Customer Reviews
Good introduction - By: PhilosopherKing, 15 Nov 2008 
I read through this book quickly & although I was already familiar with most of the material, I found that it it jogged my memoryin a few areas. I have already read quite a lot of philosophy but there were one or two things that I learned from this book.
Nigel Warburton is a senior lecturerin philosophy at the Open University & he has divided this book into seven chapters. Particularly on the section on meta-ethicsin his second chapter entitled "Right & Wrong" & the section on falsificationin his fifth chapter "Science", I gained some insights into things that I hadn't picked up from reading much larger books. One of the best introductions on the market to a very important but sometimes abstract & obscure subject.
Superb! - By: A. I. Mackenzie, 07 Dec 2007 Like 'Philosophy - the classics', this is an excellent book, reference & general reader. It gives a useful reading list at the end of each chapter.
The Basics takes a topic based approach, including Philosophy of : Science, Mind, Religion, the external world etc. & starts off by expounding the theory (say behaviourism) & then the arguments against it.
Warburton writes really clearly & this book is a useful resource for student & anyone interestedin Philosophy.
Every philosopher at every level should own this book - By: P. Marsden, 03 Feb 2006 I did a philosophy degree & I remember getting a bit dismayed by some of the books I had to read. Then I stumbled across this. In his introduction he writes that philosophy is often seen as harder than it actually is & this is because many philosophers aren't good writers.
This is 100% true & restored my faithin philosophy. Warburton is an extremely clear writer & covers the essential points is a lucid manner. If it's within the scope of this book then any essay you have to write, or topic you are interestedin should begin with this book. Of course you will need others but this is a great starting point.
See also his 'philosophy: a-z' You might also find Bryan Magee's books useful & Bertrand Russell is a bit of a genius too.
EXCELLENT BOOK FOR REVISION - By: Sarah, 10 Sep 2002 
I have just completed an ethics & philosophy A Level for which I used this book. The book itself is clear & concise, making it excellent revision material. It covers all of the standard need to know topics & does soin an intelligent, factual manner! Definitly use this for A Level standards although I would not reccomend using it as a basis for research as it simply isn't detailed enough.
Great for anyone! - By: , 22 Nov 2001 I have just embarked on a two year philosophy A-Level course & i am using Warburton's book as a stepping stone to discoving many aspects of philosophy. The clarity & use of language makes this book easy for anyone to understand, not just academics. It allows easy access to the world of philosophy unlike so many other books on this topic. Well done Nigel!
