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Ultimate Questions: Thinking About Philosophy, 4th edition

Published by Pearson (June 19, 2019) © 2020

  • Nils Ch. Rauhut Coastal Carolina University

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For courses in Introductory Philosophy.

An active approach to philosophy

Ultimate Questions: Thinking about Philosophy encourages an active learning approach rather than simply focusing on reading philosophical texts. Author Nils Rauhut seeks to instigate meaningful discussions between students and instructors. Based on the author's experiences with students in lecture environments, Food for Thought exercises help students discover how well they understand philosophical concepts, as well as how to apply them to real-life scenarios.

The 4th Edition offers updated and revised content throughout, as well as a new closing chapter that spans various philosophical topics.

Hallmark features of this title

  • The text's content was designed to be helpful in prompting enlightening classroom discussions.
  • Over 100 Food for Thought exercises help to engage students in their learning,
  • Numerous graphics and illustrations throughout the text are helpful for visual learners.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: A new Chapter 9, Should We be Afraid of Death?, gives instructors the opportunity to end the course with a classical question that spans various philosophical topics.
  • NEW: Multiple choice review questions at the end of each chapter enable students to gauge their progress and ask more directed questions in class.
  • UPDATED: Content throughout every chapter has been updated and revised. Notable updates include:
    • new discussions of definitions and a new section on fake news in Chapter 2
    • a new discussion of narrative identity in Chapter 5
    • the presentations of both Utilitarianism and Kant's ethical theory in Chapter 8 have been completely reworked

1. What is Philosophy?
2. Philosophical Tools
3. What do We Know?
4. The Problem of Free Will
5. The Problem of Personal Identity
6. The Mind/Body Problem
7. Does God Exist?
8. What Ought We to Do?
9. Should We be Afraid of Death?

About our authors

Nils Ch. Rauhut is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Coastal Carolina University. His scholarly interests are focused on ancient philosophy (especially Plato), but he is also interested in philosophical pedagogy. He is a former president of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers and editor of Readings on the Ultimate Questions.

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