Discovering Philosophy

Discovering Philosophy PDF

Author: Thomas I. White

Publisher: Hackett Publishing

Published: 2022-08-24

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1647920701

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Are we free or determined? Are things really the way they appear to be? What’s the difference between right and wrong? Can God’s existence be demonstrated? Discovering Philosophy looks at these and other fundamental questions that have bedeviled thinkers for centuries. Designed for students who are more comfortable with secondary than primary sources, Discovering Philosophy is both accessible and intellectually challenging. While it examines the ideas of traditional philosophers, it also considers perspectives that have historically been underrepresented (feminist philosophers and Native American thought), draws examples from popular culture, and considers cutting-edge philosophical questions raised by scientific discoveries (are dolphins nonhuman persons with rights?). Each chapter includes discussion questions, boxed highlights, and suggestions for further reading.

Discovering Philosophy

Discovering Philosophy PDF

Author: Thomas I. White

Publisher: Prentice Hall

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13:

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Discovering Philosophy is a comprehensive introduction to philosophy that is specially designed for readers who are more comfortable with secondary, rather than primary sources. Using more accessible content that is unintimidating yet intellectually engaging, it relates the philosophical issues to readers' own experiences and challenges them to do philosophy on their own. Presents excerpts from primary sources when appropriate, but relies primarily on summaries, explanations, and discussions of the major arguments on the issues involved; teaches readers not so much about what philosophers think, but how to think philosophically themselves; demonstrates that after understanding a philosopher's position we are supposed to react to it, not memorize it; explores the major, traditional areas and topics of philosophy - logic, free will/determinism, ethics, political obligation, the nature of reality, knowledge, the existence of God, the meaning of life.

Exploring Philosophy

Exploring Philosophy PDF

Author: Steven M. Cahn

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2023-08

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780197697450

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"Those who begin the study of philosophy may easily become discouraged. Many classic texts are daunting in their complexity, and much contemporary writing is intended primarily for a professional audience. A few prominent philosophers of our day write in a style understandable by all, but nonspecialists are often left unaware of this work. They may never realize that serious discussion of central problems of philosophy can proceed without arcane terminology, unexplained references, or convoluted arguments. The guiding principle of this book is that reading clear, concise essays by recent philosophers offers an inviting avenue to understanding philosophical inquiry. While some of the articles are reprinted in their entirety, many are shortened to sharpen their focus and enhance their accessibility. For readers who wish to understand the development of philosophy over the centuries, I have included a substantial number of historical sources, including without abridgement Plato's Defense of Socrates, Crito, and Meno, as well as substantial segments from his Republic, Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, and Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Most of these are identified by the name of the work from which the selection is drawn, while with regard to some of the recent essays, I have taken the liberty of developing short, descriptive titles"--

Discovering Feminist Philosophy

Discovering Feminist Philosophy PDF

Author: Robin May Schott

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 9780742514553

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Discovering Feminist Philosophy provides an accessible introduction to the central issues in feminist philosophy. At the same time, it answers current objections to feminism, arguing that in today's world it is as compelling as ever to probe the impact of the dualism of the sexes. This unique book is equal parts survey, viewpoint, and scholarship--ideal for anyone seeking to understand the current and future role of feminist philosophy.

Exploring the Philosophy of Religion

Exploring the Philosophy of Religion PDF

Author: David Stewart

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-09-29

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 1351219847

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Exploring the Philosophy of Religion, 7th Edition, combines the best features of a text and a reader by offering clear analysis coupled with important primary-source readings. Professor David Stewart called upon his 30-plus years of teaching experience to introduce students to the important study of philosophical issues raised by religion. Beginning students often find primary sources alone too difficult so this text offers primary source materials by a variety of significant philosophers?including a balanced blend of classical and contemporary authors?but the materials are supported by clearly written introductions, which better prepare students to understand the readings.

Shakespeare's Philosophy

Shakespeare's Philosophy PDF

Author: Colin McGinn

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2009-03-17

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 0061751650

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Shakespeare’s plays are usually studied by literary scholars and historians and the books about him from those perspectives are legion. It is most unusual for a trained philosopher to give us his insight, as Colin McGinn does here, into six of Shakespeare’s greatest plays–A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, and The Tempest. In his brilliant commentary, McGinn explores Shakespeare’s philosophy of life and illustrates how he was influenced, for example, by the essays of Montaigne that were translated into English while Shakespeare was writing. In addition to chapters on the great plays, there are also essays on Shakespeare and gender and his plays from the aspects of psychology, ethics, and tragedy. As McGinn says about Shakespeare, “There is not a sentimental bone in his body. He has the curiosity of a scientist, the judgment of a philosopher, and the soul of a poet.” McGinn relates the ideas in the plays to the later philosophers such as David Hume and the modern commentaries of critics such as Harold Bloom. The book is an exhilarating reading experience, especially for students who are discovering the greatest writer in English.

Discovering Reality

Discovering Reality PDF

Author: Sandra Harding

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2005-12-30

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 0306480174

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Are Western epistemology, metaphysics, methodology and the philosophy of science grounded only in men's distinctive understandings of themselves, others, and nature? Does this less than human understanding distort our models of reason and of scientific inquiry? In different ways, the papers in this collection explore the evidence for these increasingly reasonable and intriguing questions. They identify how it is distinctively masculine perspectives on masculine experience which have shaped the most fundamental and formal aspects of systematic thought in philosophy and the natural and social sciences - precisely the aspects of thought believed most gender-neutral. They show how these understandings ground Aristotle's biology and metaphysics; the very definition of the problems of philosophy in Plato, Descartes, Hobbes and Rousseau; the `adversary method' which is the paradigm of philosophic and scientific reasoning; principles of individuation in philosophical ontology and the philosophy of language; individualistic assumptions in psychology; functionalism in sociological and biological theory; evolutionary theory; the methodology of political science; Marxist political economy; and conceptions of `objective inquiry' in the social and natural sciences. These essays also begin to identify for us the distictive aspects of women's experience which can provide the resources needed for the creation of a truly human understanding. Audience: The book will be of interest to those involved in epistemology, and philosophy of the natural and social sciences, as well as feminist scholars in philosophy. The work will also be of value for theorists, methodologists, and feminist scholars in the natural and social sciences.

The Big Think Book

The Big Think Book PDF

Author: Peter Cave

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-10-01

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 1780747438

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What makes me, me – and you, you? What is this thing called ‘love’? Does life have a point? Is ‘no’ the right answer to this question? Philosophy transports us from the wonderful to the weird, from the funny to the very serious indeed. With the aid of tall stories, jokes, fascinating insights and common sense, Peter Cave offers a comprehensive survey of all areas of philosophy, addressing the big puzzles in ethics and politics, metaphysics and knowledge, religion and the emotions, aesthetics and logic. Replete with a smorgasbord of amusing and mind-boggling examples, The Big Think Book is perfect for anyone who delights in life’s conundrums.

The Voyage of Discovery

The Voyage of Discovery PDF

Author: William F. Lawhead

Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Company

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780495127796

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Philosophy didn't just drop out of the air. Discover how philosophers used each other's works to develop their own with CENGAGE ADVANTAGE BOOKS: VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY: A HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY. Inside you'll be able to retrace philosopher's intellectual journeys and then figure out how to use that information in your own life. Plus, it's packed with stories, examples, illustrations, and study tools, so you'll be able to master the material with no problem.