The Liberating Art of Philosophy: A Foundational Anthology provides students with seminal texts and articles that pique their philosophical curiosity, encourage critical thought, and invite questioning. Through exposure to diverse perspectives and ideas, readers develop a greater understanding of themselves and the world around them.

The volume is organized into six dedicated units. Opening sections take students on a whirlwind tour of Western philosophy from Socrates and Plato in the fourth and fifth centuries BCE to modern philosophers, including Descartes, Bacon, Hobbes, Wollstonecraft, and more. Additional units examine Asian and Ancient Near Eastern philosophies from China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Students read selections that address the human condition, the existence of God, reason, rationality, the conditions of war and peace, moral character, sexuality, liberty, self-knowledge, censorship, capitalism, and more. Throughout, spirited introductions and thought-provoking discussion questions encourage engagement with the material.

Designed to provide students with an engrossing introduction, The Liberating Art of Philosophy is a valuable resource for foundational courses in the discipline.

Ross Reed is a lecturer in the School of Arts, Languages & Philosophy at Missouri University of Science and Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy with specialization in existentialism and phenomenology from Loyola University Chicago.