Discover a provocative, timeless overview of philosophy that you will find nowhere else with the eleventh edition of this classic introductory text, PHILOSOPHY: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ART OF WONDERING. Author James L. Christian takes a unique synoptic approach that will both engage and visually captivate you as the book focuses on the big picture and the interdisciplinary origins of philosophical thinking. This edition's fascinating presentation is interwoven with cartoons, quotations, and related findings from the social and physical sciences that ensure central philosophical concepts are accessible. An eclectic range of topics reinforces the author's presentation of philosophy as the individual's attempt to unify disparate world views. Interspersed biographies provide glimpses into the lives of great thinkers who have molded the Western philosophical tradition and largely influenced how society thinks today. With the help of Christian s PHILOSOPHY: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ART OF WONDERING, Eleventh Edition, you can refine the analytical skills you need to evaluate critically and contribute to the big picture of Western philosophy yourself.

About the Author
James Christian received an STB in Historical Theology and a PhD in Philosophy of History, both from Boston University and is now Professor Emeritus at Santa Ana College. Long renowned for his engaging teaching and writing style, he is also author of I am also the author of ETI: The First Encounter, and a two-volume history of Western thought entitled The Wisdom Seekers: Great Philosophers of the Western World (Wadsworth, 2002). Of his approach, Christian says Intellectually, I am a child of my teacher Arnold Toynbee who instilled in me a passion to see all existence as a single phenomenon but without losing sight of the most minute details this cave painting, this footnote, this flower in this crannied wall.""

Reviews
Part I: THE FINE ART OF WONDERING. 1. The World-Riddle. 2. The Spirit of Inquiry. 3. Critical Analysis. Synoptic Synthesis. Part II: THE CONDITION AND THE ODYSSEY. 1. Predicament. 2. Self. 3. Growth. 4. Lifetime. Part III: THE REAL WORLD: KNOWING AND UNKNOWING. 1. Knowledge. 2. Sense. 3. Mind. 4. Truth. Part IV: THE INNER WORLD/THE FANTASTIC JOURNEY. 1. Psyche. 2. Time. 3. Freedom. 4. Symbols. Part V: DELICATE COEXISTENCE: THE HUMAN LOVE/HATE CONDITION. 1. History. 2. Laws/Conscience. 3. Lifestyles. 4. Politics. 5. Ethics. Part VI: THE PROTOPLASMIC VENTURE. 1. Life. 2. Humans. 3. Earth. 4. Future. Part VII: MICROCOSM/MACROCOSM/COSMOS. 1. Knowledge of Nature. 2. Space/Time/Motion. 3. Cosmos. 4. Biocosmos. Part VIII: OF ULTIMATE CONCERN. 1. Of Ultimate Concern. 2. Ultimate Reality. 3. Death/Immortality. 4. Meaning/Existence. Postlude. Glossary. Credits. Index to Marginal Quotations. Name/Subject Index.



Book Information
ISBN 9781111298081
Author James Christian
Format Paperback
Page Count 720
Imprint Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc
Publisher Cengage Learning, Inc
Weight(grams) 1240g
Dimensions(mm) 255mm * 206mm * 35mm