Free eBooks Archetypes Of Wisdom: An Introduction To Philosophy (Available Titles CengageNOW) Available To Downloads
Featuring Douglas J. Soccio's lucid and conversational prose and a well-chosen, reader-friendly array of succinct excerpts from canonical primary sources, ARCHETYPES OF WISDOM brings philosophy to life for its readers through the examination of many paradigmatic philosophies and philosophers. Very much a student-focused book that speaks out of Soccio's non-condescending desire to speak to students where they "are" and not where they "should be," ARCHETYPES OF WISDOM includes numerous pedagogical illustrations and features (Philosophical Queries, a Marginal Glossary, Chapter Summaries, End-of-Chapter Questions for Reflection, to name a few) to make this often-times daunting subject the approachable and engaging subject it ought to be. The Sixth Edition represents a careful revision, with all changes made by Soccio to enhance and refresh the book's reader-praised search-for-wisdom motif. In particular, this edition features new coverage of Lao-Tzu; expanded, chapter-length treatment of Kierkegaard; and an engaging introduction to the complex landscape of philosophy in the twentieth century focusing on the two archetypal thinkers of this time period: Wittgenstein and Heidegger. Soccio's lauded prose is also enhanced in this Sixth Edition by the text's new full-color design. The text is supported by an unmatched array of teaching and learning resources that include CengageNOW-a powerful online tutorial and course management system, and dynamic easy-to-use lecture and class preparation tools exclusive to Wadsworth, a part of Cengage Learning.
Series: Available Titles CengageNOW
Paperback: 608 pages
Publisher: Cengage Learning; 6 edition (February 13, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0495007072
ISBN-13: 978-0495007074
Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.8 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #496,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #190 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Reference #3406 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy #12713 in Books > Textbooks > Education
For those familiar with the elusive jargon of most philosophy manuals, this masterful text will come as a pleasant and shocking surprise. It highlights complex thoughts without lapsing into confusing or vague terminology. It also ventures beyond the philosophical triumvirate of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle by introducing the reader to other philosophers frequently over-looked in traditional Phil. texts. Chalked full of modern examples and written in a concise and critical manner, Archetypes of Wisdom is a great introductory host to one of the oldest disciplines in the humanities. An added bonus in this text is the slight, but still present, sarcastic humour of Doug Soccio. I have been fortunate enough to have had Professor Soccio as an instructor and his unique blend of humour and intelligence transfer to the pages in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone with the phil of soph.
I don't usually use introductory textbooks in my philosophy classes, preferring to give primary readings coupled with lectures and discussion. Being pricey, textbooks are also something of a burden, when other material is available. What recommends this text, however, is its arrangement by philosopher rather than the more traditional presentation of philosophy by topics. If one must use a single text, this one isn't bad.Soccio is more or less fair to each author or movement he covers, an achievement in itself. It is nice to see thinkers like Marx covered as philosophers in their own right (he was very important for post-Hegelian European thought, regardless of the opinion one might have of his economic thought in practice), and Soccio rightly divides the twentieth century between Wittgenstein and Heidegger, both of whom are sometimes overlooked in intro classes. The text also spends a good third of its pages(6 of 18 chapters) on ancient thought from the Presocratics to Stoicism, another nice touch. I give the table of contents below, it will give a better idea of what is going on in the book.CONTENTS:1. Philosophy and the Search for Wisdom.OVERVIEW OF CLASSICAL THEMES.2. The Asian Sages: Lao-tzu, Confucius, and Buddha.3. The Presocratic Sophos.4. The Sophist: Protagoras.5. The Wise Man: Socrates.6. The Philosopher-King: Plato.7. The Naturalist: Aristotle.8. The Stoic: Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.9. The Scholar: Thomas Aquinas.OVERVIEW OF MODERN THEMES.10. The Rationalist: René Descartes.11. The Skeptic: David Hume.12. The Universalist: Immanuel Kant.13. The Utilitarian: John Stuart Mill.14. The Materialist: Karl Marx.15. The Existentialist: Søren Kierkegaard.16. The Pragmatist: William James.17. The Anti-Philosopher: Friedrich Nietzsche.18. The Twentieth Century: Ludwig Wittgenstein and Martin Heidegger.
I bought a used copy of this book here to accompany my reading of primary source philosophical texts. I can't recommend this book, or books like it, highly enough. More often than not people--myself included--interested in philosophy pick up Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" or Mill's "On Liberty" and give up 20 pages in because of the esoteric and/or dated language they are written in. Thus, I recently bought this "introductory" text to read BEFORE attempting to read the primary sources it does such a good job of distilling. For someone without a degree in philosophy or an IQ of 175, it's the only way to go. I held back on five stars because, in spite of the excellent job this particular book does of distilling the philosophical ideals, it has a tendency to repeat itself by placing quotes from the text on the very page they are taken from. I find this a form of "dumbing down" the information by insinuating that one could simply read the quotes instead of the accompanying text.
this book is well written without being dumbed down. it is interesting and not dry. what i like best are the excellent study questions at the end of each chapter. this book is great for anyone starting out in philosophy.
Buy this book if you are seeking an intro to philosophy and get ready for an entertaining, yet educated reading of some of history's most renowned figures.Book includes contemporary issues which have to do with a certain philosopher's thought, small bibliographies of thei lives and what influenced their way of thinking; and it really presents the subjects in an academic, objective light with no bias on the authori's behalf of thought tendencies of his own.This is the 2nd edition, but buy the latest edition from Soccio for a current events version of the book.
An absolutely fantastic introductory look at the topic of Philosophy. Highly recommended to either student or anyone interested in learning more on the subject.
This book is a wonderful book that makes it easy to read about philosophy. It makes everything very interesting and they will even put neat quotes on the side of the book. I recommend to all.
It's an older edition but does the job the only difference are the page numbers but it's the same material way better than paying for the newest edition
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