Philosophy For Dummies

Philosophy at its best is an activity more than a body ofknowledge. In an ancient sense, done right, it is a healing art.It's intellectual self-defense. It's a form of therapy.But it's also much more. Philosophy is map-making for thesoul, cartography for the human journey. It's an importantnavigational tool for life that too many modern people try to dowithout. Philosophy For Dummies is for anyone who has everentertained a question about life and this world. In aconversational tone, the book's author - amodern-day scholar and lecturer - brings thegreatest wisdom of the past into the challenges that we face now.This refreshingly different guide explains philosophicalfundamentals and explores some of the strangest and deepestquestions ever posed to human beings, such as * How do we know anything? * What does the word good mean? * Are we ever really free? * Do human beings have souls? * Is there life after death? * Is there a God? * Is happiness really possible in our world? This book is chock full of all those questions you may have longwanted to think about and talk with someone about, but have neverhad the time or opportunity to tackle head on. Philosophy ForDummies invites you to discuss the issues you find in theguide, share perspectives, and compare thoughts and feelings withsomeone you respect. You'll find lots of material to mull over withyour friends or spouse, including thoughts on * When to doubt, and when to doubt our doubts * The universal demand for evidence and proof * The four dimensions of human experience * Arguments for materialism * Fear of the process of dying * Prayers and small miracles * Moral justification for allowing evil The ancient philosopher Socrates (fifth century, B.C.) thoughtthat, when it comes to the Ultimate Questions, we all start off asdummies. But if we are humbly aware of how little we actually know,then we can really begin to learn. Philosophy For Dummieswill put you on the path to wising up as you steer through theexperience called life.