Page:An introduction to philosophy (IA Introductiontoph00brig 0).pdf/9

This book is an introduction to philosophy. It presupposes no prior acquaintance with the subject and is intended either for the student or the general reader. The author has undertaken to present fairly what may be said for and against the solutions of the chief problems offered by the important schools of philosophical thought. He has also sought to interpret his own point of view, which may be called personalism or personalistic idealism.
Since the book is an introduction it is not a complete system of metaphysics. Many topics that are in the public eye are therefore treated briefly or not at all. Current discussion of space and time is highly technical and is in a state of transition. Little is said of those topics in this book. Relativity and Einstein are barely mentioned; Freud, only incidentally; the important theory of quanta and the much discussed theories about glands, not at all. Such topics are better not undertaken until one is fairly familiar with the lay of the land in philosophy through such a survey as is found in the following pages.
The teacher who uses this Introduction as a text-book will probably find that if it be made the basis of a course for a single semester, some of the chapters will have to be omitted or cursorily treated. The book is best adapted to be used as the basis for two semesters’ work, the first semester being “Introduction to Philosophy,” and the second being perhaps its continuation, or perhaps a separate course called “Metaphysics” or "Problems of Philosophy.” The