Philosophy

"Boylan and Johnson return philosophy to its original home-the story. By blending narrative with other philosophical discourses, they create an approach that engages ambiguity in order to attain wisdom." -Marc Conner, Washington and Lee University "Philosophy: An Innovative Introduction is an exciting book that promises to invigorate courses in philosophy, ethics, and the humanities. Building on the categories of direct and indirect discourse, the authors offer a robust conception of 'fictive narrative philosophy'-one that treats seriously the power of fiction in philosophical discourse. The authors' innovative approach pairs the philosophies of major figures such as Plato, Kant, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with short stories that engage those figures in thought-provoking ways. The result is that the philosophical tradition is brought to life for students as abstract ideas become vivid and compelling." -Linda Furgerson Selzer, Penn State University "This unusual introduction to philosophy has broad appeal without sacrificing intellectual rigor." -Felicia Nimue Ackerman, Brown University "In the acknowledgements Charles Johnson quotes Camus, 'If you want to be a philosopher, write novels.' While an extravagant claim, Boylan and Johnson have conceived and brought to life an 'innovative' new introductory philosophy text that richly demonstrates what Camus calls for. The text's historical approach supplements the usual philosophers with multicultural, more inclusive works by Buddha, Arendt, Murdoch and M. L. King. It offers numerous helpful aids for the classroom, but most importantly it uniquely blends traditional philosophical argumentation with provocative fictive narratives (stories) that promise to engage students more fully, thus bringing philosophy alive in ways more traditional texts can only approximate." -Richard E. Hart, Bloomfield College