Confusions and Clarifications

This book brings together the chief elements of 3,000 years of philosophy as found mainly in Western thought in a highly readable form. The work concentrates on problems and issues much more than on names, dates and places. It begins with just those elements of logic needed to understand what follows in the rest of the book. It then explains why philosophy is a worthwhile and distinctive branch of knowledge relative to the other main areas of intellectual interest. Next, it deals with the central problem in philosophy insofar as philosophy is a speculative study. And finally, the text deals with the central issue in philosophy as a practical science, or the art of managing one''s affairs well. The book includes an extensive bibliography of works related to the main themes of the text, followed by a long list of names and dates of leading historical figures in various fields, especially in science, philosophy, and theology.