Think

Philosophy can sometimes appear to be a terribly abstract subject, with little relation to the rest of the world. In Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy Simon Blackburn shows that the questions pondered by philosophers are the same ones which the rest of us want answered. The book starts with topics related to the philosophy of mind, such as Descartes' 'I think therefore I am', free will and the nature of the self. There is then a chapter on God and religion, followed by a look at how we make sense of the world, including a gentle introduction to logic.

The final chapter 'What to Do', examines how the ideas of philosophy apply in our everyday lives, including the question of whether, if you are worrying about a problem, you should deal with the problem or simply try to stop worrying.

In a textbook the author might be expected to give an unbiased view of the material presented. This is not such a book - Blackburn is clearly arguing for his own views, and you may well find yourself disagreeing with them, in particular the parts on the mind and on religion. But that's good because it gives you something to help you in forming your own ideas. If you want to try to clarify your thoughts on some of the important philosophical questions then you're likely to find this book very useful.