This classic text introduces the major fields, problems, theories, and personalities of philosophy through the biographies and writing of leading thinkers.Presenting philosophy as an activity whose guiding principle is reason and whose goal is critical self-understanding, this book explains in a clear, uncluttered manner not only what the great philosophers said, but why they said it. The book also includes discussions of Alternative Philosophies throughout the book where appropriate. Each chapter concludes with a Contemporary Application that relates the philosophy to important issues of current concern. The seventh edition of About Philosophy has been revised to include presentation of topics related to Medical Ethics; new Contemporary Applications; and a strengthening of feminist theory throughout the book.