The Big Questions: Philosophy for Everyone: Philosophy for Everyone

This is one of the best Philosophy books I've read to date...it's easy to understand, well organized, and accessible to anyone, whether they've had loads of Philosophical courses or are just starting to wonder about the meaning of life, the way we live, and the questions that shape our world and reality. It also gives hypothetical, situational examples within each topic, so that the meaning behind each premise is easily understood and can be explored, either on your own, or in conversation with others. Not only that, at the end of each chapter, the book provides questions for further study and self reflection. So, if you have an upcoming road trip or simply want some amazing tête-à-tête at the coffeehouse, beyond the normal vein of weather and TV shows, this book is perfect for you.

I found this to be an interesting book. I've not gotten through all of it yet, but I'm about 200 pages into the book. I have not had any formal training in philosophy, so I wanted to find something that could get me started. I've found this to be a good way to understand the usefulness of some of these questions. It has also helped me identify the ideas to which I should pay attention as I begin to read texts from the actual philosophers.

I love the book, but what I don't understand is why Longman requires me to have my students purchase Ultimate Questions instead of Big Questions. The two are the same book, except for the fact that Ultimate Questions costs roughly twice as much.

When Analytical (Anglo-American style) philosophy turns to the big metaphysical questions, it takes on the flavor of early to high modern philosophy (eg from Descarte to Kant), and this surprisingly turns out to make a good clearing ground for anyone interested in wrestling with 'Continental' philosophy (eg German and French phenomenology and existentialism) following Kant and the split with the Analytical schools. The difficulty in comprehending the likes of Hegel, Heidegger, and Deleuze (who, despite some charges to the contrary, are substantively relevant to any contemporary thinking) can be made easier against a background of dealing with classic modern problems in the clear, analytical way presented so well here by Nils Rauhut. All of 'the big questions' dealt with here so clearly are dealt with in more risky, experimental - and therefore more obscure - ways in thinkers such as Heidegger and Deleuze. After thinking through this book, you will be able to better identify where and how extremely challenging philosophers are addressing these kinds of questions.

I have been looking for a good introduction to philosophy text for a long time for high school students. This one is it! It would also be good for a college Philosophy 100 class, or even adults who have no experience in philosophy. What makes this book so great is that it is not tremendously pedantic not oversimplifed. Rauhut includes every subject one would expect in an intro course from God, personal identity, free will, epistemology, ethics, and ontology. What separates this from others are the Food for Thought sections which take extremely difficult concepts and formulates them into concrete easy to understand examples; they also provide exercises that are perfect for a classroom setting and include discussion questions that actually promote discussion and get to the heart of the matter! I highly recommend this book