Bøger i Cambridge Introductions to Philosophy serien

Guiding readers through the central philosophical debates within the philosophy of science, this book focuses first on the key figures, movements, and concepts in the philosophy of science, and then moves on to contemporary debates. It is of essential interest to students of philosophy of science, philosophy, and science.

This book examines the central questions of ethics through a study of theories found in the great ethical works of Western philosophy. The core chapters cover egoism, the eudaimonism of Plato and Aristotle, act and rule utilitarianism, modern natural law theory, Kant's moral theory, and existentialist ethics.

This textbook by Martin Hollis offers an exceptionally clear and concise introduction to the philosophy of social science. It examines questions which give rise to fundamental philosophical issues. Are social structures better conceived of as systems of laws and forces, or as webs of meanings and practices? Is social action better viewed as rational behaviour, or as self-expression? By exploring such questions, the reader is led to reflect upon the nature of scientific method in social science. Is the aim to explain the social world after a manner worked out for the natural world, or to understand the social world from within?

In this book Richard Eldridge presents a clear and compact survey of philosophical theories of the nature and significance of art. Drawing on materials from classical and contemporary philosophy as well as from literary theory and art criticism, he explores the representational, expressive, and formal dimensions of art, and he argues that works of art present their subject matter in ways that are of enduring cognitive, moral, and social interest. His discussion, illustrated with a wealth of examples, ranges over topics such as beauty, originality, imagination, imitation, the ways in which we respond emotionally to art, and why we argue about which works are good. His accessible study will be invaluable to students and to all readers who are interested in the relation between thought and art.

This clearly written undergraduate textbook explains the origin and development of Buddhist ideas and concepts, focusing on the philosophical ideas and arguments presented and defended by selected thinkers and sutras from various traditions. It will be an invaluable guide for all who are interested in this rich and vibrant philosophy.

This introduction provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the central topics in Latin American philosophy. It explores not only the unique insights offered by Latin American thinkers into pre-established fields of Western philosophy, but also the many 'isms' developed as a direct result of Latin American thought.

This book provides a clear and accessible introduction to epistemology or the theory of knowledge. Intended primarily for students taking a first class in epistemology, this lucid and well-written text would also provide an excellent introduction for anyone interested in knowing more about this area of philosophy.

The first comprehensive textbook covering the interrelations between topics in the philosophy of logic in an accessible, non-technical, and up-to-date way. Avoiding complex jargon, this book engages with metaphysics of logic, logical pluralism, and the meaning of logical constants, and will be a highly important resource for students of philosophy.

An essential introduction to all aspects of decision theory, with new and updated discussions, examples, and exercises. Philosophy students and others will benefit from accessible chapters covering utility theory, risk, Bayesianism, game theory and more. The book is clearly written in non-technical language and includes a glossary of key terms.

This refreshing, inclusive overview focuses on the practice of feminism with coverage of actions and activism, alongside a clear and critical introduction to the theory. It explores a range of approaches and analyses key terms to equip readers with a critical understanding of the vocabulary of feminist debates.

This is the first systematic student introduction dedicated to metametaphysics, discussing the methodology, epistemology and ontology of metaphysical enquiry. It is an essential resource for students of advanced metaphysics, philosophical methodology, metametaphysics, epistemology and the philosophy of science.

This introduction is thematically structured, wide-ranging and philosophically rigorous, providing the technical details of Indian philosophical arguments and their theoretical motivations, without being too technical for beginners. Including a glossary, guide to Sanskrit pronunciation and translated texts, it is an essential resource for beginners and advanced students of Indian philosophy.

Psychology strives to give a scientific account of how the mind works. This book explains how a science of mind is possible through detailed case studies of perception and action, consciousness, attention, social cognition, language, and higher thought, as well as the relationship between mind, brain, body, and world.

This book surveys 2,000 years of debate, and mines both historical and modern literature, to offer a critical assessment of the many forms of design argument for the existence of God. For upper-level undergraduates and graduates in philosophy of religion, theology, and philosophy of science.

Topics covered include the realism/anti-realism debate in mathematics, the limits of mathematics, the significance of mathematical notation, inconsistent mathematics and the applications of mathematics. Intended as a primary text for an introductory undergraduate course in the philosophy of mathematics.

What makes it the case that one event causes another event? What are material objects? What makes it the case that a person may exist at two different times? This engaging and well-written introduction makes these questions tractable by presenting the features and flaws of current attempts to answer them.

This critical introduction to the philosophy of language focusses on one or two texts which have had a seminal influence on work in the subject, and uses these as a way of approaching both the central topics and the various traditions of dealing with them.

This 2006 book is a broad-ranging introduction that challenges readers to think critically about political arguments and institutions.

In this book Jonathan Lowe offers a lucid and wide-ranging introduction to the philosophy of mind. His discussion begins with the mind-body problem and moves on to issues such as perception, action, rationality and self-knowledge. It will be of interest to any reader with a basic grounding in modern philosophy.

This second edition of An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy presents a comprehensive introduction to key ideas and arguments in early Chinese philosophy. Written in clear, accessible language, it explores philosophical traditions including Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, Legalism and Chinese Buddhism, and how they have shaped Chinese thought. Drawing on the key classical texts as well as up-to-date scholarship, the discussions range across ethics, metaphysics and epistemology, while also bringing out distinctive elements in Chinese philosophy that fall between the gaps in these disciplinary divisions, hence challenging some prevailing assumptions of Western philosophy. Topics include human nature, selfhood and agency; emotions and behaviour; the place of language in the world; knowledge and action; and social and political responsibility. This second edition incorporates new ideas and approaches from some recently excavated texts that change the landscape of Chinese intellectual history.

What is philosophy? How should we do it? Why should we bother to? These are the kinds of questions addressed by metaphilosophy - the philosophical study of the nature of philosophy itself. Students of philosophy today are faced with a confusing and daunting array of philosophical methods, approaches and styles and also deep divisions such as the notorious rift between analytic and Continental philosophy. This book takes readers through a full range of approaches - analytic versus Continental, scientistic versus humanistic, 'pure' versus applied - enabling them to locate and understand these different ways of doing philosophy. Clearly and accessibly written, it will stimulate reflection on philosophical practice and will be invaluable for students of philosophy and other philosophically inclined readers.

In this undergraduate textbook Lewis R. Gordon offers the first comprehensive treatment of Africana philosophy, beginning with the emergence of an Africana (i.e. African diasporic) consciousness in the Afro-Arabic world of the Middle Ages. He argues that much of modern thought emerged out of early conflicts between Islam and Christianity that culminated in the expulsion of the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula, and from the subsequent expansion of racism, enslavement, and colonialism which in their turn stimulated reflections on reason, liberation, and the meaning of being human. His book takes the student reader on a journey from Africa through Europe, North and South America, the Caribbean, and back to Africa, as he explores the challenges posed to our understanding of knowledge and freedom today, and the response to them which can be found within Africana philosophy.

This revised and considerably expanded 2nd edition brings together a wide range of topics, including modal, tense, conditional, intuitionist, many-valued, paraconsistent, relevant, and fuzzy logics. Part 1, on propositional logic, is the old Introduction, but contains much new material. Part 2 is entirely new, and covers quantification and identity for all the logics in Part 1. The material is unified by the underlying theme of world semantics. All of the topics are explained clearly using devices such as tableau proofs, and their relation to current philosophical issues and debates are discussed. Students with a basic understanding of classical logic will find this book an invaluable introduction to an area that has become of central importance in both logic and philosophy. It will also interest people working in mathematics and computer science who wish to know about the area.

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion provides a broad overview of the topics which are at the forefront of discussion in contemporary philosophy of religion. Prominent views and arguments from both historical and contemporary authors are discussed and analyzed. The book treats all of the central topics in the field, including the coherence of the divine attributes, theistic and atheistic arguments, faith and reason, religion and ethics, miracles, human freedom and divine providence, science and religion, and immortality. In addition it addresses topics of significant importance that similar books often ignore, including the argument for atheism from hiddenness, the coherence of the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation, and the relationship between religion and politics. It will be a valuable accompaniment to undergraduate and introductory graduate-level courses.