Nash has been teaching philosophy for over 40 years and in his introduction says that this book is the kind of book he wishes he had had when he began teaching. The book is aimed at undergraduates who will use it as a text (it certainly looks very ‘textbookish’), teachers who will use it as a teaching tool and anyone else interested in philosophy. It is clear that time has been taken to get a structure and layout that will aid the learning process. After an introduction to the place and importance of worldviews in philosophical thought, the book is split into three parts. Part 1 looks at six conceptual systems with separate chapters on Naturalism, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine and Aquinas. Part 2 introduces many of the well-known problems and topics. After two chapters on the Law of Non-contradiction and Possible Worlds, chapters are grouped into three main areas, epistemology, God, and ethics. The final chapter deals with the mind/body problem. Each chapter has an optional essay question and the further reading list. There is also a glossary at the end of the book.

I have always found Nash to be a lucid writer and it is clear from the outset that he is an experienced teacher and one who has learned how to communicate difficult ideas effectively to students. The book is written in a ‘chatty’ style as if Nash were in the room giving the lecture himself and there are many personal illustrations which help to explain ideas and which give a ‘lighter’ feel than many philosophy textbooks. There are also a number of diagrams and a few pictures (if you ever wanted to see portraits of Kant and Locke) although I do not think they add much to the book. Nash does not apologise that he writes from a theistic point of view but hopes that this will not preclude a non-theist using it. I am sure the book will become a standard text in many colleges and as an evangelical I wish I had had such a book on my reading list when I was doing my philosophy of religion course as an undergraduate.

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