[Soccio's text is] [e]asy to understand, applicable to twenty-first century, unbiased. The greatest strength of Soccio is that it covers a great deal of material and includes most of the salient ideas. It also conveys the trajectory of the Western philosophical history and emphasizes how the philosophers were influenced by history and have influenced history. It's ... Read morealso accessible to students. Soccio's pedagogy and methodology are masterful. I have used this text in several incarnations starting with the second edition. I keep coming back to it because it makes my job easier. He works hard to make things clear to beginners without obvious dumbing down. College students notice when they are being condescended to, and it destroys their motivation. Show Less