James Fieser – författare

This is a topically arranged textbook/reader (hybrid) covering the major writings in Eastern & Western philosophy intended for introduction to philosophy courses. This book combines commentary, primary texts, and study questions that guide students to better understand the philosophical works, ask focused questions, and ultimately spark in-depth discussions about the works.

Featuring a unique pedagogical apparatus, A Historical Introduction to Philosophy: Texts and Interactive Guides provides selections from the most influential primary works in philosophy from the Presocratics through the twentieth century, integrating them with substantial commentary and study questions. It offers extensive treatment of the Hellenistic and Renaissance periods--which are typically given only minimal coverage in other anthologies--and devotes substantial chapters to nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophy. The selections are organized historically and are presented in short and manageable sections with organizational headings and subheadings; archaic and difficult material has been adapted for clarity. Accompanying commentaries simplify difficult passages, explain technical terminology, and expand upon allusions to unfamiliar literature and arguments. Study questions are interspersed throughout the chapters in "Ask Yourself" boxes and vary with respect to format and level of difficulty. They require students to reconstruct arguments, summarize passages, complete blanks in statements and arguments, evaluate the success or viability of a philosophical point, or draw contemporary parallels and applications. The questions are carefully framed so as to avoid commitment to any particular side in controversies. Instructors can assign those questions that will best suit the aims of their courses and aid their students' comprehension of the primary source material. A Historical Introduction to Philosophy is enhanced by a comprehensive time line, a glossary, and lists of suggested further readings for both primary and secondary sources. This rich and flexible anthology and interactive textbook is ideal for introduction to philosophy and history of philosophy courses.

Introduction to Philosophy is a topically-organized introductory anthology. Presenting differing arguments on each issue, its 84 selections represent some of WEstern philosophy's leading contributions across five major areas: theory of knowledge, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, free will and determinism, and moral philosophy. Louis P. Pojman and new co-editor James Fieser introduce each of these areas, their subsections, and each of the readings, providing background information and summarizing key themes. Beginning with the opening section - "What is Philosophy" - they present a compelling sampling of classical material while also highlightng some of philosophy's most influential contemporary work. Now in its fourth edition, the book features Questions for Further Reflection, Suggestions for Further Reading, a glossary, two appendices, and nine new selections.

This new edition of Scriptures of the World's Religions uses selections from scriptures to examine the world's religions. It emphasizes religions that are practiced today and features English translations that are accessible to the layperson. This edition examines the collected sacred texts revered by these religions themselves. There are special benefits to exploring the world's religions through selections from their scriptures. In most cases, the sacred texts are the oldest written documents in the tradition, and we gain a sense of immediate connection with these religions by studying the same documents that followers have been reading for millennia.

In a provocative and engaging style, Philosophy: A Historical Survey with Essential Readings consists of two main parts: the chapters, which study the primary contributions of Western civilization's most influential philosophers, and the anthology of chronologically-organized classic readings from Western philosophy.  The first half of this book presents a sustained narrative of the great philosophers of Western civilization, from ancient Greece until today.  In the second half, the authors offer a snapshot of the most famous discussions by many of the philosophers studied in the first half.  These readings parallel the order presented in the first half of the book. Philosophy: A Historical Survey with Essential Readings also can be customized (as a print or ebook) to include selections from Discourses, McGraw Hill’s collection of more than 450 classical and contemporary philosophy readings.

ETHICS: DISCOVERING RIGHT AND WRONG, 8E is a conversational and non-dogmatic overview of ethical theory. Written by one of contemporary philosophy's top teachers and revised by a best selling author, this textbook even-handedly raises important ethical questions and challenges students to develop their own moral theories by applying them. This revision also presents an even broader presentation of various positions, featuring more feminist and multicultural perspectives as well. ETHICS: DISCOVERING RIGHT AND WRONG, 8E begins with easy to read chapters that introduce questions of meta-ethics and major moral theories. Later chapters address special topics in personal and religious ethics as well as the most recent developments in moral theory, including a new chapter on Biology and Ethics. Study questions for each chapter, along with useful bibliographies, make grasping the material more accessible than ever.

This work forms the first part of an important new series, 'Early Responses to Hume's Writings', a collection of 18th and 19th century critical publications on Hume's philosophical, political, economic and historical writings.

David Hume probably had a greater impact on the field of philosophy of religion than any other single philosopher. These volumes collect responses to Hume's writings on religion published during his life and posthumously. The set covers a wide range of the replies Hume's writings provoked, including contributions by Philip Skelton, William Adams, Thomas Rutherforth, William Warburton, Anthony Ellys, John Douglas, John Leland, Thomas Stona, Voltaire, George Campbell, Herman Andrew Pistorius, Duncan Shaw, William Samuel Powell, Thomas Hayter, Joseph Milner, William Paley, Charles Moore, Richard Joseph Sulivan, John Hey, Samuel Vince, Lord Brougham and Thomas De Quincey.• Most items appear here for their first time since their original publication, and are included in their entirety • Includes many previously undocumented critical discussions of Hume on religious writings • Includes three German book reviews translated for the first time • Newly typeset and annotated with introductions • Part of Early Responses to Hume Series, now available in paperback

During the latter half of his life, David Hume (1711-1776) achieved international celebrity status as a great philosopher and historian. The sceptical and anti-religious bent of his works generated hundreds of critical responses, many of which were scholarly commentaries. Other writers, though, focused less on Hume's specific publications and more on his reputation as a famous public figure. Wittingly or unwittingly, Hume was involved in many controversies: the attempts to excommunicate him from the Church of Scotland; his paradoxically close association with several Scottish clergymen; his quarrel with Jean Jacques Rousseau; his approach to his own death. Hume's enemies attacked his public character while his allies defended it. Friends and foes alike recorded anecdotes about him which appeared after his death in scattered periodicals and books. Hume's biographers have drawn liberally on this material, but in most cases the original sources are only summarized or briefly quoted. This set presents dozens of these biographically-related discussions of Hume in their most complete form, reset, annotated and introduced by James Fieser. The editor also provides the most detailed bibliographies yet compiled of Hume's writings and the early responses to them. These two volumes form the final part of the major "Early Responses to Hume" series, and they conclude with an index to the complete ten-volume collection. Like earlier sets in the series, these books should be welcomed by historians and Hume scholars all over the world, and research libraries should see them as important additions to holdings on the Scottish Enlightenment.