Philosophy in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic (Introductions in Seven Sentences)

by Douglas Groothuis

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2016

Overview

Philosophy is not a closed club or a secret society. It’s for anyone who thinks big questions are worth talking about.

To get us started, Douglas Groothuis unpacks seven pivotal sentences from the history of western philosophy—a few famous, all short, none trivial. Included are:

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”—Socrates “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”—Augustine “I think, therefore I am.”—Decartes “The heart has reasons, that reason knows nothing of.”—Pascal

Sentences from Protagoras, Aristotle and Kierkegaard round out this quick tour.

Since every philosopher has a story, not just a series of ideas, Groothuis also offers a bit of each one’s life to set the stage. The seven sterling sentences themselves, while they can’t tell us all there is to know, offer bridges into other lands of thought which can spark new ideas and adventures. And who knows where they might lead?

The accessible primers in the Introductions in Seven Sentences collection act as brief introductions to an academic field, with simple organization: seven key sentences that give readers a birds-eye view of an entire discipline.

Key Features

• Unpacks seven pivotal sentences from the history of western philosophy.
• Provides an original short introduction to philosophy.
• Brings sentences from Protagoras, Aristotle and Kierkegaard.

Praise for the Print Edition

In an age in which being a ‘Professional Philosopher’ has eclipsed the actual practice of philosophy—pursuing the good, the true and the beautiful so that one may live well—Doug Groothuis’s Philosophy in Seven Sentences is a breath of fresh air. Too often those of us who identify as philosophers think of our craft as an exercise in intellectual gamesmanship with its own toolkit and narrow list of ‘problems’ with which we are supposed to deal. In this small though powerful book, Groothuis reminds us that when Socrates said that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living,’ he was doing something much more important than just publishing a career-making breakthrough in metaethics. He was actually doing philosophy.

-Francis J. Beckwith, professor of philosophy and church-state studies, Baylor University

Philosophers sometimes say memorable things. And it can often pay great dividends to ponder what they’ve articulated. Doug Groothuis provides here an original short introduction to philosophy by examining seven such statements that have echoed through the centuries. Reading this book is like having a long conversation with a lively guide to the wisdom of the ages.

-Tom Morris, author of If Aristotle Ran General Motors

Anyone desiring a refresher in philosophy would also benefit from it, and it would be a great little book to overcome the objections of friends who have little use for philosophy.

-Theodore G. Van Raalte, Calvin Theological Journal, November 2016

Product Details

• Title: Philosophy in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic
• Author: Douglas Groothuis
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2016
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 159
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Philosophy › History; Philosophy › Introductions
• ISBNs: 9780830899272, 0830899278, 9780830840939, 0830840931
• Resource ID: LLS:9780830899272
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-06T21:08:21Z

About Douglas Groothuis

Douglas R. Groothuis (PhD, Philosophy, University of Oregon) is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado. He has also been a visiting professor or adjunct faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary (Colorado Springs extension), Metropolitan State College of Denver, Westminster Theological Seminary (California campus), University of Oregon, New College Berkeley and Seattle Pacific University. His articles have been published in professional journals such as Religious Studies, Sophia, Theory and Research in Education, Philosophia Christi, Themelios, Think: A Journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, Christian Scholar's Review, Inquiry and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He has written several books, including Truth Decay, In Defense of Natural Theology (coeditor), Unmasking the New Age, Jesus in an Age of Controversy, Deceived by the Light, The Soul in Cyberspace, and, in the Wadsworth Philosophers Series, On Pascal and On Jesus.

Sample Pages from Philosophy in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic (Introductions in Seven Sentences)