This fourth edition of the text presents the issues and conflicts inherent in philosophy. Among the books many features is a new chapter on the problems of ethics, including the philosophy of law and of society, the nature of moral judgement and theories of normative ethics. This extensive revision includes new emphasis on the philosophy of science and problems of personal identity, as well as different approaches to a variety of issues. Exercises and selected readings are presented at the end of each chapter. The most significant change to this edition is to respond to criticisms regarding the omission in the third edition of the famous opening chapter. A brand new chapter, Words and the World, replaces this in the fourth edition - which now features a large number of examples and illustrative dialogues. The rest of the text has been thoroughly revised and updated to take account of recent developments in some areas of philosophy.