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    Introduction to Philosophy

    (5 reviews)

    Nathan Smith, Houston, TX

    Gregory Browne, Ypsilanti, MI

    Parish Conkling, Houston, TX

    Copyright Year:

    ISBN 13: 9781951693596

    Publisher: OpenStax

    Language: English

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    Attribution Attribution
    CC BY

    Reviews

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    Reviewed by Michael Reno, Senior Lecturer of Philosophy, University of Mary Washington on 7/24/24

    Overall, the text is admirable in trying to cover the main problems of a mostly post-analytically inclined philosophy discipline while also doing more than recite token contributions from those outside this tradition.  That said, there are... read more

    Reviewed by Masyn Phoenix, Adjunct Professor, Tillamook Bay Community College on 9/18/23

    This is a good overview of many of the tenants of Western Philosophy, while also touching on and noting the differences from other philosophies around the world. The texts links to more information in a variety of formats like podcasts and videos,... read more

    Reviewed by Eli Shupe, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Arlington on 1/2/23

    This textbook covers a wide variety of topics. The authors had to make some hard choices about what to include for the sake of brevity and, for the most part, I think the choices they made were good ones. The section on biomedical ethics, for... read more

    Reviewed by Albert Spencer, Assistant Professor, Portland State University on 12/4/22

    This textbook covers all of the perennial philosophical questions and represents a wide range of global traditions. I was particularly impressed with quality of the separate sections on Indigenous, Chinese, and Indian philosophy and their... read more

    Reviewed by Ian Werkheiser, Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 11/16/22

    The book does a good job surveying some of the history of philosophy, including Ancient Greek as well as other traditions (e.g. philosophy coming out of China, India, Africa, and North America). Its primary focus though is a survey of the... read more

    Table of Contents

    • Chapter 1. Introduction to Philosophy
    • Chapter 2. Critical Thinking, Research, Reading, and Writing
    • Chapter 3. The Early History of Philosophy around the World
    • Chapter 4. The Emergence of Classical Philosophy
    • Chapter 5. Logic and Reasoning
    • Chapter 6. Metaphysics
    • Chapter 7.  Epistemology
    • Chapter 8. Value Theory
    • Chapter 9. Normative Moral Theory
    • Chapter 10. Applied Ethics
    • Chapter 11. Political Philosophy
    • Chapter 12. Contemporary Philosophies and Social Theories

    Ancillary Material

    • OpenStax
    • OpenStax
    • About the Book

      Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, Introduction to Philosophy surveys logic, metaphysics, epistemology, theories of value, and history of philosophy thematically. To provide a strong foundation in global philosophical discourse, diverse primary sources and examples are central to the design, and the text emphasizes engaged reading, critical thinking, research, and analytical skill-building through guided activities.

      About the Contributors

      Authors

      Nathan Smith has a PhD in philosophy from Boston College and the University of Paris, Sorbonne. His dissertation was on René Descartes’s early scientific and mathematical work. He has been a full-time instructor of philosophy at Houston Community College (HCC) since 2008. He has published on Descartes, phenomenology, and topics in Open Educational Resources (OER), including chapter contributions to an OER textbook through the Rebus Foundation. At HCC, he served as Chair of the Philosophy, Humanities, and Library Sciences Department from 2015 to 2017 and has served as the Open Educational Resources Coordinator since 2017. In this capacity he has secured and managed over $500,000 in grants for the institution and leads a cross-disciplinary, district-wide effort to provide “zero cost books” courses and degree plans for students.

      Gregory Browne, Eastern Michigan University

      Parish Conkling, Houston Community College

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