Face to Face with Everything

An introduction to philosophy often approaches the branches of philosophy to describe this particular science, but what about approaching it from the more general and obvious areas of human knowledge? And one not meant for polymaths, but vigorous seekers that can't help crossing boundaries along the way? Scott Randall Paine writes for the committed of heart and the specialist who feels constrained. As he suggests, "Inside every specialist there is a generalist trying to get out."

Among a myriad of books on philosophy, Paine celebrates the true philosopher: the reader who seeks to know that which has a bearing on everything. This is a book unlike any other. The reality we live in has a kind of 'face', and philosophy is a way of engaging this entity. "Who are you? What can you tell me about being human?" Can certain encounters in science and other branches of knowledge be like seeing the half-smile of Mona Lisa? What a tease and yet how much to be discovered upon the right inquiry! Philosophy in this regard can be incredibly daunting, as it brings us face to face not just with particulars, but with everything.

Paine's trajectory is captured in his table of contents. First, he approaches synoptic and cenoscopic philosophy, and then he deals with philosophy and the following categories: humanities, production and liberal arts, physical sciences, life sciences, social sciences, religion, modernity, idioscopy, and the range of the cenoscopic. Paine is successful in his attempt to be exemplary more than strictly conclusive. This is a book for highly engaged (but not necessarily technical) individuals who need to remember to stay hungry.