Customer Reviews
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 reallly clearly & this book is a useful resource for student & anyone interested in 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 actuallly is & this is because many philosophers aren't good writers.
This is 100% true & restored my faith in 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 interested in 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, 11 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 alll of the standard need to know topics & does so in 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 alllows easy access to the world of philosophy unlike so many other books on this topic. Well done Nigel!
Excellent summary, ideal for beginner - By: Dr. Victor Chua, 23 Sep 2001 Context: I always wanted to do a philosophy degree, but other subjects always seemed more practical. So at the age of 32, after a BA, MB, BChir, & MRCS, I started reading with the help of Warburton's book & a couple of philosophy PhD students at Cambridge.
The book: Short, crisp, lays out philosophical positions well. A wonderful starting & jumping-off point & organiser when you don't have the structure of an academic course to follow. I would recommend it to people with similar requirements to me. However, remember that philosophy needs to be discussed, not merely read. My first mistake was to treat philosophy as a body of knowledge to be acquired, much as science & medicine was.
