Fundamentals of Philosophy – serie

Ethics: The Fundamentals explores core ideas and arguments in moral theory by introducing students to different philosophical approaches to ethics, including virtue ethics, Kantian ethics, divine command theory, and feminist ethics. The first volume in the new Fundamentals of Philosophy series.Presents lively, real-world examples and thoughtful discussion of key moral philosophers and their ideas.Constitutes an excellent resource for readers coming to the subject of ethics for the first time.

The methods of logic are essential to an understanding of philosophy and are crucial in the study of mathematics, computing, linguistics and many other subjects. Introducing the major concepts and techniques involved in the study of logic, this authoritative book explores both formal and philosophical logic, and the ways in which we can achieve good reasoning. Individual chapters include:Propositions and ArgumentsTruth TablesTreesConditionalityNatural DeductionPredicates, Names and QuantifiersDefinite DescriptionsThis exceptionally clear introduction to the subject is ideally suited to students taking introductory courses in logic.

The methods of logic are essential to an understanding of philosophy and are crucial in the study of mathematics, computing, linguistics and many other subjects. Introducing the major concepts and techniques involved in the study of logic, this authoritative book explores both formal and philosophical logic, and the ways in which we can achieve good reasoning. Individual chapters include:Propositions and ArgumentsTruth TablesTreesConditionalityNatural DeductionPredicates, Names and QuantifiersDefinite DescriptionsThis exceptionally clear introduction to the subject is ideally suited to students taking introductory courses in logic.

Starting with Gottlob Frege's foundational theories of sense and reference, Miller provides a useful introduction to the formal logic used in all subsequent philosophy of language. He communicates a sense of active philosophical debate by confronting the views of the early theorists concerned with building systematic theories - such as Frege, Bertrand Russell, and the logical positivists - with the attacks mounted by sceptics - such as W.O. Quine, Saul Kripke, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. This leads to important excursions into related areas of metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and cognitive science that present the more recent attempts to save the notions of sense and meaning by philosophers such as Paul Grice, John Searle, Jerry Fodor, Colin McGinn, and Crispin Wright. Miller then returns to the systematic program by examining the formal theories of Donald Davidson, concluding with a chapter surveying the relevance of philosophy of language to the broader metaphysical debates between realists and anti-realists. Miller's clear, engaged, and coherently structured approach makes Philosophy of Language an ideal text for undergraduate courses. The guides to further reading provided in each chapter help the reader pursue interesting topics further and facilitate using the book in conjunction with primary sources.

A comprehensive yet accessible survey of ancient philosophy, covering Greek, Roman, and early Judeo-Christian philosophy, ideal for introductory courses in the ancient roots of modern worldviewsPart of the popular Fundamentals of Philosophy series, Ancient Philosophy is an ideal resource for beginning students as well as for advanced students wishing to hone their understanding of the philosophies of the ancient world. Clear and engaging, this book covers a representative selection of major ancient thinkers, movements, and schools of thought, including the Sophists and other significant Presocratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hellenistic philosophy, the Stoics, the Skeptics, and early Judeo-Christian philosophy up to Augustine. Written by a prominent scholar and author in ancient philosophy studies, this book:  Provides an overview of important issues in the study of the philosophies of the ancient worldExplores the relevance of the theories of ancient thinkers to the modern worldCharts the progression in the ancient world from worldviews based in mythology to systems of thought based on the analysis of evidencePresents up-to-date scholarship as well as historical material from ancient sourcesAssumes no prior knowledge of philosophy and examines all arguments carefully and sequentially

Ethics: The Fundamentals explores core ideas and arguments in moral theory by introducing students to different philosophical approaches to ethics, including virtue ethics, Kantian ethics, divine command theory, and feminist ethics. The first volume in the new Fundamentals of Philosophy series.Presents lively, real-world examples and thoughtful discussion of key moral philosophers and their ideas.Constitutes an excellent resource for readers coming to the subject of ethics for the first time.

An accessible and engaging introduction to the philosophy of religion. Written with verve and clarity by a leading philosopher and contributor to the fieldPlaces key issues and debates in the philosophy of religion in their historical contexts, highlighting the conditions that led to the development of the fieldAddresses the core topics, among them the the existence of God, the problem of evil, death and the afterlife, and the problem of religious diversityRich with argument, yet never obtrusiveForms part of the Fundamentals of Philosophy series, in which renowned scholars explore the fundamental issues and core problems in the major sub-disciplines of philosophy

An accessible and engaging introduction to the philosophy of religion. Written with verve and clarity by a leading philosopher and contributor to the fieldPlaces key issues and debates in the philosophy of religion in their historical contexts, highlighting the conditions that led to the development of the fieldAddresses the core topics, among them the the existence of God, the problem of evil, death and the afterlife, and the problem of religious diversityRich with argument, yet never obtrusiveForms part of the Fundamentals of Philosophy series, in which renowned scholars explore the fundamental issues and core problems in the major sub-disciplines of philosophy

The Philosophy of Law is a broad-reaching text that guides readers through the basic analytical and normative issues in the field, highlighting key historical and contemporary thinkers and offering a unified treatment of the various issues in the philosophy of law. Enlivened with numerous, everyday examples to illustrate various concepts of law.Employs the idea of three central commonplaces about law - that law is a social matter, that law is authoritative, and that law is for the common good - to organize seemingly disparate topics and to bring rival views into contention with each other.The first volume in the Fundamentals of Philosophy series, in which leading philosophers explore the fundamental issues and core problems in the major sub-disciplines of philosophy.

The Philosophy of Law is a broad-reaching text that guides readers through the basic analytical and normative issues in the field, highlighting key historical and contemporary thinkers and offering a unified treatment of the various issues in the philosophy of law. Enlivened with numerous, everyday examples to illustrate various concepts of law.Employs the idea of three central commonplaces about law - that law is a social matter, that law is authoritative, and that law is for the common good - to organize seemingly disparate topics and to bring rival views into contention with each other.The first volume in the Fundamentals of Philosophy series, in which leading philosophers explore the fundamental issues and core problems in the major sub-disciplines of philosophy.

A wide-ranging and up-to-date survey of the leading ideas and debates in political philosophyPolitical Philosophy: The Fundamentals introduces core topics within the field by engaging students in seminal works in both contemporary philosophy and the history of political thought. Requiring no previous background in the subject, this clear and comprehensible textbook equips readers with the necessary context for understanding different philosophical perspectives.Through eight succinct chapters, Thom Brooks highlights important contributions made from political philosophers from the past and present to connect the history of political thought with ongoing debates. Readers gain insights into various conceptions about the nature of freedom, different ways of understanding equality, longstanding debates over punishment, questions concerning the value of human rights, issues of global justice and severe poverty, approaches to handling climate change and much more.Helping readers develop informed opinions on central issues, Political Philosophy: The Fundamentals: Discusses divergent views about the different forms and limits of freedom that philosophers have defended over timeProvides a historical perspective of contemporary understandings of human rights and their origins in natural law and natural rightsIllustrates the multiple ways that freedom has been understood, including commonalities and differencesExamines various ways of implementing equality and assessing their meritsCovers influential work by John Rawls that envisions a well-ordered society governed by principles of justiceFeaturing carefully selected further readings in each chapter, Political Philosophy: The Fundamentals is essential reading for undergraduate students and general readers interested in the historical development and present-day debates over political ideas and institutions.

Metaphysics: The Fundamentals presents readers with a systematic, comprehensive introductory overview of modern analytic metaphysics. Presents an accessible, up-to-date and broad-ranging survey of one of the most dynamic and often daunting sub-fields in contemporary philosophyIntroduces readers to the seminal works of contemporary and historic philosophers, including Descartes, Leibniz, Russell, David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John Hawthorne and many othersExplores key questions while identifying important assumptions, axioms, and methodological principlesAddresses topics in ontology, modality, causality, and universals; as well as issues surrounding material composition, persistence, space, and time

Metaphysics: The Fundamentals presents readers with a systematic, comprehensive introductory overview of modern analytic metaphysics. Presents an accessible, up-to-date and broad-ranging survey of one of the most dynamic and often daunting sub-fields in contemporary philosophyIntroduces readers to the seminal works of contemporary and historic philosophers, including Descartes, Leibniz, Russell, David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John Hawthorne and many othersExplores key questions while identifying important assumptions, axioms, and methodological principlesAddresses topics in ontology, modality, causality, and universals; as well as issues surrounding material composition, persistence, space, and time

This introduction to ethics judiciously combines moral theory with applied ethics to give an opportunity for students to develop acute thinking About Ethical Matters.; The Author Begins Motivating A Concern For moral discourse by dispelling often met objections over relativism and subjectivity. interweaving normative and meta-ethical considerations, a convincing modern account of moral thinking emerges.; Moral theories - consequentialism, Kantianism, contractualism - are explained and illustrated in a way that holds the reader's attention, and students of ethics will take away a perceptive and practical understanding of the nature of moral reasoning and an ability, on such matters, to think afresh for themselves.

This engaging and accessible introduction to the philosophy of language provides an important guide to one of the liveliest and most challenging areas of study in philosophy. Interweaving the historical development of the subject with a thematic overview of the different approaches to meaning, the book provides students with the tools necessary to understand contemporary analytical philosophy.

An up-to-date, clear but rigorous introduction to the philosophy of science offering an indispensable grounding in the philosophical understanding of science and its problems. The book pays full heed to the neglected but vital conceptual issues such as the nature of scientific laws, while balancing and linking this with a full coverage of epistemological problems such as our knowledge of such laws.

This comprehensive introduction to the major thinkers and topics in political philosophy explores the philosophical traditions which continue to inform our political judgements.Dudley Knowles introduces the ideas of key political thinkers including Hobbes, Locke, Marx and Mill and influential contemporary thinkers such as Berlin, Rawls and Nozick. He outlines central problems in political philosophy and encourages the reader to critically engage with all the issues discussed.The individual chapters discuss and analyse:* utilitarianism* liberty* rights* justice* obligation* democracyPolitical Philosophy is ideally suited to students taking introductory courses in political theory and philosophy.

Modern Philosophy is an exploration of the ideas of six major thinkers from Descartes to Hume. It takes a fresh and engaging look at the common themes that dominate this period, as well as examining the differences in the work of the six philosophers.Through vivid and witty prose, Richard Francks skilfully presents ideas that have informed the development of philosophy as we know it, and which present a challenge to beliefs and attitudes that most of us now share. In this work we find the source of modern philosophical inquiry - questions such as the existence of God, the Mind and Body problem, the idea of self, and the existence of the world had their birth in these texts - as well as broader questions about political and social philosophy. Thinkers discussed:Rene DescartesBaruch SpinozaGottfried Willhelm LeibnizJohn LockeGeorge BerkeleyDavid HumeThis will be ideal for anybody coming to the ideas of these philosophers for the first time.

This book presents an up-to-date introduction to the subject that captures the excitement and passion of art itself. It opens by exploring why art is important to us and goes on to grip the reader with a discussion of all of the areas central to aesthetics: aesthetic experience, representation, expression, definition of art, evaluation, interpretation, structuralism and post-structuralism, truth and morality. It draws upon the great thinkers on art, Plato and Kant, Croce and Beardsley, including the most recent iconoclastic views of Barthes and Derrida.

A welcome introduction to one of the most intellectually demanding areas of the undergraduate philosophy curriculum. The authors provide a clear framework within which students can fit contemporary developments in the Anglo-American tradition which provide the core themes of philosophy of mind and which connect to their other work in epistemology and philosophy of language.

This book presents an up-to-date introduction to the subject that captures the excitement and passion of art itself. It opens by exploring why art is important to us and goes on to grip the reader with a discussion of all of the areas central to aesthetics: aesthetic experience, representation, expression, definition of art, evaluation, interpretation, structuralism and post-structuralism, truth and morality. It draws upon the great thinkers on art, Plato and Kant, Croce and Beardsley, including the most recent iconoclastic views of Barthes and Derrida.

This introduction to ethics judiciously combines moral theory with applied ethics to give an opportunity for students to develop acute thinking About Ethical Matters.; The Author Begins Motivating A Concern For moral discourse by dispelling often met objections over relativism and subjectivity. interweaving normative and meta-ethical considerations, a convincing modern account of moral thinking emerges.; Moral theories - consequentialism, Kantianism, contractualism - are explained and illustrated in a way that holds the reader's attention, and students of ethics will take away a perceptive and practical understanding of the nature of moral reasoning and an ability, on such matters, to think afresh for themselves.