Springer Undergraduate Texts in Philosophy – serie

This book was written to serve as an introduction to logic, with in each chapter – if applicable – special emphasis on the interplay between logic and philosophy, mathematics, language and (theoretical) computer science.

This Undergraduate Textbook introduces key methods and examines the major areas of philosophy in which formal methods play pivotal roles.

This textbook is a logic manual which includes an elementary course and an advanced course. This textbook is of great use to undergraduate philosophy students, graduate philosophy students, logic teachers, undergraduates and graduates in mathematics, computer science or related fields in which logic is required.

This textbook is a logic manual which includes an elementary course and an advanced course. This textbook is of great use to undergraduate philosophy students, graduate philosophy students, logic teachers, undergraduates and graduates in mathematics, computer science or related fields in which logic is required.

This textbook is an accessible, readable, and comprehensive introduction to contemporary analytic metaphysics. It covers all the main topics, including those that are at the forefront of the most recent research. It begins by explaining what metaphysics is and introduces the most important conceptual devices needed to understand and appreciate the ongoing debates. The text follows with core metaphysical questions, such as properties, time, identity, mereology, and modality. It concludes with more specific domains of application, in which the previously introduced concepts are put to work. The contents are organized in self-contained chapters, each of which starts with a stimulating short story, which is further articulated and closes with a summary of the main points, questions for further reflection, and reading suggestions. This textbook is perfect for teaching a basic but comprehensive course in metaphysics for undergraduate students.

This second edition improves upon the first by offering a more detailed treatment of key topics and by expanding the set of problems and exercises. In particular, four new features deserve mention. First, the book now includes a more thorough exposition of natural deduction, explaining how derivations can be represented as trees of formulas. Second, it provides a detailed explanation of the main proof methods, illustrated with examples. Third, it offers a separate exposition of the logic of identity. Fourth, it presents a fuller treatment of modal logic, including results on consistency, soundness, and completeness. Additional changes include new examples drawn from elementary mathematics, a refined notation, and a more functional subdivision of the material, which simplifies some proofs and enhances clarity and readability. Overall, the text preserves the style of the first edition, aiming to present core ideas clearly, concisely, and with minimal distractions.

This second edition of the successful textbook Philosophy of Science for Scientists offers an introduction to the philosophy of science. This new edition contains updated references and expanded discussions on seven important topics: knowledge, use of statistics in hypothesis testing, hermeneutics, causation, explanations of actions, models, and mental causation. It helps undergraduate students from the natural, the human and social sciences to gain an understanding of what science is, how it has developed, what its core traits are, how to distinguish between science and pseudo-science and to discover what a scientific attitude is. It argues against the common assumption that there is fundamental difference between natural and human science, with natural science being concerned with testing hypotheses and discovering natural laws, and the aim of human and some social sciences being to understand the meanings of individual and social group actions. Instead examines the similarities between the sciences and shows how the testing of hypotheses and doing interpretation/hermeneutics are similar activities. The book makes clear that lessons from natural scientists are relevant to students and scholars within the social and human sciences, and vice versa. It teaches its readers how to effectively demarcate between science and pseudo-science and sets criteria for true scientific thinking.

It argues against the common assumption that there is fundamental difference between natural and human science, with natural science being concerned with testing hypotheses and discovering natural laws, and the aim of human and some social sciences being to understand the meanings of individual and social group actions.

In fact, as a result of its clear and engaging approach to understanding scientific knowledge The Nature of Scientific Knowledge is a book that anyone interested in scientific knowledge, knowledge in general, and any of a myriad of related concepts would be well advised to study closely.

This Undergraduate Textbook introduces key methods and examines the major areas of philosophy in which formal methods play pivotal roles.

It argues against the common assumption that there is fundamental difference between natural and human science, with natural science being concerned with testing hypotheses and discovering natural laws, and the aim of human and some social sciences being to understand the meanings of individual and social group actions.