Thinking It Through

Thinking it Through is a thorough vividly written introduction to contemporary philosophy and some of the most crucial questions of human existence including the nature of mind and knowledge the status of moral claims the existence of God the role of science and the mysteries of language. Noted philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah shows us what it means to do philosophy in our time and why it should matter to anyone who wishes to live a more thoughtful life. Opposing the common misconceptions that being a philosopher means espousing a set of philosophical beliefs--or being a follower of a particular thinker--Appiah argues that the result of philosophical exploration is not the end of inquiry in a settled opinion but a mind resting more comfortably among many possibilities or else the reframing of the question and a new inquiry. Ideal for introductory philosophy courses Thinking It Through is organized around eight central topics--mind knowledge language science morality politics law and metaphysics. It traces how philosophers in the past have considered each subject (how Hobbes Wittgenstein and Frege for example approached the problem of language) and then explores some of the major questions that still engage philosophers today. More importantly Appiah not only explains what philosophers have thought but how they think giving students examples that they can use in their own attempts to navigate the complex issues confronting any reflective person in the twenty-first century. Filled with concrete examples of how philosophers work Thinking it Through guides students through the process of philosophical reflection and enlarges their understanding of the central questions of human life.