Beginning Philosophy

knowing richard double personally, i have not only read his book, but heard his personal interpretation and expedition upon this book. i do believe that this is a good basic introduction to philosophy. he covers many topics, areas, and philosophers in this brief text, and gives the reader a good point to start from on their journey into the investigation of theory of knowledge, metaphysics, etc. double is a brilliant, insightful, open minded, and informative teacher of philosophy (though often sarcastic, cynical, caustic, provocative, etc.[though not as obviously in his text as in real life]) i think this is a good starting place for one who is seeking to gain a grasp upon what philosophy entails.

Double's book takes an analytic and dialectical approach to the main fields and problems of philosophy. He characterizes philosophy as the "imperious inquisitor of the most basic beliefs in all areas of thought, including science, common sense, religion, and philosophy itself." His examination of philosophy's inquisition covers theory of knowledge, the nature of the external world, the mind/body problem, free will, the existence of God and the problem of evil and ethics. This is a very clear and up to date treatment.

Richard Double provides a clear, accessible, and easy to understand survey of many of the most famous philosophers. I am a novice in this area, but after reading this text, I have a better grasp of the major concepts, terms and ideas. I am impressed to such an extent that I bought copies as gifts for relatives. Double demonstrates the logic, reasoning and theory of a wide range of philosophers,and touches on the relationship between philosophy and science, but ignores philosophies which birthed in other disciplines (eg. positivism). He thoroughly explores philosophies of (western) religion, reflecting his earlier interests in free-will and the existence of God. The glossary and quotes are functional and useful.--Joseph Atkinson, Librarian, Los Angeles Public Library Social Sciences, Philosophy & Religion Dept.