Philosophy: An introduction to the art of wondering

by James L. Christian

This popular introductory text provides a unique diversity of teaching tools for instructors who prefer a synoptic approach. The text is visually appealing and reader friendly. The author accents his accessible writing with cartoons, quotations, and related findings from the social and physical sciences, reinforcing his emphasis on philosophy as the individual's attempt to unify disparate world views. The level of writing makes all philosophical concepts accessible to students. The emphasis is on synoptic thinking and providing the "big picture," including analytical skills. The biographies give the student a feeling for the great thinkers who have fashioned the Western philosophic tradition and have determined largely how we think today.

Genres: Philosophy, Reference, Nonfiction

716 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Nitheesh I S · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word. Amazing. The book is structured in such a manner that philosophy becomes accessible to a layman with no prior knowledge. And, it actually makes us think about life and the world as such.

[Amith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a fantastic journey. It attempts to weave a single thread through diverse islands of human knowledge to build a synoptic worldview. The book goes really wide in its spread of topics and encompasses the ideas of a variety of philosophers through space and time. This should not come as a surprise as the book was intended as a textbook for undergraduates. It often presents conflicting schools of thought side by side and encourages one to find his/her own answers to the big questions.

With such a wide base, I found it a little difficult to hold all these ideas together. But with one read and one head, only this is possible. I would really like to revisit some parts of the book in the future. The book tilts towards western philosophy but has representation from the east in the form of the Dalai Lama and Gautama Buddha. A bit more would have been welcome.

For a layman, this book serves as a very good introduction to philosophy.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my text for an intro to philosophy class my senior year in high school, and I still refer to it. To quote Christian: "philosophy is for those who are willing to be disturbed with a creative disturbance. Philosophy is for those who still have the capacity for wonder." His approach is that of a tour guide going on safari, looking to share both knowledge and excitement over the wealth in the wilderness. A great way to delve in!

[Science and Fiction · Rating 2 out of 5]

No question this is a very different approach to teaching philosophy, and to my thinking utterly bizarre. I could barely get through it. It seemed like an experiment in pedagogical methodology. Rather than take us along a chronological journey to see how how thoughts evolved and shaped cultures around them (or vice versa) this is organized along topical themes, with salient thoughts from various philosophers on each point of discussion. It also comes with cartoon, jokes, and abstract graphics. Throughout, my reaction was simply: WTF?

But my wife loved it! It is interesting to read all the positive reviews here. I think it is a question of how one prefers to learn and retain new information. When my wife goes to the grocery store she goes here or there for what's she after and may pick up something along the way that catches her eyes. Me, I start at one end and go up and down every aisle very methodically, because I'm afraid I might forget something and have to come back again. She says I take too long, but she's the one having to run out and get stuff every other day. Journey or destination? Process or end goal?

If you are like me, or you enjoy history as I do, avoid this and stick with more traditional books. If you are more like my wife (who is not a history buff), and/or feel stymied by the traditional approach, this may be just what the doctor ordered.

[Kiera Boudibiua · Rating 5 out of 5]

James L. Christian just has a way of presenting the issues of philosophy in such a wonderful fresh way.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this.

[Nikunj · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finest introductory exposure to philosophy

[Brown Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for a solidly-written pedagogical textbook, and this one may be my favorite. Philosophy makes for a tedious read, but Christian writes lucidly, as well as elucidately, about the breadth of thought, whether you choose to call that thought philosophy or something less intimidating such as logic or rational thinking or even rationalization.

I regret that all the editions of this book are separated here on goodreads, but in the end, splitting reviews isn't going to affect sales or buzz for a college text. Also, I have read only this edition, so any changes are beyond my cognomen, you might say, so perhaps splitting them into discrete books is the right approach for this book.

This is--by far--my preferred èntre to the amorphous human activity of thinking beyond, throughout, within and beneath the moment. Also, one of my favorite books ever.

I should read a more recent edition. I could use a booster shot of fine thinking about thinking.

[Mohammed Barri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a magnificent journey through all human knowledge (ancient and modern) seen via nice and broaden synoptic view. This book really make me wonder and see the world from different and multiple perspectives. It is enjoyable and educative experience. Highly recommended for anyone who is new to philosophy.

Update: This is a great book. For me, it is a masterpiece. I have read it (3) times. In each time I discover something new. In every word, sentence and paragraph there is an enjoyment. For this, I edit my rating from 4 to be 5.

[Julio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I declare unabashedly that this is my favorite book, and, yes, it is indeed a textbook. It was my introduction to philosophy and to the art of wondering, something I've been doing ever since. When was the last time you read a TEXT BOOK cover to cover TWICE--the second time because you thought it so interesting you felt compelled to do so. Now, that's a book.

[Adrian Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom was working on a project, and purchased this textbook as a reference. I stole it, and I can honestly say that it has been one of the best reads of my life. As it's a textbook, I believe that that is quite an accomplishment--but it's simply a great read, as well as a wealth of information on various topics.

[Gerald Jerome · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don't consider re-reading a textbook but I've read this one almost three times now. If you're familiar with philosophy then it may not show you anything you don't already know, but for anyone getting acquainted, this is perfect.

[Isabelle Hui · Rating 5 out of 5]

i actually love this book

[FreeLarryJr · Rating 5 out of 5]

First philosophy book I ever read and it was a damn textbook lol. Love it because I never fully stopped striving to learn after reading it in high school.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, It was my school textbook and it was a good read.

[pearl]

Reading as much as I can via Google Books.