Philosophical Questions: An Introductory Anthology

by Richard L. Purtill, Michael H. MacDonald, Peter Kreeft

Philosophical An Introductory Anthology

Genres: Philosophy

338 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1984

About the author

Richard Purtill was the Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, as well as an author of fantasy and science fiction, critical non-fiction on the same genres, and various works on religion and philosophy. He is best known for his novels of the "Kaphtu" universe. He wrote as both Richard Purtill and Richard L. Purtill, a variant form of his name. He was active in professional writing circles, being a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Authors Guild, and the National Writers Union. His book J.R.R.Tolkien: Myth, Morality and Religion won the 1987 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies.

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology pulls from a variety of texts, both ancient and modern, that highlight classic responses to nine major philosophical questions that have been around for millennia. There is a good spread of texts, and it's valuable to be able to read straight from primary sources.

Though this book is a good one, it could be improved by adding a short explanatory note for each text to help ensure the reader correctly understands the gist of that text. Additionally, some of the discussion questions are not really discussion based or they are so obtuse that they are nearly impossible to use as actual discussion questions.

Philosophical Questions does a good job of introducing readers to the major questions and thinkers of philosophy to show us the breadth of answers that have existed through the ages. While it could be improved, this book is a very useful and informative resource.