Think Again is a personal and cutting-edge introduction to philosophy by award-winning teacher and renowned public philosopher John Kaag. The book encourages students to relate to their own lives the important questions raised by philosophy over the millennia. Motivated by the belief that teaching is fundamental to philosophy, the book has been carefully designed and written to be accessible to a wide range of undergraduates at a broad array of schools.
Think Again proceeds historically, guiding students from the ancients through to 1900 and the birth of contemporary philosophy. From there, it proceeds thematically, covering topics as diverse as metaphysics and epistemology, philosophy of mind, moral and political philosophy, and philosophical approaches to oppression. It features skillfully selected excerpts of primary texts from philosophy to encourage students鈥� direct engagement with and close reading of foundational texts.
- Personal and conversational style
- Historical and thematic coverage
- Primary text excerpts
- Learning objectives
- Chapter reviews that include a summary, key terms, review questions, and additional readings
- Three types of boxed features: Historical Context, Writing Philosophically, and Thinking Critically
John Kaag is professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and external professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He is the author of two memoirs, Hiking with Nietzsche and American Philosophy. His other books include Thinking Through Writing; Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life; and Henry at Work: Thoreau on Making a Living (all 快色直播).
- Part 1. Philosophy as a Way of Life
- Chapter 1: Socrates and Plato
- 1.1 Philosophy and Existential Questions
- 1.2 Socrates鈥擳he Examined Life and Socratic Wisdom
- Box 1.1 Thinking Critically: The Value of Self-Knowledge
- 1.3 Socratic Wisdom and Dialectic
- Box 1.2 Historical Context: Education in Ancient Athens
- 1.4 Relativism鈥擟ultural and Individual
- Selection 1 Euthyphro [Socrates (S) to Euthyphro (E)]
- 1.5 The Good, the True, and the Real
- 1.6 Justification and Argument
- Box 1.3 Thinking Critically: The Limits of Deduction
- 1.7 The Virtue of Argument and Apology
- Selection 2 Apology [Socrates (S) to Meletus (M)]
- Box 1.4 Writing Philosophically: Exercise 1
- Selection 3 Apology [Socrates鈥� Speech]
- Box 1.5 Thinking Critically: Self-Examination and Moral Responsibility
- 1.8 The Allegory of the Cave and the Divided Line
- 1.9 Conclusion
- Chapter 2: Aristotle and the Background of Ancient Thought
- 2.1 From Academy to Lyceum
- 2.2 The Background of Ancient Thought鈥擯re-Socratics
- Thales
- Heraclitus
- Parmenides and Zeno
- Box 2.1 Writing Philosophically: Zeno鈥檚 Paradox鈥擜chilles and the Tortoise
- Box 2.2 Historical Context: The Rise of Greek Civilization
- 2.3 Aristotle: The Scientist
- Selection 1 Aristotle鈥檚 Physics [Book II, Part 3 and 4]
- 2.4 Aristotle: Ethicist
- Selection 2 Aristotle鈥檚 Nicomachean Ethics [Book II]
- Box 2.3 Thinking Critically: The Hard Questions of Virtue
- 2.5 Plato and Aristotle鈥擜 Comparison
- Box 2.4 Thinking Critically: Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
- 2.6 Conclusion
- Chapter 3: Hellenistic Philosophy
- 3.1 Be Good? Why Bother?!
- 3.2 Hedonism
- Box 3.1 Thinking Critically: The Value of Walking 鈥� and Thinking
- Selection 1 Epicurus鈥� Principal Doctrines
- Box 3.2 Writing Philosophically: Outlining the Problem鈥擳he BIG Outline
- 3.3 Cynicism
- 3.4 The Stoics and Determinism
- Box 3.3 Historical Context: The Timelessness of Stoicism
- Box 3.4 Thinking Critically: The Details of Determinism
- Selection 2 Epictetus鈥� Enchiridion
- 3.5 Conclusion
- Chapter 4: Islamic and Medieval Philosophy
- 4.1 Human Crisis and the Roots of the Philosophy of Religion
- 4.2 The Problem of Evil
- 4.3 Augustine
- Augustine on the Nature of God
- Augustine on Free Will and the Privation Theory of Evil
- Augustine on Proofs of God鈥檚 Existence
- 4.4 Aquinas
- Aquinas on Proofs of God鈥檚 Existence
- Selection 1 Aquinas鈥� Summa Theologica (鈥淭he Five Ways鈥�)
- Critiques of Aquinas
- 4.5 Islamic Thought
- 4.6 Avicenna
- A Theory of Being
- Avicenna on Proofs of God鈥檚 Existence
- Box 4.1 Writing Philosophically: Evaluating Premises (Spoken and Unspoken)
- 4.7 Averroes
- Averroes on Truth and Religion
- Averroes on the Afterlife
- Box 4.2 Thinking Critically: Rumi on the Question of Selfishness
- 4.8 Ibn Khald奴n
- 4.9 Conclusion
- Part 2. Ways of Knowing
- Chapter 5: The Rationalists
- 5.1 Modern Philosophy and Existential Urgency
- Box 5.1 Thinking Critically: Moments of Crisis
- 5.2 Descartes鈥� Response to His Times
- Selection 1 Descartes鈥� Meditation I
- Box 5.2 Historical Context: Descartes: Armchair, Bedroom Philosopher?
- 5.3 Descartes鈥� Certainty: The Cogito Argument
- Selection 2 Descartes鈥� Meditation II
- Box 5.3 Writing Philosophically: From Question to Thesis
- 5.4 Cartesian Problems: Dualism and Other Minds
- John Stuart Mill and the Argument from Analogy
- 5.5 Rationalist Metaphysics鈥擲pinoza and Leibnitz
- Box 5.4 Thinking Critically: To Understand is to Be Free
- 5.6 Hidden Passages in Modern Rationalism
- 5.7 Conclusion
- Chapter 6: The Empiricists
- 6.1 Introduction to Empiricism
- 6.2 Bacon: Four Idols and Induction on the Rise
- The Idol of the Tribe
- Idol of the Cave
- Idols of the Marketplace
- Idols of the Theater
- Selection 1 Bacon鈥檚 New Organon (Preface)
- Box 6.1 Writing Philosophically: Compare and Contrast Essays鈥� Descartes and Bacon
- 6.3 Locke and the Blank Slate
- Selection 2 Locke: Essay Concerning Human Understanding
- 6.4 Berkeley on Keeping Things in Mind
- 6.5 Hume鈥檚 Skepticism: Science and Human Nature at Risk?
- Hume on ideas, impressions, and inquiry
- Hume鈥檚 Skepticism about Induction
- Box 6.2 Thinking Critically: Hume: On the Passions
- Selection 3 Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
- Hume鈥檚 Critique of Theology
- Hume on the Self
- Box 6.3 Historical Context: Japanese Philosophy in the 1700s
- 6.6 Conclusion
- Chapter 7: Kant and His Copernican Revolution in Philosophy
- 7.1 Kant and the Enlightenment
- 7.2 The First Critique: An Exploration of Judgment
- The Analytic-Synthetic Distinction
- Kant鈥檚 Copernican Revolution
- Categories of Judgment and Causality
- Selection 1 The Second Analogy from Critique of Pure Reason
- 7.3 鈥淲hat Is Enlightenment?鈥�
- Box 7.1 Writing Philosophically: Writing with Sources, Enlightened Writing
- Box 7.2 Thinking Critically: Kant and the Hindrances to Enlightenment
- Selection 2 鈥淲hat Is Enlightenment?
- 7.4 Conclusion
- Part 3. Ways of Interacting
- Chapter 8: The Social Contract
- 8.1 Social and Political Philosophy: What is it?
- 8.2 Machiavelli: Political Power, Fortune, and Virt煤
- Box 8.1 Writing Philosophically: Close Reading Revisited
- 8.3 Hobbes in Search of Political Legitimacy
- The State of Nature
- The Leviathan
- Selection 1 The Leviathan (1651)
- Box 8.2 Thinking Critically: Hobbes and the Historical Record of Political Philosophy
- 8.4 Locke on Liberty
- Selection 2 The U.S. Declaration of Independence
- 8.5 Rousseau on Natural Goodness and the General Will
- Box 8.3 Historical Context: The Role of the General Will in the French Revolution
- 8.6 Extending the Social Contract
- 8.7 Conclusion
- Chapter 9: Utilitarianism
- 9.1 Utilitarianism: Context and Basic Principles
- Selection 1 Jeremy Bentham鈥檚 An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789)
- Box 9.1 Historical Context: The Panopticon of Jeremy Bentham
- Box 9.2 Thinking Critically: The Question of Non-Human Animals鈥擯eter Singer
- 9.2 Is All Pleasure Created Equal?
- Selection 2 John Stuart Mill鈥檚 Utilitarianism (1863)
- 9.3 Criticisms of Utilitarianism
- The Objection of Demandingness
- The Difficulty of Predicting Consequences
- The Challenge of Intrinsic Value
- 9.4 Rule and Negative Utilitarianism
- Rule Utilitarianism
- Negative Utilitarianism
- Box 9.3 Writing Philosophically: Arguments and Counterarguments鈥擴tility and Abortion
- 9.5 Conclusion
- Chapter 10: Kantian Ethics
- 10.1 Deontology and Kant鈥檚 Notion of Duty
- 10.2 The Categorical Imperative
- The Formulation of Universality
- Box 10.1 Writing Philosophically: Facing Objections: The Murderer at the Door
- The Formulation of Humanity
- Box 10.2 Historical Context: Kant鈥檚 White Supremacy
- Box 10.3 Writing Philosophically: Kant on Nonhuman Animals
- Formulation of Autonomy
- Perfect and Imperfect Duties
- Selection 1 Kant鈥檚 Metaphysics of Morals (On the Happiness of Others)
- Box 10.4 Thinking Critically: The Duty to Resist One鈥檚 Own Oppression
- 10.3 The Kingdom of Ends and Punishment
- Selection 2 Immanuel Kant鈥檚 Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals
- 10.4 Conclusion
- Part 4. Ways of the World
- Chapter 11: Aesthetics
- 11.1 The Importance of Beauty
- 11.2 Ancient Greek Ideas About Art and Beauty
- Plato and Mimesis
- Aristotle and Catharsis
- Selection 1 Aristotle鈥檚 Poetics
- Box 11.1 Writing Philosophically: Relating Philosophy to Contemporary Life
- 11.3 Formalists, Functionalists, and Kant
- Kant鈥檚 Turn Inward
- Kant on the Judgment of the Beautiful
- Genius and Fine Art
- Selection 2 The Critique of Judgment (section 46) 鈥淔ine art is the art of genius鈥�
- Box 11.2 Thinking Critically: Does Great Art (And the Appreciation of Beauty) Require Solitude?
- 11.4 Schiller and Dewey on the Artistry of Life
- Box 11.3 Historical Context: The Time of the Imagination
- Box 11.4 Writing Philosophically: Dewey on Aesthetics and the 鈥淟ive Creature鈥�
- 11.5 Bell and Danto: What Counts as Art?
- 11.6 Conclusion
- Chapter 12: Idealism and Materialism
- 12.1 The Rise of Post-Kantian Philosophy
- Box 12.1 Thinking Critically: The 鈥淚ch鈥� in Idealism
- 12.2 Hegel: The Movement of Spirit
- Consciousness and Spirit
- Self-Reflection and Culture
- Selection 1 Preface to Hegel鈥檚 Phenomenology of Spirit
- The Phenomenology of Spirit
- Box 12.2 Writing Philosophically: Lordship and Bondage
- 12.3 Marx: Making Hegel Matter
- Biographical Setting
- Marx Meets Engels
- Marxist Criticisms of Hegel (The German Ideology
- The Forms of Social Relation
- Box 12.3 Writing Philosophically: Evaluating a Theory: Marx versus Hegel
- Modes of Production and Modes of Organization
- Box 12.4 Historical Context: Marx in Africa
- Selection 2 Marx鈥檚 The German Ideology (1845)
- 12.4 Conclusion
- Chapter 13: Pragmatism and Phenomenology
- 13.1 Proto-Pragmatism: American Transcendentalism
- Selection 1 Emerson鈥檚 鈥�Self-Reliance #x201D;
- Box 13.1 Historical Context: Christianity in the 1830s
- Critique of Industrialization
- Selection 2 Emerson鈥檚 鈥淐ompensation鈥�
- Box 13.2 Writing Philosophically: Thoreau on the Use of 鈥淚鈥� in Philosophy
- 13.2 Pragmatism: Peirce and James on Experience
- Selection 3 James鈥� 鈥淲ill to Believe鈥�
- 13.3 Dewey and Addams on Pragmatic Communities
- Box 13.3 Thinking Critically: Addams on Charity
- 13.4 European Phenomenology
- 13.5 Conclusion
- Chapter 14: Existentialism and Postmodern Philosophy
- 14.1 Introduction to Existentialism
- 14.2 Schopenhauer, Pessimism, and the 鈥淥zymandias Trap鈥�
- 14.3 Kierkegaard, Faith, and Anxiety
- Box 14.1 Writing Critically: Discussing Short Passages
- 14.4 Nietzsche, Slave Morality, and the Overman
- Box 14.2 Thinking Critically: Nietzsche鈥檚 Antichrist
- 14.5 Camus on the Absurd
- Selection 1 Camus鈥� The Myth of Sisyphus
- 14.6 Defining Existentialism: Sartre, Beauvoir, and Fanon
- Sartre and Existentialism Is a Humanism
- Existentialism鈥檚 Bad Rap
- Selection 2 Rilke鈥檚 Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
- Beauvoir and Fanon on Crosscurrents of Existentialism
- Box 14.3 Historical Context: Existentialism and Religions of the Here and Now
- 14.7 Postmodern Philosophy and Neopragmatism
- Michel Foucault on Power
- Richard Rorty on the Linguistic Turn
- 14.8 Conclusion
- Part 5. Contemporary Topics
- Chapter 15: Contemporary Metaphysics and Epistemology
- 15.1 The History of Metaphysics and Epistemology: A Brief Review
- 15.2 What Is Knowledge?
- Justified True Belief
- Truth
- Belief
- Justification
- Gettier Counterexamples
- Selection 1 Gettier鈥檚 鈥淚s Justified True Belief Knowledge?鈥�
- 15.3 Is Knowledge Possible?
- Box 15.1 Historical Context: Zhuangzi and Skepticism
- Moore and a Proof of an External World
- Box 15.2 Writing Philosophically: Refuting a Refutation of Skepticism
- Wittgenstein on Language and Knowledge
- The Ideal Structure of Language
- Selection 2 Wittgenstein鈥檚 Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
- Box 15.3 Thinking Critically: Correspondence or Not?
- 15.4 Do We Possess Free Will?
- Selection 3 James鈥檚 The Dilemma of Determinism
- Box 15.4 Thinking Critically: Frankfurt on Compatibilism
- 15.5 What Is Personal Identity?
- 15.6 Conclusion
- Chapter 16: Philosophy of Mind
- 16.1 Introduction to the Mind
- 16.2 Classical Dualism
- Cartesian Dualism
- Selection 1 Descartes鈥� Meditations VI
- The Problem of Interaction
- Wittgenstein鈥檚 Beetle
- 16.3 The Behaviorist Challenge
- Ryle鈥檚 Category Mistake
- Behaviorism and Its Limits
- Criticisms of Behaviorism
- 16.4 Identity Theory
- Lobotomies and the Physical Mind
- Correlations and Identity
- Zombies and the Hard Problem of Consciousness
- Selection 2 David Chalmers鈥� 鈥淭he Hard Problem of Consciousness鈥� in The Norton Introduction to Philosophy (2018)
- Eliminative Materialism
- 16.5 Functionalism
- Multiple Realizability
- AI and the Chinese Room
- Selection 3 The Chinese Room by John Searle
- Box 16.1 Thinking Critically: The Turing Test
- The Systems Response
- Box 16.2 Historical Context: Artificial Intelligence
- 16.6 Contemporary Perspectives
- What Is It Like to Be a Bat?
- Jackson鈥檚 Knowledge Argument
- Selection 4 鈥淲hat Mary Doesn鈥檛 Know鈥�
- Epiphenomenalism
- Box 16.3 Writing Philosophically: Transitions and Structure
- 16.7 Conclusion
- Chapter 17: Virtue and Care Ethics
- 17.1 Care and Virtue: Framing the Issue
- 17.2 Virtue Ethics: Confucianism
- Selection 1 Confucius鈥� Analects (Chapter 2)
- 17.3 Contemporary Ethics of Care
- Carol Gilligan鈥檚 Ethics of Care
- Box 17.1 Thinking Critically: What Is Care, Exactly?
- Criticism of Ethics of Care
- Box 17.2 Historical Context: Care Ethics and the History of Womanhood
- 17.4 Virtue Ethics Brought Up to Date: Professional Codes of Conduct
- Virtue in Medical Practice
- Selection 2 Code of Medical Professionals
- Virtue in Engineering: The Case of Loyalty
- Fundamental Canons
- Box 17.3 Writing Philosophically: Using Practical Examples to Evaluate a Theory
- 17.5 Conclusion
- Chapter 18: Contemporary Moral and Political Philosophy
- 18.1 The Rise of Metaethics
- Box 18.1 Thinking Critically: The Naturalistic Fallacy in Action
- 18.2 Rawls and the Question of Justice
- Box 18.2 Thinking Critically: Moore and Rawls
- Selection 1 鈥�Justice as Fairness #x201D; by John Rawls
- 18.3 Libertarianism: Leave My Stuff Alone!
- Box 18.3 Thinking Critically: The Breadth of Libertarianism
- 18.4 Communitarianism: Individualism, Overrated
- Box 18.4 Writing Philosophically: Entering a Debate
- 18.5 Radical and Feminist Critiques of Rawls
- Box 18.5 Thinking Critically: A Strange, Unsurprising Commonality
- 18.6 International Social Justice
- 18.7 Conclusion
- Chapter 19: Oppression
- 19.1 Birdcages and Double Binds
- Box 19.1 Thinking Critically: To Fight or Not to Fight? That Is the Question
- 19.2 Feminism
- Who Is a Feminist?
- Androcentric Culture and Sexism
- First Wave Feminism
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Selection 1 Seneca Falls Declaration (1848)
- Box 19.2 Historical Context: Lydia Maria Child
- Second Wave Feminism
- Box 19.3 Historical Context: The Feminine Mystique and Second Wave Feminism in the United States
- Third Wave Feminism
- Selection 2 Killing Rage
- 19.3 Racism
- Washington and Du Bois
- Contemporary Philosophies 鈥淏orn of Struggle鈥�
- 19.4 Philosophy of Disability
- Box 19.4 Writing Philosophically: Conclusions 101
- 19.5 Conclusion
- Glossary
- Notes
- Index
“Incredibly impressive. I felt smarter after reading this book, and think students will as well.”—Mariana Alessandri, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
“Kaag treats complex ideas in a patient way, leading students to understand larger questions and problems in philosophy. One of the book’s strengths is the attention it gives to teaching how to think and write philosophically. It not only explains how ideas emerged historically but how these ideas are used in everyday life. Moreover, the approach of thinking of philosophy as a way of being human anchors the practice of philosophy in the realm of action.”—Celia T. Bardwell-Jones, University of Hawai驶i at Hilo
“Kaag is a gifted storyteller, and there is richer storytelling in this book than in many other philosophy textbooks I’ve read or used. The vivid imagery throughout the book and the interesting tidbits about philosophers and their stories make the material come alive. Think Again is exceedingly accessible to a wide range of readers.”—Tess Varner, Concordia College
“An excellent book. The writing is superior. Kaag masterfully weaves philosophical content, everyday experience, personal anecdotes, and current events. The substantial inclusion of primary texts allows instructors to enjoy the benefits of a textbook without sacrificing a commitment to the original text. And Kaag’s explanations and applications make the primary texts more accessible.”—Michael Ventimiglia, Sacred Heart University
