Russell sets the chapters out clearly and you are told precisely what his aim is at the beginning of each chapter. However, unfortuneately he doesn't manage to fulfill many of them. The book is generally clearly written and fairly easy to understand (as far as philosophy books go!) It tackels the main issues and at least gets the reader to consider their own opinion.

It is entirely unsatisfactory in parts, where Russell's own views taint the writing incredibly and there are generally a lot of problems with some of the things Russell says. However this almost makes it more useful because at least then it encourages the reader to take up the point and perhaps consider where they think Russell has gone wrong.

It's accessible and although not perfect, it probably one of the better introductions to philosophy that i have read.


Makes Sense   December 11, 1999
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

I study philosophy at A-level and I grew tired of books I just could not get to grips with. Bertrand Russel's book however was a breath of fresh air.

At the beginning of each chapter he outlines his aims and then at the end he gives an easy to understand conclusion. This makes the book so much easier to understand.

The chapters are nice and short and tackle something new every time, and so you never get bogged down in deep, complicated ideas.

I liked this book simply because of its (relative) simplicity, and even though it got tough in places, generally it was a delightful workout for the mind without leaving you exhausted.

Top notch common sense.