Problems from Philosophy - 5th Edition by James Rachels & Stuart Rachels (Hardcover)

About the Book

This introduction to philosophy guides students through great philosophical problems, such as the existence of God, the nature of the mind, human freedom, the limits of knowledge, and the truth about ethics.

Book Synopsis

This introduction to philosophy guides students through great philosophical problems, such as the existence of God, the nature of the mind, human freedom, the limits of knowledge, and the truth about ethics.

The book begins by reflecting on the life of the first great philosopher, Socrates. Then it takes up the fundamental question of whether God exists. Next comes a discussion of death and the soul, which leads to a chapter about persons. The later chapters consider whether objective knowledge is possible in science and ethics.
Problems from Philosophy represents the final work of philosopher James Rachels. In it, he brings the same liveliness and clarity to the introduction of philosophy present in his other best-selling books. Problems from Philosophy has been revised by James Rachels' son Stuart, who has carefully refined his father's work to further strengthen its clarity and accessibility.
The fifth edition features a new chapter on government and new content on AI and large language models in the chapter "Can a Machine Think?"

Review Quotes

"I have long used James and Stuart Rachels excellent reader for my ethics courses. It contains a fantastic sampling of essays by leading philosophers in most of the key areas in ethics. This newest edition preserves all that is best about earlier editions, while adding some very contemporary and relevant updates. These are much needed, and I will surely be using this latest edition in my courses." --Matthew Wion, University of San Diego, USA

About the Author

James Rachels was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. He wrote The End of Life: Euthanasia and Morality, Created from Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism, Can Ethics Provide Answers? And Other Essays in Moral Philosophy, Problems from Philosophy, and The Legacy of Socrates: Essays in Moral Philosophy.
Stuart Rachels retired from teaching philosophy in 2024. He has revised several of James Rachels' books, including The Elements of Moral Philosophy and The Right Thing to Do. He also wrote The Best I Saw in Chess: Games, Stories and Instruction from an Alabama Prodigy Who Became U.S. Champion.