Just the Arguments

Michael Bruce currently researches in the history of philosophy. He has taught philosophy and mathematics courses at the University of Washington’s Robinson Center for Young Scholars. Steven Barbone is Associate Professor of Philosophy at San Diego State University.

“A useful resource for an undergraduate library, this book also would be suitable for undergraduate courses, particularly introduction to philosophy, logic, and critical thinking.  Summing Up: Highly recommended.  Lower-level undergraduates and general readers.”  (Choice, 1 September 2012)

• Acknowledgments xivIntroduction: Show Me the Arguments 1Michael Bruce and Steven BarbonePart I Philosophy of Religion 71 Aquinas’ Five Ways 9Timothy J. Pawl2 The Contingency Cosmological Argument 18Mark T. Nelson3 The Kalam Argument for the Existence of God 22Harry Lesser4 The Ontological Argument 25Sara L. Uckelman5 Pascal’s Wager 28Leslie Burkholder6 James’ Will to Believe Argument 32A. T. Fyfe7 The Problem of Evil 35Michael Bruce and Steven Barbone8 The Free Will Defense to the Problem of Evil 37Grant Sterling9 St. Anselm on Free Choice and the Power to Sin 40Julia Hermann10 Hume’s Argument against Miracles 44Tommaso Piazza11 The Euthyphro Dilemma 49David Baggett12 Nietzsche’s Death of God 52Tom Grimwood13 Ockham’s Razor 57Grant SterlingPart II Metaphysics 5914 Parmenides’ Refutation of Change 61Adrian Bardon15 McTaggart’s Argument against the Reality of Time 64M. Joshua Mozersky16 Berkeley’s Master Argument for Idealism 68John M. DePoe17 Kant’s Refutation of Idealism 70Adrian Bardon18 The Master Argument of Diodorus Cronus 73Ludger Jansen19 Lewis’ Argument for Possible Worlds 76David Vander Laan20 A Reductionist Account of Personal Identity 79Fauve Lybaert21 Split-Case Arguments about Personal Identity 86Ludger Jansen22 The Ship of Theseus 88Ludger Jansen23 The Problem of Temporary Intrinsics 90Montserrat Bordes24 A Modern Modal Argument for the Soul 93Rafal Urbaniak and Agnieszka Rostalska25 Two Arguments for the Harmlessness of Death 99 Epicurus’ Death is Nothing to Us Argument 99Steven LuperLucretius’ Symmetry Argument 100Nicolas Bommarito26 The Existence of Forms: Plato’s Argument from the Possibility of Knowledge 102Jurgis (George) Brakas27 Plato, Aristotle, and the Third Man Argument 106Jurgis (George) Brakas28 Logical Monism 111Luis Estrada-González29 The Maximality Paradox 115Nicola Ciprotti30 An Argument for Free Will 119Gerald Harrison31 Frankfurt’s Refutation of the Principle of Alternative Possibilities 121Gerald Harrison32 Van Inwagen’s Consequence Argument against Compatibilism 123Grant Sterling33 Fatalism 125Fernando Migura and Agustin Arrieta34 Sartre’s Argument for Freedom 128Jeffrey GordonPart III Epistemology 13135 The Cogito Arguments of Descartes and Augustine 133Descartes’ Cogito 133Joyce LazierAugustine’s “Si fallor, sum” Argument (If I Am Mistaken, I Exist) 135Brett Gaul36 The Cartesian Dreaming Argument for External-World Skepticism 137Stephen Hetherington37 The Transparency of Experience Argument 142Carlos Mario Muñoz-Suárez38 The Regress Argument for Skepticism 146Scott Aikin39 Moore’s Anti-Skeptical Arguments 152Matthew Frise40 The Bias Paradox 154Deborah Heikes41 Gettier’s Argument against the Traditional Account of Knowledge 156John M. DePoe42 Putnam’s Argument against Cultural Imperialism 159Maria Caamaño43 Davidson on the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme 162George Wrisley44 Quine’s Two Dogmas of Empiricism 169Robert Sinclair45 Hume and the Problem of Induction 174Hume’s Problem of Induction 174James E. TaylorHume’s Negative Argument concerning Induction 176Stefanie Rocknak46 Argument by Analogy in Thales and Anaximenes 180Giannis Stamatellos47 Quine’s Epistemology Naturalized 183Robert Sinclair48 Sellars and the Myth of the Given 188Willem A. deVries49 Sellars’ “Rylean Myth” 193Willem A. deVries50 Aristotle and the Argument to End All Arguments 198Toni Vogel CareyPart IV Ethics 20151 Justice Brings Happiness in Plato’s Republic 203Joshua I. Weinstein52 Aristotle’s Function Argument 208Sean McAleer53 Aristotle’s Argument that Goods are Irreducible 211Jurgis (George) Brakas54 Aristotle’s Argument for Perfectionism 214Eric J. Silverman55 Categorical Imperative as the Source for Morality 217Joyce Lazier56 Kant on Why Autonomy Deserves Respect 221Mark Piper57 Mill’s Proof of Utilitarianism 223A. T. Fyfe58 The Experience Machine Objection to Hedonism 229Dan Weijers59 The Error Theory Argument 232Robert L. Muhlnickel60 Moore’s Open Question Argument 237Bruno Verbeek61 Wolff’s Argument for the Rejection of State Authority 240Ben Saunders62 Nozick’s Taxation Is Forced Labor Argument 242Jason Waller63 Charity is Obligatory 244Joakim Sandberg64 The Repugnant Conclusion 247Joakim Sandberg65 Taurek on Numbers Don’t Count 249Ben Saunders66 Parfit’s Leveling Down Argument against Egalitarianism 251Ben Saunders67 Nozick’s Wilt Chamberlain Argument 254Fabian Wendt68 Liberal Feminism 258Julinna C. Oxley69 Moral Status of Animals from Marginal Cases 263Julia Tanner70 The Ethical Vegetarianism Argument 265Robert L. Muhlnickel71 Thomson and the Famous Violinist 269Leslie Burkholder72 Marquis and the Immorality of Abortion 273Leslie Burkholder73 Tooley on Abortion and Infanticide 275Ben Saunders74 Rachels on Euthanasia 277Leslie BurkholderPart V Philosophy of Mind 28175 Leibniz’ Argument for Innate Ideas 283Byron Kaldis76 Descartes’ Arguments for the Mind–Body Distinction 290Dale Jacquette77 Princess Elisabeth and the Mind–Body Problem 297Jen McWeeny78 Kripke’s Argument for Mind–Body Property Dualism 301Dale Jacquette79 The Argument from Mental Causation for Physicalism 304Amir Horowitz80 Davidson’s Argument for Anomalous Monism 308Amir Horowitz81 Putnam’s Multiple Realization Argument against Type-Physicalism 311Amir Horowitz82 The Supervenience Argument against Non-Reductive Physicalism 314Andrew Russo83 Ryle’s Argument against Cartesian Internalism 318Agustin Arrieta and Fernando Migura84 Jackson’s Knowledge Argument 320Amir Horowitz85 Nagel’s “What Is It Like to Be a Bat” Argument against Physicalism 324Amy Kind86 Chalmer’s Zombie Argument 327Amy Kind87 The Argument from Revelation 330Carlos Mario Muñoz-Suárez88 Searle and the Chinese Room Argument 334Leslie BurkholderPart VI Science and Language 33789 Sir Karl Popper’s Demarcation Argument 339Liz Stillwaggon Swan90 Kuhn’s Incommensurability Arguments 341Liz Stillwaggon Swan and Michael Bruce91 Putnam’s No Miracles Argument 344Liz Stillwaggon Swan92 Galileo’s Falling Bodies 346Liz Stillwaggon Swan93 Eliminative Materialism 348Charlotte Blease94 Wittgenstein’s Private Language Argument 350George Wrisley95 Fodor’s Argument for Linguistic Nativism 355Majid Amini96 Fodor and the Impossibility of Learning 359Majid Amini97 Quine on the Indeterminacy of Translation 362Robert Sinclair98 Davidson’s Argument for the Principle of Charity 367Maria Caamaño99 Frege’s Argument for Platonism 370Ivan Kasa100 Mathematical Platonism 373Nicolas PainAppendix A: Learning the Logical Lingo 377Appendix B: Rules of Inference and Replacement 378Notes on Contributors 380Index 391