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An Introduction to Philosophy: Perennial Principles of the Classical Realist Tradition
AN INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY by Daniel J. Sullivan is intended for the general reader as well as for the student. Its primary purpose is to present the elements of philosophy with simplicity and clarity in order to arouse that sense of wonder which Aristotle says is the beginning of the love of wisdom.
This well-structured overview begins with an historical study of philosophy, tracing the evolution of philosophical problems from their simplest origins, and continues with an analysis of the more concrete problems about man himself. The more abstract problems of man and his relation to the world around him make up the final study of this book.
Sullivan works in the great classical, realist tradition of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and their modern-day inheritors, exposing the perennially valid and vital principles of philosophy and emphasizing the profound moral and social implications of these principles. He respects the distinction between natural and revealed wisdom, but does not hesitate to point out how the conclusions of philosophy are complemented by the truths of revelation.
AN INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY clearly demonstrates that philosophy is a good deal more than a classroom exercise.
This well-structured overview begins with an historical study of philosophy, tracing the evolution of philosophical problems from their simplest origins, and continues with an analysis of the more concrete problems about man himself. The more abstract problems of man and his relation to the world around him make up the final study of this book.
Sullivan works in the great classical, realist tradition of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and their modern-day inheritors, exposing the perennially valid and vital principles of philosophy and emphasizing the profound moral and social implications of these principles. He respects the distinction between natural and revealed wisdom, but does not hesitate to point out how the conclusions of philosophy are complemented by the truths of revelation.
AN INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY clearly demonstrates that philosophy is a good deal more than a classroom exercise.
- GenresPhilosophyNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
87 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 6, 2019
The title suggests that this book is an introduction to philosophy, but it's the subtitle that truly gets at what this book is about: the Classical Realist Tradition. In this sense, I would not recommend this as an introduction to philosophy per se, but as an introduction to the realist tradition. The historical introduction to philosophy only covers the Sophists, Socrates, Plat, and Aristotle (and perhaps Aquinas).
Nevertheless, as one firmly convinced of the value and truthfulness of the realist tradition, I highly recommend this work. Because I identify with the Reformed (Christian, protestant) tradition, this work outlines the philosophical world behind the Reformers and the Reformed confessions. This is all the more critical in our day, as attempts to redefine the doctrine of God, theology proper, the nature of revelation and epistemology, etc., are common.
Nevertheless, as one firmly convinced of the value and truthfulness of the realist tradition, I highly recommend this work. Because I identify with the Reformed (Christian, protestant) tradition, this work outlines the philosophical world behind the Reformers and the Reformed confessions. This is all the more critical in our day, as attempts to redefine the doctrine of God, theology proper, the nature of revelation and epistemology, etc., are common.
May 9, 2021
Tout simplement la meilleure introduction à la philosophie classique (pré-moderne, qui était majoritairement acceptée pendant l'Antiquité puis le Moyen-Âge, de Platon et Aristote à Augustin et Thomas d'Aquin), en particulier d'un point de vue thomiste. Elle est exhaustive (traite vraiment tous les sujets essentiels : métaphysique, éthique, épistémologie, philosophie politique, philosophie de l'homme etc.) et très accessible (langage clair, phrases simples, plein de schémas).
June 24, 2024
This text was required reading for the PH501 Classical Philosophy course at Southern Evangelical Seminary, as a part of my Christian Apologetics master's degree program. As philosophical texts go, this was very readable. That said, it's also very dense and at under 300 pages holds a surprising amount of content. I found it to be very comprehensive for the topics we covered in the class, and I enjoyed Sullivan's approach to the topic.
January 20, 2023
Not a good introduction to philosophy. This is a beginning study of an Aristotelian-Thomistic viewpoint. This book does a decent job of describing the history of philosophy up to the Middle Ages and can be a useful introduction to the categories used by Aristotle and Aquinas.
This, however, is where the benefits of the book end. The author is painfully bad at describing any other position that isn't Thomist or Aristotelian. He is not equipped or interested in explaining any opposing viewpoint in accurate terms. His commentary of Modern philosophy is terrible. His definitions are not in good faith. If you are looking for a balanced introduction to the history of philosophy, find a different book.
2/5. Only use this if you want to simplify Aristotle/Aquinas to a beginner.
This, however, is where the benefits of the book end. The author is painfully bad at describing any other position that isn't Thomist or Aristotelian. He is not equipped or interested in explaining any opposing viewpoint in accurate terms. His commentary of Modern philosophy is terrible. His definitions are not in good faith. If you are looking for a balanced introduction to the history of philosophy, find a different book.
2/5. Only use this if you want to simplify Aristotle/Aquinas to a beginner.
January 19, 2023
This 1957 masterpiece can help beleaguered conservative and pro-life people in 2023 understand how leftists (either ignorant of or deliberately opposed to basic philosophy) attempt to destroy contemporary society.
I found so much of this work significant that I have annotated (either by underlining, adding parallel lines in the margins, or drawing stars of David) virtually all pages, so repeating those annotations here would be repetitious to the extreme. However, the few comments which follow may be of particular interest to conservatives and pro-life activists concerned about, among other topics, the delusions of gender activists and anti-life/pro-abortion ideas.
For example, I think everyone has read about or seen on social media the lunacy of gender activists who claim that a man can become a woman merely by (poof!) claiming to be one. The mental illness of transgender activists doesn’t stand a chance when confronted with biological reality, a foundation principle of Western philosophy.
Sullivan’s comments throughout the book about reality being the basis of philosophical speculation should therefore encourage those who argue rightfully that there are two genders and that no cacophonous rage shouting by a transgender person that he is female can overcome reality.
In short, dealt with it, buddy. You have a penis and a scrotum containing two testes. Enjoy being a man.
Similarly, abortion wrongs activists have argued that the unborn child is not a person (which is, apparently, a legal term more than a philosophical one). In philosophical terms, this is comparable to saying that the unborn child is not a being in his or her own right. This rejection of science is necessary if abortion zealots want to force all of us to accept their anti-human philosophy.
Again, Sullivan’s comments about being, which are passim, can help pro-life persons counter those deluded souls who think that human life doesn’t begin with the reality of fertilization. Personhood, existence, or being isn’t granted to someone just because (poof!) his or her mother thinks so. The right to life, the right to exist, is an essential, inherent aspect of our humanity.
In short (yes, I know: the second one in this review), pro-abortion zealots should therefore shut up already and accept the reality that a pregnant woman carries another human being and that both mother and unborn child deserve our love and protection.
Reading Sullivan’s work can be disturbing for many. For example, Protestant Christians may ineluctably conclude that their denomination’s “Reformation” wasn’t that as much as a divorce from a coherent philosophy begun in the ancient pagan world through solid logical reasoning and refined by Western (Catholic) Christian saints for 1,500 years. The subjectivism of the Protestant mindset would lead to the nihilism of today, and all of us suffer from that five-hundred year rupture from reality and sound logical thinking.
Likewise, a second major disturbing result of Sullivan’s work is that many would reject philosophical study because it is infused with ideas and terms developed by the Roman Catholic Church. American Catholics know well that anti-Catholicism is a vibrant force, not only in the area of respect for life, but in virtually all of society. Therefore, the reader may despair that many in contemporary culture could remain ignorant of the structure and depth of philosophical principles simply because such profundity is rejected by their anti-Catholic bigotry.
Fortunately, though, there is hope that conservative young people will not only resurrect the sound philosophical conclusions reached by scholars like Sullivan, but also live their lives according to those principles. Two instances can justify this hope.
Philosophical proofs for the existence of God? St. Thomas Aquinas makes as much sense in the twenty-first century as he did in the thirteenth.
Can the old-fashioned virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice still apply in this utterly technological twenty-first century? Stifled by sexual immorality; families consisting not of mothers and fathers but a mother and various baby daddies; and politicians like the fake Catholic Joe Biden supporting abortion, which harms women, kills unborn babies, and alienates fathers: all of these social realities testify to the relevance of these, not so much old-fashioned, but ancient virtues which have guided human beings in prehistoric cultures to our own.
Though brief for an introduction to a major field of study (280 pages of text, followed by extensive reading lists and an index), Sullivan’s work takes time to read, digest, and understand, so prepare at least a month for delving into his summary of 2,500 years of Western philosophy.
The presence of an index is a major benefit. As many TAN Books customers know, works published by that firm often do not have indices, making it extremely difficult for students and faculty to conduct research without wasting time flipping through pages, hunting for a term or name.
Finally, since Amazon collaborates with cancel culture zealots and bans conservative and pro-life material, purchase this book from TAN Publishers directly: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/l....
I found so much of this work significant that I have annotated (either by underlining, adding parallel lines in the margins, or drawing stars of David) virtually all pages, so repeating those annotations here would be repetitious to the extreme. However, the few comments which follow may be of particular interest to conservatives and pro-life activists concerned about, among other topics, the delusions of gender activists and anti-life/pro-abortion ideas.
For example, I think everyone has read about or seen on social media the lunacy of gender activists who claim that a man can become a woman merely by (poof!) claiming to be one. The mental illness of transgender activists doesn’t stand a chance when confronted with biological reality, a foundation principle of Western philosophy.
Sullivan’s comments throughout the book about reality being the basis of philosophical speculation should therefore encourage those who argue rightfully that there are two genders and that no cacophonous rage shouting by a transgender person that he is female can overcome reality.
In short, dealt with it, buddy. You have a penis and a scrotum containing two testes. Enjoy being a man.
Similarly, abortion wrongs activists have argued that the unborn child is not a person (which is, apparently, a legal term more than a philosophical one). In philosophical terms, this is comparable to saying that the unborn child is not a being in his or her own right. This rejection of science is necessary if abortion zealots want to force all of us to accept their anti-human philosophy.
Again, Sullivan’s comments about being, which are passim, can help pro-life persons counter those deluded souls who think that human life doesn’t begin with the reality of fertilization. Personhood, existence, or being isn’t granted to someone just because (poof!) his or her mother thinks so. The right to life, the right to exist, is an essential, inherent aspect of our humanity.
In short (yes, I know: the second one in this review), pro-abortion zealots should therefore shut up already and accept the reality that a pregnant woman carries another human being and that both mother and unborn child deserve our love and protection.
Reading Sullivan’s work can be disturbing for many. For example, Protestant Christians may ineluctably conclude that their denomination’s “Reformation” wasn’t that as much as a divorce from a coherent philosophy begun in the ancient pagan world through solid logical reasoning and refined by Western (Catholic) Christian saints for 1,500 years. The subjectivism of the Protestant mindset would lead to the nihilism of today, and all of us suffer from that five-hundred year rupture from reality and sound logical thinking.
Likewise, a second major disturbing result of Sullivan’s work is that many would reject philosophical study because it is infused with ideas and terms developed by the Roman Catholic Church. American Catholics know well that anti-Catholicism is a vibrant force, not only in the area of respect for life, but in virtually all of society. Therefore, the reader may despair that many in contemporary culture could remain ignorant of the structure and depth of philosophical principles simply because such profundity is rejected by their anti-Catholic bigotry.
Fortunately, though, there is hope that conservative young people will not only resurrect the sound philosophical conclusions reached by scholars like Sullivan, but also live their lives according to those principles. Two instances can justify this hope.
Philosophical proofs for the existence of God? St. Thomas Aquinas makes as much sense in the twenty-first century as he did in the thirteenth.
Can the old-fashioned virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice still apply in this utterly technological twenty-first century? Stifled by sexual immorality; families consisting not of mothers and fathers but a mother and various baby daddies; and politicians like the fake Catholic Joe Biden supporting abortion, which harms women, kills unborn babies, and alienates fathers: all of these social realities testify to the relevance of these, not so much old-fashioned, but ancient virtues which have guided human beings in prehistoric cultures to our own.
Though brief for an introduction to a major field of study (280 pages of text, followed by extensive reading lists and an index), Sullivan’s work takes time to read, digest, and understand, so prepare at least a month for delving into his summary of 2,500 years of Western philosophy.
The presence of an index is a major benefit. As many TAN Books customers know, works published by that firm often do not have indices, making it extremely difficult for students and faculty to conduct research without wasting time flipping through pages, hunting for a term or name.
Finally, since Amazon collaborates with cancel culture zealots and bans conservative and pro-life material, purchase this book from TAN Publishers directly: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/l....
Read
November 16, 2022No matter how remote in time
or how primitive in culture, it is impossible to find a tribe or a
nation which has not believed in the existence of some kind of a
god, however vague or twisted their idea might be
or how primitive in culture, it is impossible to find a tribe or a
nation which has not believed in the existence of some kind of a
god, however vague or twisted their idea might be
July 25, 2024
Definitely helpful, a great overview of the basics of classical moderate realism and how it has been modified or used in the Christian Tradition. I'll definitely recommend this to others.
My only critique is of a footnote regarding the views of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine regarding mans nature after original sin, the author posits a 'conflict' that while both held that Man lost his original justice and supernatural grace in the fall, he says that Augustine differs from Aquinas in that Aquinas further denied man's nature was corrupted or wounded by sin, which is flatly not what Aquinas believed, and there is not a substantial difference in what they believed about the effects of original sin.
For those interested in seeing this I recommend reading Sed Contra and answers to objections in Summa Theologia I-II Question 85, Articles 1 and 3: (https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I-II.Q85... and https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I-II.Q85...)
Quoting from Article 1: "On the contrary, A certain man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30), i.e., to the corruption of sin, was stripped of his gifts, and wounded in his nature, as Bede expounds the passage. Therefore sin diminishes the good of nature."
Quoting from Article 3: "... Therefore insofar as the reason is deprived of its order to the true, there is the wound of ignorance; insofar as the will is deprived of its order of good, there is the wound of malice; insofar as the irascible is deprived of its order to the arduous, there is the wound of weakness; and insofar as the concupiscible is deprived of its order to the delectable, moderated by reason, there is the wound of concupiscence.
Accordingly these are the four wounds inflicted on the whole of human nature as a result of our first parent’s sin. But since the inclination to the good of virtue is diminished in each individual on account of actual sin, as was explained above (AA1, 2), these four wounds are also the result of other sins, insofar as, through sin, the reason is obscured, especially in practical matters, the will hardened to evil, good actions become more difficult and concupiscence more impetuous."
My only critique is of a footnote regarding the views of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine regarding mans nature after original sin, the author posits a 'conflict' that while both held that Man lost his original justice and supernatural grace in the fall, he says that Augustine differs from Aquinas in that Aquinas further denied man's nature was corrupted or wounded by sin, which is flatly not what Aquinas believed, and there is not a substantial difference in what they believed about the effects of original sin.
For those interested in seeing this I recommend reading Sed Contra and answers to objections in Summa Theologia I-II Question 85, Articles 1 and 3: (https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I-II.Q85... and https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I-II.Q85...)
Quoting from Article 1: "On the contrary, A certain man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30), i.e., to the corruption of sin, was stripped of his gifts, and wounded in his nature, as Bede expounds the passage. Therefore sin diminishes the good of nature."
Quoting from Article 3: "... Therefore insofar as the reason is deprived of its order to the true, there is the wound of ignorance; insofar as the will is deprived of its order of good, there is the wound of malice; insofar as the irascible is deprived of its order to the arduous, there is the wound of weakness; and insofar as the concupiscible is deprived of its order to the delectable, moderated by reason, there is the wound of concupiscence.
Accordingly these are the four wounds inflicted on the whole of human nature as a result of our first parent’s sin. But since the inclination to the good of virtue is diminished in each individual on account of actual sin, as was explained above (AA1, 2), these four wounds are also the result of other sins, insofar as, through sin, the reason is obscured, especially in practical matters, the will hardened to evil, good actions become more difficult and concupiscence more impetuous."
April 10, 2020
This book wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, it focuses too much on medieval theologians like St Thomas and St Augustine.
The first part of the book was good though when it explains the history of Greek philosophy. There isa good section on social philosophy later in the book, but when he talks about Hobbes’ views he explains them well but fails to mention the “leviathan” although he basically explains it... but it is an important concept/word to mention. Same with Descartes, he gets a few mentions here and there but never a full explanation of his thoughts. All in All this book is good until after Aristotle, afterwords it is quite incomplete and too focused on God. The Christian bias is huge.
The first part of the book was good though when it explains the history of Greek philosophy. There isa good section on social philosophy later in the book, but when he talks about Hobbes’ views he explains them well but fails to mention the “leviathan” although he basically explains it... but it is an important concept/word to mention. Same with Descartes, he gets a few mentions here and there but never a full explanation of his thoughts. All in All this book is good until after Aristotle, afterwords it is quite incomplete and too focused on God. The Christian bias is huge.
October 6, 2024
Overall, the book is good. It goes through five major areas of philosophy, including the historical rise of philosophy, before delving into The Meaning of Man, the Making of Man, The Universe of Man, and the Universe of being that, themselves have a variety of topic such as Justice, the Life of Virtue, the Realms of bodies and nature, and more. While a good introduction to the major themes of the classical Realist Tradition that the title states, I was hoping for a more succinct overview of the major movements within philosophy. Overall, though, a great and invigorating read.
May 26, 2024
Helpful
Excellent introduction to what philosophy is specifically from the foundation of a biblical worldview. Recommended for the beginner who is just starting a journey into philosophy.
Excellent introduction to what philosophy is specifically from the foundation of a biblical worldview. Recommended for the beginner who is just starting a journey into philosophy.
February 18, 2020
The best introduction to philosophy there is.
June 29, 2023
A great explanation of Philosophy and all of it's fields.
January 5, 2017
Pretty good over-view of classical and early modern philosophy. A bit too much emphasis on Judeo-christian philosophy, so it's bordering on Theology. Lot's of Thomas Aquinas quotes, which I already studied extensively in my Jurisprudence course at LSE when I completed my Law degree there. The chapters on Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the Sophists were the best
November 20, 2007
An awesome Philosophy book that we covered in our Senior year. I really enjoyed it, though I think it may have been somewhat incomplete. It depends on what you're looking for, but it is a great read if you like Philosophy.
October 8, 2013
Somehow, Sullivan manages to get St. Anselm wrong.....other than that it was a good introduction with an emphasis on perennial themes.
May 2, 2014
It's one of those books that after a 20 minute skim, you get the gist of what is going on and know that time is better spent elsewhere.
May 17, 2021
I primarily came to this book for it's approach to philosophy in the Realist tradition. It was really helpful in understanding the foundations of the system for further reading.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews