November/December 2758 auc

Well, my friends I have jumped into the Philosophical Morass with both feet, and went down to the library to get a couple of books on the subject. The books recommended by the local librarian were as follow:

• Simon Blackburn, "Think, A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy," Oxford University Press, oxford, New York, et al, 1999 (ISBN 0-19-969087-1 hbk.);
• Richard H. Popkin, Ph.D., Avrum Stroll Ph.D., "Philosophy Made Simple, 2nd Ed.,"Doubleday, New York, London, et al, 1993 (ISBN 0-385-42533-3)

Simon Blackburn is Edna J. Koury, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina. He was a Fellow and Tutor at Pembroke College, Oxford from 1969 to 1990. His books include:

• "Spreading The Word" (1984);
• "Essays in Quasi-Realism" (1993);
• "The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (1994);
• "Ruling Passions" (1998);
• Co-Editor of the "Truth";
• Editor of the journal "Mind " from 1984 to 1990

This is a book about the big questions in life; knowledge, consciousness, fate, God, truth, goodness, justice. The purpose of the book is to
anser the questions of those who believe that there are "the big questions" in the universe, but who are not aware of how to approach them.
This book atempts to explain the "big questions," thier existance, and attempts to show their importance to those who seek more knowledge about them.

The author begins by placing before the reader a pursuasive and impressive argument for the further study of this idea and proceeds to appraise the reader of the ideas of the major figures in the study of philosoph such as Kant, and descartes of fairly recent years, and thier approach to the major philosophical themes.

The auhor addresses in detail, after his introduction, the topics of Knowledge. Mind, Free Will, The Self, God, Reasoning, The World, and What to Do.

This book is a well written and lively text which proves to be valuable for anyone desiring toprobe more deeply into the basic ideas of how thinking shapes outr universe, and our idividual aspects within that paradighm. There is also an extensive biblkiography for further and deeper studies as the reader may desire

In the book "Philosophy Made Simple," The authors appoach the subject from a historical view view assumig that this work would be appealing to those ordinary people who have no educational background in this "abstract" subject, but rather who simly would like to know something of it.
Thier approach has obviously had some success in that this book has been used as a basic textin dozens of universities and has been translated
many forieign languages and sold in nearly every country in the world from Nigeria to Austrailia.

The Authors begin thier journey into Philosophy by defining what philosophy is and making the readers aware of popular usages and concptions of this subject trough the attempts of thoughtful people to explain the natural world in some consisant and rational fashion. This the authors attempt with some success to do in the seven chapters of the book:

• Ethics, Political Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Religon, The Theory of Knowledge, Logic, and Contemporary Philosophy; any one of which could be a subject of several books. There is also a list of
  further suggested reading in the areas of Pragmatism, Analytic Philosophy, and Existentialism.

For my part I have not completed either book although I am working diligently at moving through the mazes of the "abstract" as presented in both texts. I am essentially a "practical" individual, and so the study of "abstract" subjects comes somewhat harder for me than for those whose minds are geared to a more lofty and thoughtful plane of existance.
However, I hope to persevere, and report fro time to time on my journey through this very thought -provoking subject.