If you have ever wondered where the universe came from; why there is something, rather than nothing; whether computers can think; whether time travel is possible, or whether it's morally acceptable to design children genetically, then you were thinking philosophically.

In The Philosophy Gym, Stephen Law, a lecturer in philosophy at the University of London and the editor of the new philosophy journal, Think, presents "25 Short Adventures in Thinking." (A more appropriate subtitle for would be "25 Short Exercises in Thinking.")

Law categorizes these chapters according to three levels of difficulty: "Warm-up" (six essays), "Moderate" (ten essays), and "More Challenging" (nine essays).

The essays deal with metaphysics ("Where Did the Universe Come From?" and "Does God exist?"), epistemology ("What is Knowledge?" and "Is Creationism Scientific?"), aesthetics ("But Is It Art?), logic ("How to Spot Eight Everyday Reasoning Errors" and "Seven Paradoxes"), and ethics ("Can We Have Morality without God and Religion?", "Is Morality like a Pair of Spectacles?," "Designer Babies," and "What's Wrong with Gay Sex?").

Law discusses subjects such as rationalism and empiricism, deductive and inductive reasoning, science and pseudoscience, determinism and free will, circular reasoning and fallacies.

He quotes philosophers such as Plato, Descartes, Locke, Voltaire, Bentham, Mill, Hume, and Wittgenstein. A personal disappointment with this book is that my favorite philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, is nowhere mentioned. How can one write about the problems posed by culture, morality, values, and truth and ignore Nietzsche?

When I began reading Law's work, I anticipated an enjoyable experience, for the book is laid out in accessible, user-friendly chapters that contain humorous sketches and cartoons, much as one might expect in a book titled "Philosophy for Dummies." Also, most of the chapters contain "Socratic/Platonic dialogues," arguments and counterarguments, examples and counterexamples, on various philosophical problems.

After a while, however, Law's approach begins to wear thin. I finished the book feeling that the author's cutesy clever approach trivializes philosophy. By seeking to make this a work for everyone, Law courts the danger of making it a book fit for no one.

On the positive side, Law provides an intriguing examination of the conflict between "common sense" and skepticism: "We don't know what we think we know." The conclusions of skepticism seem absurd, but they are difficult to refute philosophically.

At the end of each chapter, Law gives suggestions for further reading. Good advice! Perhaps, instead of buying Law's book, you should purchase those he recommends, such as Philosophy: The Basics, by Nigel Warburton; Philosophy: Basic Readings, edited by Nigel Warburton; and Thinking Through Philosophy, by Chris Horner and Emrys Westacott.

Don't work up a sweat over this one.

.....


A Book for those Looking for a Good Mental Workout!!!   February 24, 2005
 30 out of 32 found this review helpful

+++++

This easy-to-read book by philosophy lecturer, editor, and author Dr. Stephen Law presents to the reader "25 short adventures in thinking." In other words, this book is a short course in "thinking philosophically." Each of the twenty-five chapters or essays addresses a different philosophical question, "explaining key positions and arguments along the way."

What are the philosophical questions and topics discussed? Below, I will divide the essays into categories and give the question or topic addressed. (Note the order of the essays presented here is different from that in the book):

(1) Logic

(i) Eight everyday reasoning errors. (An error in reasoning is called a fallacy.)
(ii) Seven paradoxes in reasoning. (Presented are plausible arguments leading to seemingly implausible conclusions.)

(2) Morality

(i) Is gay sex morally permissible?
(ii) Can we have morality without God and religion?
(iii) Is it morally acceptable to design children genetically?
(iv) Is it right to sacrifice the life of one conjoined twin to save the other?
(v) Is it morally acceptable to eat meat?
(vi) Is the rightness or wrongness of an act based on our emotional reactions to the act?

(3) God

(i) Does God exist?
(ii) Is creationism scientific?
(iii) Miracles and the supernatural.
(iv) Where did the universe come from?

(4) Consciousness

(i) Could a machine think?
(ii) Are you just a brain in a vat?
(iii) Is consciousness something impossible for science to explain?
(iv) What's essential as far as being you is concerned?
(v) How do you know that there are other minds?

(5) Expectations

(i) Why expect the sun to rise tomorrow?
(ii) Should we ever expect to be punished?

(6) Truth

(i) Is there such a thing as the absolute truth to any question?
(ii) Are mathematics and its truths ultimately made by us?

(7) Puzzles

(i) What is meaning, exactly?
(ii) What is knowledge?
(iii) Is time travel possible?
(iv) What is art, exactly?

These essays can be read in any order desired. In other words, you don't have to read the essays in the order indicated in the table of contents. Their level of difficulty is indicated at the beginning of each essay. Suggestions for further reading (including internet sites) can be found at the end of each essay.

This book also incorporates a variety of styles. There are dialogues, philosophical stories and thought experiments, illustrations (many of which I felt were not necessary), and sections called "thinking tools" to explain key philosophical ideas. (These thinking tool sections, are, in my opinion, a major highlight of this book.)

Be aware that these essays are not the definitive answers to the questions posed above but only reflect Law's views. If you find yourself disagreeing with the author's views in any essay (as I did), then that's good and is a "healthy sign." It means that Law has done his job of stimulating your thinking. Remember this is not an "answer" book but is a "thinking" book.

I also felt that the brief introduction that has the sections "What is Philosophy," "Applying Philosophy to Life," and "Other Reasons to Think Philosophically" was excellent. Be sure to read these sections first.

I felt an absolute beginner to philosophy might have trouble with this book. This is because major argumentative terms like premise, conclusion, counterargument, etc. are not defined at the beginning but are defined as you get further into the book. A brief glossary would have alleviated this problem.

As well, the logic essay on "Eight everyday reasoning errors" should, I feel, be the first essay in this book. (Instead it is essay number 24). In this way, the reader can get practice in trying to determine whether any of the essays presented have these errors. My recommendation is to read this essay first after reading the above introductory sections.

In one essay, Law's conclusion is that "what creationists practise isn't good science-it's bunk." I felt this conclusion as stated was too harsh and may offend some.

Law uses some knowledge gained from science in some of his essays. Yet he does not reference his sources. I thought this was a major oversight.

Finally, this book is not just an introductory text. It can be effectively read by those who have some prior philosophy background (like myself).

In conclusion, for a good and stimulating intellectual workout, this is the book to read!!

(first published 2003; acknowledgements; introduction; how to use this book; 25 chapters; main narrative 285 pages; index)

+++++



Everyone should read this book to develop their thought process.   October 18, 2005
 12 out of 13 found this review helpful

A book like this one isn't about the conclusions that are reached in its discussions. It is about the thought process used to guide those discussions. We all can use help sharpening our thinking and nothing but good can come of it.

Stephen Law presents 25 interesting and accessible philosophy questions and tackles them primarily in the form of dialogs between two people on opposite sides of the issue. Typically one uses a rational, reasoned approach while the other takes an approach based on a softer footing and is inevitably trumped. Often, Law's conclusions are obvious from the outset, but a few times I found my own beliefs challenged and really had to take a step back and reconsider my own position.

If you are interested in honing your own thinking and like open discussions of topics, you will truly enjoy this book and be a better thinker when you finish it.


Author just uses a book to take shots at Christianity   July 21, 2005
 11 out of 84 found this review helpful

Horribly disappointing.

These manufactured dialogues are evidently Stephen Law's way of dealing with his personal problems with religion.

For example, in one chapter Law manipulates his "teaching" by having God contradict the Bible (the assumption being God's the author) in a dialogue with a conservative religious person. Law even sarcastically concludes the chapter by saying this dialogue is only a dream, the real God would probably respond differently.

Good idea for a book, ruined by the authors distorted logic. There are numerous ad hominen and circular reasoning errors.

The title and premise fooled me into reading it.

Mr. Law, how will you pay back the readers for wasting the time they invested in your philosphical rant against religion?


A Perfect Way to Start   April 16, 2004
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I just recently discovered an interest in philosophical thought, and I found myself overwhelmed by all the resources available to me. I had no idea where to start when I stumbled across The Philosophy Gym. Nothing could have been more appropriate. It dives right into all the hot topics and gave me some foundational knowledge about how to approach those issues from a logical standpoint. It introduces the reader to basic philosophical terminology as well as several of the great historical philosophers and their famous arguments. Each topic is brilliantly presented in nice bite-sized chunks with suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter. I couldn't be more pleased with this intro to philosophy.