This philosophy book is a perfect introduction for anyone interested in the subject. The central theme of the book is discussion of the big questions (the "Problems" of the title) which philosophy strives to answer. There are other philosophy books with similar titles, including an identically titled book by the famous philosopher Bertrand Russell (also available from Forgotten Books and well worth a look), but this one contains arguably the best introduction to the broadest range of philosophical thought.

John Grier Hibben, was broadly educated and seemed to excel at anything he turned his hand to. He graduated as a mathematician, earned a living teaching French and German and was for many years a widely respected preacher. After gaining a PhD he taught philosophy at Princeton and later became its president.

The first two chapters of this book discuss the nature and value of philosophy. In the words of Hibben, "Philosophy is concerned with what is, in contrast with that which seems to be." The grand Problem then is to "discover the nature of reality." The other chapters cover discussions of existence, origins, the soul (whether as in the religious meaning or the sum of a consciousness), knowledge, logic, ethics (and it's sub-Problem, politics, or human relations) and finally of art and aesthetics. These are all covered in detail and with a great explanation, comparison and discussion of the different schools of thought, which is what makes this book so fascinating as an introduction to philosophy.

If this book has a flaw it is that the different forms of religious thought are given too much attention in comparison to other philosophies, which may not be so interesting for the less religious times in which we now live. There is still plenty here for even the most ardent atheist however. The beauty of the writing is that even though the author is obviously deeply intelligent and knowledgeable about his topic the text remains accessible and the explanations clear and jargon-free.

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