Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I: What Is Philosophy 7 

Chapter 1: What's Philosophy All About 9

Chapter 2: Discovering Why Philosophy Matters 25 

Chapter 3: Becoming a Philosophical Thinker 43 

Part II: The History of Philosophy 57 

Chapter 4: Looking at Ancient Philosophies 59 

Chapter 5: Moving from the Dark Ages to the Modern Day 73 

Chapter 6: Looking at Eastern Philosophy 99 

Chapter 7: Understanding the 'Isms' 115 

Part III: The Nuts and Bolts of Philosophy 133 

Chapter 8: Seeing the Limits of Logic 135 

Chapter 9: Understanding Knowledge 155 

Chapter 10: Separating Fact from Fiction 167 

Chapter 11: Interpreting Language 185 

Part IV: Exploring the Mind, Consciousness and Morality 203 

Chapter 12: Exploring the Strange Notion of Mind 205 

Chapter 13: Looking at Ethics and Morality 221 

Chapter 14: Political Philosophy 255 

Chapter 15: Looking Out for Liberty 281 

Chapter 16: Aesthetics and Human Values 297 

Part V: Philosophy and Science 319 

Chapter 17: From Ancient Science to Modern Philosophy 321 

Chapter 18: Investigating the Science of Society 333 

Chapter 19: Exploring Scientifi c Truth and Scientific Fashions 355 

Part VI: The Part of Tens 373 

Chapter 20: Ten Famous Philosophical Books – and What They Say 375 

Chapter 21: Ten Philosophical Puzzles to Keep You Thinking 383 

Index 393 

About the Author

Martin Cohen is a successful philosophy author who has written numerous books, including 101 Philosophical Problems and 101 Ethical Dilemmas . Martin is the Editor of The Philosopher , one of the UK's oldest philosophy journals.