The Experience of Philosophy

This exceptional collection immerses students in such powerful ideas they will find themselves not just reading about, but actually participating in, the kind of philosophical thinking that can change the way they look at their lives and the world around them. The Experience of Philosophy features eighty-four readings that challenge students' thinking about God, freedom, reality, nothingness, death, and even their own identities. Provocative and accessible, these essays have been carefully chosen for their ability to draw students out of an ordinary frame of reference into exciting new territory. Although the editors include many classic sources such as Plato, Descartes, Locke, and Kant, the emphasis is on contemporary writings. Articles by Derek Parfit, Bertrand Russell, and others help students to see the links between philosophy and literature and philosophy and the physical and social sciences. The text features section introductions, a brief introduction to each selection, biographical information on each author, and questions before and after each reading to reinforce main ideas. Further readings after each selection direct students to additional material on related issues. Ideal for introductory philosophy courses, The Experience of Philosophy encourages students to "do" philosophy, rather than just read about its history. The fifth edition features six new readings on such topics as observation and theory in science; the metaphysics of genocide; gender identity; religious belief; and the latest stimulating ideas from physics on the creation of the universe from nothing.