hobbes, Wittgenstein, and Frege, for example, approached the problem of language) and then explores some of the major questions that still engage philosophers today. More important, Appiah shows us not only what philosophers have thought but how they think, giving us examples we might use in our own attempts to navigate the complex issues that confront any reflective person in the 21st century. Filled with concrete examples of how philosophers work and written in the liveliest prose, Thinking It Through guides readers through the process of philosophical reflection and enlarges our understanding of the central questions of human life. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Kwame Anthony Appiah is one of our most articulate public intellectuals. This book came out a couple of years ago and it provides a clearly-written and jargon-free introduction to modern philosophy. Highly recommended!
This is a book by a "public intellectual" which is also is a good read for not so "intellectual" readers. That's just right.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
56+ Works 4,042 Members
Kwame Anthony Appiah was born in 1954 in London and raised in Ghana. After graduating with a degree in philosophy from Cambridge University, he taught at Yale, Duke, and Cornell universities. He is currently a professor of Philosophy and African American Studies at Harvard University. Appiah has written on such topics as language in Assertion and show more Conditional and For Truth in Semantics, and racial philosophy and identities in Color Conscious and In My Father's House. In addition to his scholarly publications, Appiah is the author of the popular Sir Patrick Scott Series of mysteries. In this series, which includes Avenging Angel and Another Death in Venice, Barrister Patrick Scott uses his intellectual skills to solve murders in a most British fashion. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Thinking It Through: An Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy
- Original publication date
- 2003
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- Full title (2003): Thinking it through : an introduction to contemporary philosophy / Kwame Anthony Appiah
Classifications
- Genres
- Philosophy, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Politics and Government
- DDC/MDS
- 100 — Philosophy and Psychology Philosophy Philosophy, parapsychology and occultism, psychology
- LCC
- BD21 .A68 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion Speculative philosophy Speculative philosophy General philosophical works
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 173
- Popularity
- 188,423
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.28)
- Languages
- English, Italian, Portuguese (Portugal)
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 1
