Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings

Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings, Fourth Edition, is a highly acclaimed topically organized anthology featuring eighty-four selections that cover five major areas of philosophy--theory of knowledge, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, freedom and determinism, and moral philosophy. Louis P. Pojman and new coeditor James Fieser enhance the text's topical organization by presenting opposing articles on each issue so that students can better understand different perspectives. Offering a unique feature for a collection of this depth, the editors also include accessible introductions to each part, subsection, and individual reading, providing context for the essays and summarizing their key themes. Beginning with the opening section, "What Is Philosophy?", the book focuses on a compelling sampling of classical material--including selections from Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. It also incorporates some of philosophy's best contemporary work, offering articles by Harry Frankfurt, Richard Taylor, John Searle, Thomas Nagel, and others. The volume is enriched by helpful pedagogical features including "Questions for Further Reflection" after each selection; "Suggestions for Further Reading" at the end of the book; a glossary; and two appendices--"How to Read and Write a Philosophy Paper" and "A Little Bit of Logic."The fourth edition includes the complete text of Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy and nine new selections:* Sextus Empiricus: "Skepticism and Tranquility"* Lorraine Code: "A Feminist Epistemology?"* Samuel Clarke and David Hume: "The Causal Argument for God"* Voltaire: "The Best of All Possible Worlds?" * René Descartes: "Interactive Dualism"* Anne Conway: "Mind and Body as a Continuum"* Epictetus: "Stoic Resignation to Fate"* David Hume: "Morality Not Derived from Reason"* Alfred Jules Ayer: "Emotivism and Prescriptivism"

Table of Contents:
*=New to this edition Preface: I. WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? Plato, Socratic Wisdom John Locke, Philosophy as the Love of Truth versus Enthusiasm Bertrand Russell, The Value of Philosophy II. THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE A. Classical Theories on Certainty and the Sources of Knowledge Plato, The Theory of the Forms and Doctrine of Recollection * Sextus Empiricus, Skepticism and Tranquility René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (complete) John Locke, Knowledge Through Experience George Berkeley, An Idealist Theory of Knowledge David Hume, Experience and the Limits of Human Reason Immanuel Kant, The Copernican Revolution in Knowledge B. Contemporary Theories on the Limits of Knowledge John Maynard Smith, Science and Myth Norman Malcolm, Two Types of Knowledge Karl Popper, Epistemology Without a Knowing Subject Richard Rorty, Dismantling Truth: Solidarity versus Objectivity Daniel Dennett, Postmodernism and Truth * Lorraine Code, A Feminist Epistemology? III. PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION A. Traditional Arguments for the Existence of God St. Thomas Aquinas, The Five Ways * Samuel Clarke and David Hume, The Causal Argument for God F.C. Copleston and Bertrand Russell, A Debate on the Argument from Contingency William Paley, The Watch and the Watchmaker David Hume, A Critique of the Teleological Argument Anselm versus Gaunilo, The Ontological Argument F.C. Copleston and Bertrand Russell, A Debate on the Argument from Religious Experience C.D. Broad, The Argument from Religious Experience B. The Problem of Evil * Voltaire, The Best of All Possible Worlds? Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Why Is There Evil? Bruce Russell, The Problem of Evil: Why Is There So Much Suffering? Richard Swinburne, A Theistic Response to the Problem of Evil C. Faith and Reason Antony Flew, R.M. Hare, and Basil Mitchell, A Debate on the Rationality of Religious Belief Blaise Pascal, Faith Is a Rational Wager W.K. Clifford, The Ethics of Belief William James, The Will to Believe Alvin Plantinga, Religious Belief without Evidence IV. PHILOSOPHY OF MIND A. The Mind-Body Problem * René Descartes, Interactive Dualism * Anne Conway, Mind and Body as a Continuum Jerome Shaffer, Consciousness and the Mind-Body Problem Paul Churchland, A Critique of Dualism Paul Churchland, On Functionalism and Materialism Thomas Nagel, What Is It Like to Be a Bat? David Chalmers, Against Materialism: Can Consciousness Be Reductively Explained? John Searle, Minds, Brains, and Computers B. The Problem of Personal Identity John Locke, The Self as Psychological Properties David Hume, The Self as a Bundle of Perceptions Derek Parfit and Godfrey Vesey, Brain Transplants and Personal Identity: A Dialogue C. Personal Identity and Survival: Will I Survive My Death? Plato, Arguments for the Immortality of the Soul Betrand Russell, The Illusion of Immortality John Hick, In Defense of Life After Death V. FREEDOM OF THE WILL, RESPONSIBILITY, AND PUNISHMENT A. Free Will and Determinism Baron Paul Henri d'Holbach, A Defense of Determinism Richard Taylor, Libertarianism: Defense of Free Will W.T. Stace, Compatibilism: Free Will Is Consistent with Determinism John Hospers, Determinism: Free Will and Psychoanalysis Harry Frankfurt, Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person B. Moral Responsibility Aristotle, Voluntary Action and Responsibility * Epictetus, Stoic Resignation to Fate Galen Strawson, The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility Michael Levin, A Compatibilist Defense of Moral Responsibility Lois Hope Walker, A Libertarian Defense of Moral Responsibility C. Punishment Immanuel Kant, The Right to Punish: Retributivism Jonathan Glover, Utilitarianism and Punishment Karl Menninger, The Crime of Punishment: The Humanitarian Theory C.S. Lewis, Against the Humanitarian Theory of Rehabilitation John Rawls, Two Concepts of Punishment VI. MORAL PHILOSOPHY Plato, Socratic Morality A. Moral Relativism Herodotus, Custom Is King Ruth Benedict, In Defense of Moral Relativism Louis P. Pojman, Ethical Relativism versus Ethical Objectivism J.L. Mackie, The Subjectivity of Values Louis P. Pojman, A Critique of Mackie's Theory of Moral Subjectivism B. Morality and Self-Interest Plato, Gyges' Ring, or Is the Good Good for You? James Rachels, Ethical Egoism J.L. Mackie, The Law of the Jungle: Moral Alternatives and Principles of Evolution C. Religion and Ethics Plato, The Divine Command Theory of Ethics Bertrand Russell, A Free Man's Worship George Mavrodes, Religion and the Queerness of Morality Kai Nielsen, Ethics Without Religion D. Standards of Moral Evaluation Aristotle, Virtues Thomas Hobbes, The Social Contract John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism and Pleasure Immanuel Kant, Duty and the Categorical Imperative E. Challenges to Traditional Moral Theories * David Hume, Morality Not Derived from Reason * Alfred Jules Ayer, Emotivism and Prescriptivism Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil William Gass, The Case of the Obliging Stranger Thomas Nagel, Moral Luck Appendix I. How to Read and Write a Philosophy Paper Appendix II. A Little Bit of Logic Glossary Suggestions for Further Reading