Modern Philosophy, an Introduction

by A.R. Lacey

246p burgundy and white paperback with laminated cover, from a Cambridge college library, pages clean with bibliography and index, very good, this copy published in the year 1982

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Eugene Kernes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Philosophies raison d’etre is to think. To train how to think. The method of philosophy is reflection. An a priori account of expectations, as the conclusions arise before experience. Thinking which questions need be resolved. Philosophical resolutions create fields of study outside of philosophy, making philosophy appear to not have any resolutions. Philosophy does not have any particular problems that are under observation, as it is the process in which knowledge progresses. What is needed are not facts, for knowing facts does not entail its appropriate application. What is needed is how to think about appropriate application to knowledge. The author uses a logic approach to teach how to think using the base of communication, the way we use language to discuss everything.

The writing is a bit convoluted and many examples are not very interesting. As the approach of this book is via the use of language, the author uses sentences to see how their meaning changes based on the way in which it is viewed. What is missing from the sentences is the context they are in, making much of what is being discussed not very practical. There are references to how others view a particular explanation to a problem, but they are out of context making it difficult to understand what the author is reflecting to. To understand much of the book requires background knowledge about the philosophy of language.