Discovering Philosophy

Description

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. Front Cover Title Page Copyright Page CONTENTS PREFACE TO THE STUDENT Part One: Introduction Chapter 1: What Is Philosophy? What Is Philosophy About? The Basic Issues The Parts of Philosophy Why Studying Philosophy Is Valuable Previews of Coming Chapters Discussion Questions Selected Readings Chapter 2: Thinking Like a Philosopher Critical Thinking Good, Logical Thinking, and Rules Illogical Thinking: An Example Weak Thinking: A More Sophisticated Diagnosis Final Thoughts About Philosophical Thinking Appendix: An Overview of the Fallacies Discussion Questions Selected Readings Part Two: Exploring the Basics of Who We Are and Dealing with Others Chapter 3: The Case for Determinism Freedom Versus Determinism Behaviorism Determinism: Freudand Control by the Unconscious Libet: A Contemporary Challenge to Free Will Determinism and Responsibility What If Determinism Is True? The Stoics Determinism: A Final Word Discussion Questions Selected Readings Chapter 4: The Case for Freedom Aristotle: The Commonsense Philosopher William James: The Pragmatic Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre: The Existentialist Philosopher Freedom Versus Determinism: A Closing Word Discussion Questions Selected Readings Chapter 5: Right and Wrong Right, Wrong, and Philosophy The Philosophical Approach: Well-Being and Flourishing Four Approaches to Ethics Consequentialist Ethics: Utilitarianism Deontological Ethics Ethics of Care Virtue Ethics: Aristotle Revisited Ethics in Summary Discussion Questions Selected Readings Chapter 6: Why Be Ethical? Why Act Ethically? Plato and Socrates Moral Virtue, Vice, and the Soul Plato: Moral Virtue as the Health of the Soul Socrates: Vice Harms the Doer Why Be Ethical? Discussion Questions Selected Readings Part Three: Fundamental Theoretical Issues Chapter 7: What Is Real and How Do We Know It? Rationalism Plato: Idealism and Rationalism The Rationalism of René Descartes The Strength of Plato’s and Descartes’s Rationalism Discussion Questions Selected Readings Chapter 8: What Is Real and How Do We Know It? Empiricism Empiricism’s Objections to Rationalism The Empiricism of John Locke The Radical Empiricism of David Hume Testing the Senses Does Hume Go Too Far? Knowledge Is Limited to Appearance: Immanuel Kant The Search for Reality and Knowledge—Where Are We? A Final Thought: Recognizing the Limitations and Benefits of Philosophy Discussion Questions Selected Readings Chapter 9: Does God Exist? What Do We Mean by “God”? Proofs of God: Arguments from the Character of the World The Argument from Design: William Paley The Argument from “Governance of the World”: Saint Thomas Aquinas Arguments from Reason Alone The Ontological Argument: Saint Anselm Defining the Greatest Possible Being by Reason or Faith? Reason or Faith? Discussion Questions Selected Readings Part Four: Perhaps Things Aren’t Really the Way They Appear Chapter 10: Dolphins—Personhood, Rights, and Flourishing Basic Facts About Dolphins The Significance of the Science: Dolphins, Personhood, Rights, Harm, and Flourishing The Ethical Implications of Personhood Personhood, Flourishing, and Human Treatment of Cetaceans Final Thoughts and a Startling Suggestion Discussion Questions Selected Readings Chapter 11: Alternative Perspectives—Marx and Einstein Karl Marx and Marxism Einstein: A Scientific Explanation for How Things Aren’t the Way They Appear to Be Marx and Einstein: Things Aren’t What They Seem Discussion Questions Selected Readings Chapter 12: Alternative Perspectives—Buddhism and Native American Thought Some Differences Between Eastern and Western Thought The Teaching of Buddha: Spiritual Enlightenment as the Aim of Life The Teaching of Buddha: How to Get Off the Wheel of Life Buddhism Compared to Western Thought The Challenge of Buddhism Native American Thought Native American Cosmology and Metaphysics Understanding the World: A Polycentric Approach to Knowledge The Challenge of the Native American Perspective Discussion Questions Selected Readings GLOSSARY INDEX Back Cover