Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I am delighted to be able to recommend Dr. Christian's 9th edition of his classic "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" to all those interested in uncovering what the study of formal philosophy is all about. While this textbook is primarily targeted toward college students engaged in their first confrontation with the discipline of philosophical thought, I think it is also an excellent introduction for the philosophically-inclined high school student and the mature adult who wants to involve himself or herself in continuing self-education. I used the 2nd edition of this textbook with my students in an introductory course in philosophy which I taught back in the 1970s. I thought the textbook was excellent then; it is even better now with some added features not in the edition I used.

This is not your all-too-common dry, dull philosophy textbook. One of the things stressed in Christian's book is that the study of philosophy is not so much a matter of subject-matter or content as it is an "intellectual adventure," a practical pursuit, a dynamic enterprise, something one "does" rather than simply study some static material with little relevance to daily life. "By its very nature," according to Christian, "philosophy is a do-it-yourself enterprise." Furthermore, "Philosophy...is a method" and "Doing philosophy is an endless activity." How true that is! I have been "doing" serious philosophy since I was about fourteen years old, much to the discomfort of many of my high school teachers. So difficult was I in asking vexing questions of the teacher, that once I was simply told to "Sit down and shut up, or get out!" (Well, philosophers and serious students of philosophy have never been particularly popular or welcome during their lifetimes. Goes with the territory, one might say.)

One of the major benefits of "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" is Christian's "attitude" toward the philosophical enterprise. He "promotes," so to speak, what he calls "synoptic" philosophy; this is a "seeing" of the "whole together," that is, philosophy as a world-view, a consideration of the "big picture." There is not a single facet of the human condition that is not touched upon by the philosophical thinker. This is in sharp contrast to much of what has occurred in recent academic "philosophy," where so-called "philosophers" have reduced the study of philosophy to a mere "playing with words" or "intellectual gamesmanship." Out went metaphysics and its questions (they were pronounced "nonsense"); serious problems in ethics or moral philosophy were cast aside (they were simply a matter of emotions or sentiments, not of principle and truth); what was left for philosophy was mostly symbolic logic and the "analysis" of terms. No wonder professional philosophical thought went into a "dark age" during much of the 20th century and students thought that the study of philosophy itself was a waste of time and constituted a mere quibbling over the use of words.

Fortunately, things have changed and philosophy departments in colleges and universities around America are now reporting substantial growth in the numbers of students majoring in philosophy. Also, these students seem to be interested in approaching the study of philosophy from the viewpoint of the "big picture" and the pursuit of the traditional questions surrounding the human condition, exactly what James Christian offers in his textbook. Virtually no significant area of human life and the relationship between human beings and the universe (and beyond, for that matter!) is ignored. For instance, Part Four discusses "The Inner World: The Fantastic Journey"; Part Six discusses "The Protoplasmic Venture"; Part Eight includes a discussion of "Meaning/Existence," one of the perennial philosophical questions. The reader is introduced to all the major questions facing the young inquirer: Self, Growth, Knowledge, Mind, Time, Freedom, Laws, Lifestyles, Ethics, Ultimate Reality, Death and Immortality, and on and on. This is truly a comprehensive program, a seeing of the "big picture," a particularly gratifying "romp" through the pleasures of synoptic philosophy.

As I said before, this is not your ordinary introduction to philosophy. Accompanying the discussions of the major questions of philosophy are short biographies of some of the usual "players" in philosophy such as Aristotle, Berkeley, William James, Kant, Wittgenstein, etc.; but also included are some biographies of those not usually recognized as philosophers per se (although they engaged in much philosophical thought) such as the Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Omar Khayyam (whom I began reading when I was very young and usually is not mentioned in any philosophy text), Henry David Thoreau and Voltaire (two favorites of mine). And for those who are interested in Ayn Rand and her "Objectivism," her biography is included (the first time, by the way, that I've seen Rand and her philosophy discussed in an introductory textbook in philosophy).

In my opinion, "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering" goes way beyond your average textbook in philosophy. It is highly readable and any literate reader can understand the material presented without prior experience or "training" in philosophy or philosophizing. It also contains helpful illustrations and photographs, sidebars of philosophical quotations and, yes, even cartoons and comic strips, but only those that make a philosophical point or two. Christian does prove that a textbook in philosophy can be pleasing to the eye as well as to the mind and reading such a text can be an enjoyable aesthetic experience on top of that. Other helps include a glossary of terms as well as an index and a list of bibliographic citations. All in all, this textbook is 639 pages of pure delight for anyone wanting to see the "big picture" of the human condition and begin an adventure in philosophy that can last a lifetime (and maybe beyond).

I used this textbook in my Intro to Philosophy course and found its contents to impact and significantly broaden my philosophical views. Like any modern philosophical textbook, its contents are strictly modern and very little attention is paid to the ancient Greek/Hellenistic tradition or to the Medieval/Renaissance tradition. As an introductory guide, shouldn't students become well-acquainted with the origins of Philosophy? Nonetheless, brief lip-service is rendered to the progenitors of western thought; and this might suffice for anyone not deeply concerned with Classical/Medieval/Renaissance philosophy. Now the textual apparatus includes detailed and well organized chapters, with pithy quotes from renowned philosophers, from both the Occidental and Oriental traditions. On top of all of this, on nearly every page lies colorful, and many times humourous cartoons, that relate to humanity and man's quest for wisdom. At the end of every chapter are detailed biographies of the many philosophers who have left their mark upon the world thought. At the end rests an intricate and definitive glossary, which proves very useful while studying this text. Overall, this textbook is a fantastic primer for Modern/Contemporary philosophy, while it nearly disregards the twenty-three hundred years of thought that formed it.

And, of course, we used his text book for the course. If there was one word that I would think most describes this book, it would "unbiased", so I don't really know what that previous reviewer was talking about (maybe Christainity?). Anyway, I found this book to be very funny, interesting, thoughtprovoking, and the only thing really wrong with it is that we don't know the answers to almost any really revelant question. But, I agree, and I think James would say, that that doesn't mean we shouldn't think about them.