Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIt is not overloaded and excessive, nor is it superficial and "dumbed down." It contains important primary readings, helpful "questions for thought," and a useful glossary at the end of each chapter. —Professor Robert Gall, West Liberty State College Wide-ranging, engaging, clear, comprehensible, geared toward students learning how to think philosophically rather than just understand or recite philosophical arguments. —Professor Julinna Oxley, Coastal Carolina University Its got broad topical and historical coverage and it's organized well for semester teaching. —Professor Sean Stidd, Wayne State University “The strength of the book is its straightforward writing style that doesn’t complicate things too much for intro students, and the questions for reflection that are at the end of the chapters. These are the kinds of questions my students could write an essay on instead of writing a paper.” — Julinna Oxley, Coastal Carolina University “The text seems to strike the right balance in terms of the amount of material covered. It is not overloaded and excessive, nor is it superficial and "dumbed down." It contains important primary readings, helpful "questions for thought," and a useful glossary at the end of each chapter.” — Robert Gall, West Liberty State College “The questions at the end of each chapter are great. They are not just questions of what was stated in the chapter, but are straightforward, compelling questions or thought experiments that students at any level could understand and attempt to answer. I also like the quotes in the boxes, which were from a wide variety of sources, including history and culture. These are useful and interesting without distracting from the main line of argument or questions being raised. The writing is also clear and straightforward, without too much complexity.” — Julinna Oxley, Coastal Carolina University “The writing style is very clear and straightforward. This is great. The level is appropriate for students and is not so long-winded. (I think they would not complain about Waller’s writing.) Also, the examples used to introduce the topics at the beginning of each chapter are great. He also guides the reader through how to think of the issues, and doesn’t just try to explain things. Focus on determinism. Now that helps the student focus on the topic at hand which may be hard for them to do.” — Julinna Oxley, Coastal Carolina University “I very much like the author’s writing style and his introduction to key issues in philosophy. He makes complicated issues interesting and accessible and he locates them within a broader social perspective that includes historical facts, religious pressures, and political conditions. This would be a very welcome addition to my teaching introduction to philosophy.” — Jennifer Lackey, Northwestern University
Table of ContentsTable of Contents Chapter One: Thinking Critically and Cordially About Philosophy What is Philosophy? Thinking Critically and Playing Fair Deductive and Inductive Arguments Thinking Critically and Cooperatively Irrelevant Reason Fallacy Ad Hominem Arguments Strawman Fallacy Appeal to Authority Readings Plato, Apology Bertrand Russell, The Value of Philosophy Exercises Additional Reading Chapter Two: Philosophical Questions About Religion Conceptions of God Arguments for the Existence of God The Cosmological Argument The Ontological Argument The Argument from Design The Intuitive Argument Pascal’s Wager The Problem of Evil Ockham’s Razor Do Science and Religion Occupy Different Spheres? Readings From Genesis and Exodus Spinoza, from A Theologico-Political Treatise Aristotle, from The Metaphysics St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica (The Five Ways) Leibniz, from Theodicy Stephen Gould, “Non-Overlapping Magisteria” Richard Dawkins, “You Can’t Have it Both Ways: Irreconcilable Differences?” Exercises Additional Reading Chapter Three: What Can We Know? Skepticism Descartes Certainty Descartes and Reason Descartes’ Method of Doubt I Think, Therefore I Exist The Lasting Influence of Descartes Readings Descartes, Meditations, 1 and 2 Wittgenstein, from On Certainty Exercises Additional Reading Chapter Four: Rationalism, Empiricism, Kant Rationalism God said, Let Newton Be Empiricism John Locke David Hume Immanuel Kant Readings David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, sections 2 and 12 Immanuel Kant, from Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics Exercises Additional Reading Chapter Five: Contemporary Epistemology Permanence and Change Evolution Darwin Pragmatism Readings William James, from Pragmatism Bertrand Russell, “Transatlantic Truth” John Dewey, from Reconstruction in Philosophy Exercises Additional Reading Chapter Six: What Is the Mind? Mechanism and the Mind Descartes and Mind-Body Dualism Advantages of Mind-Body Dualism Problems for Mind-Body Dualism Interactionism Preestablished Harmony Occasionalism Idealism Materialism Dual-Aspect Theory Functionalism Epiphenomenalism Consciousness Readings Descartes, Meditations, 6 Daniel Dennett, “Where Am I?” Thomas Nagel, “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” Exercises Additional Reading Chapter Seven: Personal Identity Practical Implications of Personal Identity Physical Identity Souls and Personal Identity Memory and Identity Science Fiction and Personal Identity Problems Beyond Personal Identity Strains on Our Ordinary Concept of Personal Identity Identity and the One The Narrative Account of Personal Identity Narrative Truth Our Modular Brain Narrative Accountability Readings John Locke, from Essay Concerning Human Understanding David Hume, from A Treatise of Human Nature Derek Parfit, from Reasons and Persons Alasdair MacIntyre, from After Virtue Exercises Additional Reading Chapter Eight: Fatalism, Determinism, Free Will Fatalism Fatalism and Determinism Determinism Reactions to Determinism Readings Lorenzo de Valla, “Dialogue on Free Will Martin Luther, from Bondage of the Will David Hume, Enquiry Concerning the Human Understanding Exercises Additional Reading Chapter 9: Is Free Will Compatible With Determinism? Does Determinism Destroy Creativity? Does Determinism Destroy Free Will? Hard Determinism Soft Determinism (Compatibilism) Hume’s Compatibilism Hierarchical Compatibilism Challenges to Hierarchical Compatibilism Rationalist Compatibilism Readings William James, from Pragmatism Harry G. Frankfurt, “Freedom of Will and the Concept of a Person” Susan Wolf, “Asymmetrical Freedom” Exercises Additional Reading Chapter 10: Are We Morally Responsible? Libertarian Free Will What About Moral Responsibility? Strong Feelings and Moral Responsibility Readings Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, “Oration on the Dignity of Man” C. A. Campbell, from On Selfhood and Godhood Thomas Nagel, “Moral Luck” Daniel Dennett, from Elbow Room Bruce N. Waller, “Uneven Starts and Just Deserts” Exercises Additional Reading Chapter 11: Ethics: Reason and Emotion Kantian Rationalist Ethics Utilitarian Ethics Criticisms of Utilitarianism Readings David Hume, from A Treatise of Human Nature Immanuel Kant, from Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals Jonathan Bennett, “The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn” John Stuart Mill, from Utilitarianism Exercises Additional Reading Chapter 12: Ethical Theories Divine Command Theory of Ethics Relativism Egoism Social Contract Ethics Care Ethics Readings James Rachels, “God and Human Attitudes” George N. Schlesinger, from New Perspectives on Old-Time Religion Elvin Hatch, “The Good Side of Relativism” Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan Jean Hampton,“Two Faces of Contractarian Thought” Annette Baier,“What Do Women Want in a Moral Theory?” Exercises Additional Reading Chapter 13: Are There Objective Ethical Truths? Intuitionism Virtue Ethics Ethical Nonobjectivism The Argument from Diversity The Argument from Queerness Contemporary Moral Realism Readings W. D. Ross, from The Right and the Good Aristotle, from Nicomachean Ethics J. L. Mackie, from Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong Michael Smith, “Realism” Richard Rorty, from Philosophy and Social Hope Exercises Additional Reading Chapter 14: Political Philosophy Justification of Government The Social Contract Obeying or Disobeying the Law Liberal and Conservative Positive and Negative Liberty Readings Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from “The Origin of Inequality” Henry David Thoreau, from “Resistance to Civil Government” John Stuart Mill, from On Liberty Eric Mack, "Liberty and Justice" Hugh LaFollette, "Why Libertarianism Is Mistaken" Exercises Additional Reading
