Vaughn | Philosophy Here and Now, 4e

Philosophy Here and Now: Powerful Ideas in Everyday Life, Fourth Edition, is a topically organized hybrid text/reader that helps students understand, appreciate, and even do philosophy. The book emphasizes philosophical writing, featuring step-by-step coaching on argumentative essays and multiple opportunities to hone critical thinking skills. It shows students how philosophy applies to their everyday concerns and brings the subject to life with chapter-ending literary selections, abundant illustrations, and a wealth of pedagogical features.

Probably the best text I've used. Its strengths are clarity of writing, logical and intuitive outline, and quality of exemplary texts for each subject. The writing is excellent and very engaging indeed for any intro course. Vaughn’s latest edition is a work of extraordinary craft and is, in my opinion, the standard by which all introductory philosophy texts should now be measured. Lucid, concise, logical in flow and progression, and above all relevant, it overflows with readings that are vast in scope yet accessible and engaging to students and lay readers alike. The academic world could do with more books of this quality. I recommend it heartily.”

The most significant general strength of the text is its emphasis on philosophy as a living discipline dealing with questions that are important and that continue to resonate with humans, rather than being a historical artifact full of theories that answer questions that no one currently cares about. It is not merely that the book is arranged topically rather than historically, but that the auxiliary material like the boxed text and sidebars and the excerpts from fiction at the end of each chapter all work together to convey this message. The author’s style is clear and accessible; it is conversational and pitched at just the right level for my students. This is an excellent, comprehensive introduction to philosophy. It covers all the central concerns of philosophy in a way that is accessible to mid-range students.”

The way that the primary sources are woven into the main text is really great. I like the range of topics covered. Having Aesthetics and Political Philosophy available to cover in an Intro textbook is a big plus. It is affordable compared to other offerings, especially with student access to the web resources. The appendices on writing, etc. are nice since they make for less of a need to assign supplementary texts. I like the writing style; it is clear, and engaging. This is an extremely well-organized text with a consistent voice and primary sources that are well-integrated into the flow of the book. It has truly excellent ancillary resources for students that empower them to master course material."

“I would rate Vaughn’s text as superior quality for an introductory-level philosophy course. In an increasing number of college courses, students have minimal to no exposure to primary sources. In a philosophy course I believe it is vital for students to experience the actual writings of great thinkers. Vaughn’s inclusion of primary source writings takes the student into the mind of each philosopher, which heightens the excitement of studying philosophy. This text introduces students to the discipline of philosophy in a style that clearly written and digestible, and unlike many other textbooks, it is reasonably priced.”

In lucid, engaging prose, this unique introduction relates the perennial questions of philosophy to students' lives today

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