Choice Review

Several philosophers at the University of London conceived the idea of a jointly written introduction, guide, map, and companion to philosophy. The result is a rather user-friendly work, though lower-division undergraduates will at times lack the necessary foundation to follow the discussion. Eleven rather long essays by different authors deal with several major areas of philosophy. Part 1 contains essays on epistemology, philosophical logic, methodology (mostly philosophy of science), metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind. The four essays in part 2, on the history of philosophy, cover material from the pre-Socratics to Aristotle and then from Descartes to Kant; the two in part 3 deal with ethics and aesthetics. Understandably, such essays cannot be very comprehensive. Also, many readers will be irritated--but not surprised--that the discussions tend to reflect primarily the interests of British analytic philosophers. Tempering disappointment over the absence of such topics as the philosophy of religion and medieval and post-Kantian philosophy is the promise of a forthcoming companion volume. This is an excellent resource for graduate students preparing for comprehensive exams. Each essay contains a good bibliography. The book's usefulness is enhanced by a detailed index. Upper-division undergraduate; graduate; faculty.