A New Introduction to Philosophy

I will be using this book as one of my texts for my Introduction to Philosophy class next semester. I chose this book for three main reasons: 1. The clarity of the writing is remarkable. Prof. Cahn is able to explain complex concepts and arguments in a way that makes them very accessible to individuals with no prior knowledge of philosophy. 2. The chapters are all very concise. Philosophical writing is often unnecessarily verbose. It often seems as though philosophers are paid by the word. Prof. Cahn gets right to the point and uses as few words as he needs to in order to explain the concepts and arguments. 3. The presentation is balanced. Prof. Cahn explores various positions, and, while he makes his positions clear, he is fair to the positions that he opposes. The arguments on all sides are always carefully explained. The contents of the book are as follows: Part I: What is Philosophy? Ch. 1: The Challenges of Philosophy Ch. 2: The Tools of Philosophy Part II: Free Will Ch. 3: Determinism Ch. 4: Fatalism Part III: Philosophy of Religion Ch. 5: Does God Exist? Ch. 6: Theism and Religious Commitment Part IV: Ethics Ch. 7: Moral Judgments Ch. 8: Moral Standards Part V: Social Philosophy Ch. 9: Politics Ch. 10: Education