Understanding John Stuart Mill is the third book in a series of philosophy study guides to the classics of philosophy. The series is designed for beginning and intermediate philosophy students who would like more depth than they would ordinarily get from "Notes" books that only give outlines of the philosopher's thoughts and theories. At the same time, the Smart Student's books are not scholarly monographs designed for graduate students and professors. Understanding John Stuart Mill focuses on both content and philosophical method in the sections on Mill's famous Utilitarianism and in his ...

This book is fourth in a series of books devoted to helping students understand some of the great works in ethics, social and political philosophy. It has been said that Kant's Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals "is the single most important work in modern moral philosophy" (Henry Allison). It is also one of the most difficult books to comprehend, especially for beginning philosophy students. Understanding Immanuel Kant makes Kant accessible to students while at the same time showing why his writings have had such a powerful influence on philosophical ethics. Professor Houlgate's book ...

Understanding Plato is the first book in a series on classical philosophers. It contains a complete discussion of four of the early Socratic dialogues (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno) and Plato's longer and more famous work, The Republic. The series is designed for beginning and intermediate philosophy students who would like more depth than they would ordinarily get from books that give only outlines of the philosopher's thoughts and theories. Each book in the series focuses on both content and philosophical method. Each chapter breaks down the arguments of the philosopher into ...

This philosophy study guide for Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy is the seventh book in the Smart Student's Guides to Philosophical Classics series. Like the other books in the series, it is much more than an outline or a set of notes and flash cards. It is a book for students who are serious about understanding and thinking critically about one of the most consequential books ever written in the history of philosophy. Part I of the book is a chapter-by-chapter explanation of Descartes/ ideas and theories. It is presented in a way that makes it much easier for a beginning ...

David Hume (1711-1776) was the most important philosopher ever to write in English as well as a master stylist. This volume contains his major philosophical works. A Treatise of Human Nature (1739–1740), published while Hume was still in his twenties, consists of three books on the understanding, the passions, and morals.