This chapter highlights the basic components one should expect from the book and the main concepts that one should be aware of to ensure they understand the entire book. Its central themes include defining key terms, what the book is about, different areas of philosophy, and philosophical archetypes. The author notes that philosophy involves wisdom-seeking acts that answer big questions. On the other hand, philosophical archetypes are those philosophers that express an “original or influential point of view in a way that impacts successive philosophers and no philosophers” (Soccio, p.14). An example would be the skeptic, the ‘doubting Thomas’ type, who believe that any knowledge claims must be proven through personal verification or experience. Therefore, the book does not include every philosopher or philosophy created but an invitation to interesting philosophical ideas and the cultural conditions that gave rise to them.
Some of the best philosophers described discussed in this chapter include Plato, Thomas Aquinas, and John Stuart Mill. These are among today’s most recognized philosophers known for yielding the most compelling arguments despite their origins. Although men have mainly represented philosophy, the number of women professional philosophers has been rising. Examples of existing women philosophers in recent times include the likes of Susanne Langer and Alison Jaggar (Soccio, p.7). Another central theme highlighted in this chapter is relativism (a belief that knowledge varies depending on the observer’s qualities such as age, gender, and cultural conditioning). For instance, westerners believe that women should be treated equally as men—a different culture in some Middle Eastern countries who believe that women are second-class citizens. Thus, James Wilson’s idea of not imposing one’s values on other people applies in this case as one culture should not judge the other.
Reference
Soccio, D. J. (2015). Archetypes of wisdom: An introduction to philosophy. Cengage Learning.