Western Philosophy: An Anthology - Essential Readings for Students & Scholars | Philosophy Textbook for College Courses & Self-Study

I'm instructing an Intro to Philosophy course and chose Cottingham's anthology for the textbook based on the TOC.Overall, the book hasn't disappointed. The selections are generally solid, with clear translations and just enough content to get a sense of the text. Many selections skip parts of the text to focus on the highlights from each work. That's expected in an anthology. It's up to the instructor to fill in the gaps.This makes my life as an instructor far easier. When I assign a short reading, I know that the students will be more focused on what's in the text (and perhaps more likely to complete the reading at all). Each reading could be covered in 50 minutes to 1:20, depending on depth. In that regard, this book was well designed for actual use in the classroom. I can't praise that enough.Cottingham's introductions to each selection are good for a quick sense of context, though I rarely assign or use that part. Students may find it useful. But Cottingham does not do the work for you, which is what makes this anthology great. You, as an instructor, still have as much latitude to present these readings in the way you'd like without sparring with the editor.For an independent student, though, I would not recommend this text as a starting point for philosophy. It is designed to support an experienced instructor who can illuminate and explain the texts. Diving into an original work of philosophy or a book designed to introduce an area you're interested in (Ethics, Politics, Logic, etc) is a better way in. The Cambridge Very Short Introductions series is great for that.