We NEED introductions to philosophy. Why? Because the original great works can be very, very dull. Mind you, that is also a problem with a lot of introductions to philosophy. They are not written to be interesting but to be useful. Useful to who? To the lecturers! Maybe they are the lecturers own books.

At least that is not the case with the philosophy classics. Because philosophy unlike almost all the other subjects, never seems to move forward and the key texts are thousands of years old. Older, that is, than any philosophy lecturer. But the problem with these 'great works' is that they are usually written in very funny way, maybe in archaic language, and certainly at interminable length. And so students who expected to be studying Quantum Physics find themselves directed towards Kants' Critique of Pure Reason and students who hoped to become a chef find themselves force-fed Plato's Republic.

But guess what! Buried amongst all the zillions of boring books and words in philosophy are a few fascinating ideas, 'gleaming like diamonds in the coal dust'. You just have to find a well-written introduction to point you - and not leave you slogging through the dull stuff forever.