think a compelling introduction to philosophy

His writing is simple and clear, and the liberal use of example and analogy makes Think a most readable work.'-Allison McCulloch, Denver Post 'Blackburn does a fine job of rendering the big thinkers and their thoughts accessible, while picking his way through Western philosophy's murky territory. 'This is a wonderfully stimulating, incisive and - the word is not too strong - thrilling introduction to the pleasures and problems of philosophy.'-John Banville, The Irish Times Blackburn is an accomplished philosopher, which makes this a valuable little book.'- Sunday Times

A beautifully clear account of the chief arguments in each debate. 'Simon Blackburn's lucidly elegant essay is a guide to the most central concerns of philosophy. Think dispels this myth and offers a springboard for all those who want to learn how the basic techniques of thinking shape virtually every aspect of our existence.'Blackburn has produced the one book every smart person should read to understand, and even enjoy, the key questions of philosophy, ranging from those about free will and morality to what we can really know about the world around us.'-Walter Isaacson, Time Magazine

Philosophy is often dismissed as a purely academic discipline with no relation to the real world that non-philosophers are compelled to inhabit.

Because the text approaches these issues from the ground up, the untrained reader will emerge from its pages able to explore other philosophies with greater pleasure and understanding and be able to think-philosophically-for him or herself. Each chapter explains a major issue and gives the reader a self-contained guide through the problems that the philosophers have studied. In a lively and accessible style, Blackburn approaches the nature of human reflection and how we think, or can think, about knowledge, fate, ethics, identity, God, reason, and truth. Simon Blackburn, the author of the best-selling Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, begins by making a convincing case for the relevance of philosophy and goes on to give the reader a sense of how the great historical figures such as Plato, Hume, Kant, Descartes, and others have approached its central themes. Written expressly for anyone who believes there are big questions out there, but does not know how to approach them, Think provides a sound framework for exploring the most basic themes of philosophy, and for understanding how major philosophers have tackled the questions that have pressed themselves most forcefully on human consciousness. Here at last is a coherent, unintimidating introduction to the challenging and fascinating landscape of Western philosophy.

Think a compelling introduction to philosophy