Philosophy: A Text with Readings

Description

Explore philosophical topics, such as human nature, reality, truth, ethics, the meaning of life, diversity, and social/political philosophy with PHILOSOPHY: A TEXT WITH READINGS, 13th Edition. Manuel Velasquez's clear and engaging prose and the nontechnical primary source readings make complex philosophical concepts easier to understand, and carefully crafted built-in learning aids help you quickly master the material and succeed in your course. 1. THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY.What Is Philosophy? The Traditional Divisions of Philosophy. A Philosopher in Action: Socrates. The Value of Philosophy. Chapter Summary. Reading: Voltaire, Story of a Good Brahman" Historical Showcase: The First Philosophers. 2. HUMAN NATURE.Why Does Your View of Human Nature Matter? What Is Human Nature? The Mind-Body Problem: How Do Mind and Body Relate? Is There an Enduring Self? Are We Independent and Self-Sufficient Individuals? Chapter Summary. Readings: Kate Chopin, "The Story of an Hour," Janice M. Steil, "Contemporary Marriage: Still an Unequal partnership," Jean Grimshaw, "Identity in Feminist Thinking." Historical Showcase: Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius. 3. REALITY AND BEING.What Is Real? Reality: Material or Nonmaterial? Reality in Pragmatism. Reality and Logical Postivism. Antirealism: The Heir of Pragmatism and Idealism. Is Freedom Real? Is Time Real? Chapter Summary. Readings: Sophocles, "Oedipus the King" Robert Solomon, "Fate." Historical Showcase: Hobbes and Berkeley. 4. PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, AND GOD.The Significance of Religion. Defining Religion. Does God Exist? Atheism, Agnosticism, and the Problem of Evil. Traditional Religious Belief and Experience. Nontraditional Religious Experience. Chapter Summary. Readings: Fyodor Dostoevsky, excerpt from The Brothers Karamazov, William P. Alston, "The Inductive Argument from Evil and the Human Cognitive Condition." Historical Showcase: Aquinas, Descartes, and Conway. 5. THE SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE.Why Is Knowledge a Problem? Is Reason the Source of Our Knowledge? Can the Senses Account for All Our Knowledge? Kant: Does the Knowing Mind Shape the World? Does Science Give Us Knowledge? Chapter Summary. Readings: Bierce, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Unger, "A Defense of Skepticism," Nagel, "How Do We Know Anything?" Historical Showcase: Hume. 6. TRUTH.Knowledge and Truth. What Is Truth? Does Science Give Us Truth? Can Interpretations Be True? Chapter Summary. Readings: Akutagawa, "In a Grove," Tomlinson, "After Truth: Post-Modernism and the Rhetoric of Science," Searle, "Reality and Truth." Historical Showcase: Kant. 7. ETHICS.What Is Ethics? Is Ethics Relative? Do Consequences Make an Action Right? Do Rules Define Morality? Is Ethics Based on Character? Can Ethics Resolve Moral Quandaries? Chapter Summary. Readings: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, "The Heavenly Christmas Tree," Peter Singer, "Famine, Affluence, and Morality." Historical Showcase: Nietzsche and Wollstonecraft. 8. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY.What Is Social and Political Philosophy? What Justifies the State? What Is Justice? Limits on the State. Chapter Summary. Readings: Remarque, from All Quiet on the Western Front, Bertrand Russell, "The Ethics of War." Historical Showcase: Marx and Rawls. 9. POSTSCRIPT: THE MEANING OF LIFE.Does Life Have Meaning? The Theistic Response to Meaning. Meaning and Human Progress. The Nihilist Rejection of Meaning. Meaning as a Self-Chosen Commitment. Chapter Summary.Glossary.Suggestions for Further Reading.Index."