Explaining everything (Philosophy: the Basics - Nigel Warburton)

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Product:	Philosophy: the Basics - Nigel Warburton
Date:	03/04/01 (56 review reads)
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Advantages: The most lucid and concise introduction to newcomers.

Disadvantages: Several themes ommitted and brief treatment of those included

Now in it's third edition, Nigel Warburton's "Philosophy: the Basics" is the most lucid introduction to philosophy I have ever read. I seriously doubt that it would be possible for someone to write a more accessible and concise treatment of what can at times be a most demanding and difficult subject to follow. In fact the only problem I have in recommending this book is in deciding to whom it would be of interest. If someone were to stop me in the street and ask me "Hey, Necropolis, what book do you recommend to someone who wants to learn about philosophy but has no knowledge of the subject?" then, after the initial shock of being recognized, I would immediately say "Warburton's".

In reality this will never happen though. My anonymity aside, if you already have an interest in the subject then this book may be aimed beneath you as it only covers the foundations of the issues raised. If you have no such interest then it is unlikely you would choose to read a book about philosophy, although if you did want to discover whether it would be of interest then this is the best place to start. Although I have said that it might be too basic for those who are familiar with the issues covered, it does provide an excellent reference source, summing up key positions in clear, yet accurate, paragraphs. In all honesty the best use for this book would probably be as a course book for an introductory course, although this should not scare away any individual readers as it is not presented in such a way.

A thematic approach is used by Warburton with the book concerning itself with the issues raised in philosophy and not with the philosophers themselves. While an understanding of the people and how their ideas connect together is necessary for a full understanding of the discipline, it would cause a loss of clarity in a book such as this. Philosophers though are mentioned whenever particular arguments with which they
are associated are presented.

The book consists of seven chapters, each of which are dedicated to separate philosophical areas. These are God, Right and wrong, Politics, The external world, Science, Mind, and Art. A notable omission is that of Logic and language which dominated twentieth century Anglo-American thought. This absence is not too surprising for an introductory text as it can be rather difficult to explain, although it would not surprise me if Warburton were able to make it easy to understand. Though I doubt even he could make it interesting! Other areas not featured include continental philsophy and anything of a non-western tradition. Although ultimately all areas of philosophy are related, hence it being a single discipline, by addressing each theme independently it allows that chapters can be read, or ignored, in whatever order the reader chooses.

After introducing a topic and explaining its philosophical relevance each chapter presents a series of the main arguments, with each of them being followed by the criticisms brought against them. Warburton presents these positions in an impressively impartial fashion which allows the reader to decide their own position for themself because nothing is presented as being more favourable than anything else. This is what introductory texts should be like, and what recommends it over classics such as Bertrand Russell's "The Problems of Philosophy" which really only presents Russell's interests and positions. The chapters end with a very brief conclusion summarizing the topic and then some recommended sources of further reading, with a line or two explaining each books inclusion so that people can choose the one most suited to their interests.

The physical layout of the book aids in its ease of use with the same design used as in Routledge's other books from the 'The Basics' series. The size is the same as a standard paperback (assuming you are
not looking at the hardback edition which I presume to be larger) and there are only 178 pages counting from introduction to index. Within a chapter each section has its own heading, with the sections being short enough that there is usually one or two headings per page. An unusual aspect to the presentation is that the headings on odd numbered pages, i.e. those on the right, are aligned to the right edge of the page which allows easier access to sections when flipping though the book.

Nigel Warburton is a philosophy lecturer for the Open University but beyond this fact my only knowlegde of him is this book and the related ones he has written. It is worth mentioning those other books here though as they are equally clear to read and provide the most suitable further reading. "Philosophy: Basic Readings" which is edited by Warburton is much larger, both in terms of size and number of pages (449). It contains between four and six extracts and essays from different philosophical texts for each of the chapters included in "Philosophy: the Basics", which it is intended to accompany, and these are chosen from a wide choice of authors.

His other book of note is "Philosophy: the Classics" which returns to the same style as "The Basics" but instead of being thematic it introduces with the same level of lucidity twenty of the most important philosophical works. Of course in a book of this kind it is always difficult to justify the selection but those chosen were ones which he felt could be covered in a concise fashion and which would also best encourage further reading. The range is fairly diverse though and includes offerings by Plato, Hume, Schopenauer, Marx, Ayer and Sartre. If "The Basics" whetted your interest but you need more guidance for further reading then this is the perfect follow up book providing a link between an introduction to philosophy and the famous works themselves.

Overa
ll if you do manage to fall into the narrow range of people targeted by this book then I would highly recommend it. It is not enough on its own to count as having read philosophy but it provides excellent foundations for both further reading and independant thought, which is the most important aspect of philosophical texts.

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