Philosophy of Science

Philosophy of Science PDF Author: Martin Curd
Publisher: W. W. Norton
ISBN: 9780393919035
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A flexible and comprehensive introduction to the main currents in philosophy of science.

Central Issues of Philosophy

Central Issues of Philosophy PDF Author: John Shand
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1405162708
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
Comprising 20 free-standing chapters written by specialists in their respective fields, Central Issues of Philosophy provides novice readers with the ideal accessible introduction to all of philosophy's core issues. An accessible introduction to the central issues of philosophy Organized around key philosophical issues - ranging from truth, knowledge and reality to free will, ethics and the existence of God Provides beginning students with the information and skills to delve deeper into philosophical fields of study Each chapter is written by an experienced teacher

Philosophy of Science

Philosophy of Science PDF Author: Martin Curd
Publisher: W. W. Norton
ISBN: 9780393919035
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A flexible and comprehensive introduction to the main currents in philosophy of science.

Universals

Universals PDF Author: James Porter Moreland
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317490010
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Things are particulars and their qualities are universals, but do universals have an existence distinct from the particular things describable by those terms? And what must be their nature if they do? This book provides a careful and assured survey of the central issues of debate surrounding universals, in particular those issues that have been a crucial part of the emergence of contemporary analytic ontology. The book begins with a taxonomy of extreme nominalist, moderate nominalist, and realist positions on properties, and outlines the way each handles the phenomena of predication, resemblance, and abstract reference. The debate about properties and philosophical naturalism is also examined. Different forms of extreme nominalism, moderate nominalism, and minimalist realism are critiqued. Later chapters defend a traditional realist view of universals and examine the objections to realism from various infinite regresses, the difficulties in stating identity conditions for properties, and problems with realist accounts of knowledge of abstract objects. In addition, the debate between Platonists and Aristotelians is examined alongside a discussion of the relationship between properties and an adequate theory of existence. The book's final chapter explores the problem of individuating particulars. The book makes accessible a difficult topic without blunting the sophistication of argument required by a more advanced readership.

Free Will

Free Will PDF Author: Graham McFee
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317490215
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
The question whether human choices and actions are causally determined or are in a way free, and the implications of this for our moral, personal and social lives continues to challenge philosophers. This book explores the determinist rejection of free will through a detailed exposition of the central determinist argument and a consideration of the responses to each of its premises. At every stage familiar examples and case studies help frame and ground the argument. The discussion is at no time peremptory and the invitation to the reader to be drawn in and to contribute to the debate as an engaged participant is palpable in the manner and approach adopted throughout. "Free Will" will be welcomed by students looking for an engaging and clear introduction to the subject, and as a rigorous exercise in philosophical argument it will serve, for the beginning student new to philosophy, as an excellent springboard into the subject more generally.

The Problems of Philosophy

The Problems of Philosophy PDF Author: Bertrand Russell
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0192854232
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 129

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Book Description
This classic work, first published in 1912, has never been supplanted as an approachable introduction to the theory of philosophical enquiry. It gives Russell's views on such subjects as the distinction between appearance and reality, the existence and nature of matter, idealism, knowledge by acquaintance and by description, induction, truth and falsehood, the distinction between knowledge, error and probable opinion, and the limits and value of philosophical knowledge.

Modality

Modality PDF Author: Joseph Melia
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317489675
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
This introduction to modality places the emphasis on the metaphysics of modality rather than on the formal semetics of quantified modal logic. The text begins by introducing students to the "de re/de dicto" distinction, conventionalist and conceptualist theories of modality and some of the key problems in modality, particularly Quine's criticisms. It then moves on to explain how possible worlds provide a solution to many of the problems in modality and how possible worlds themselves have been used to analyse notions outside modality such as properties and propositions. Possible worlds introduce problems of their own and the book argues that to make progress with these problems a theory of possible worlds is required. The pros and cons of various theories of possible worlds are then examined in turn, including those of Lewis, Kripke, Adams, Stalnaker and Plantinga.

The Central Questions of Philosophy

The Central Questions of Philosophy PDF Author: Alfred Jules Ayer
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780140135800
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
In this introduction to some of the most frequently discussed areas of philosophy, Sir Alfred Ayer made his subject accessible to both the general reader and the student. Among the topics covered are the nature of philosophy, varieties of philosophical analysis, theory of knowledge, status of physical objects, relations between body and mind, character of scientific explanation, theory of probability, elements of logic and the claims of theology. Although it ranges more widely, the book invites comparison with Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy.

Paradox

Paradox PDF Author: Doris Olin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317489233
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Paradoxes are more than just intellectual puzzles - they raise substantive philosophical issues and offer the promise of increased philosophical knowledge. In this introduction to paradox and paradoxes, Doris Olin shows how seductive paradoxes can be, why they confuse and confound, and why they continue to fascinate. Olin examines the nature of paradox, outlining a rigorous definition and providing a clear and incisive statement of what does and does not count as a resolution of a paradox. The view that a statement can be both true and false, that contradictions can be true, is seen to provide a challenge to the account of paradox resolution, and is explored. With this framework in place, the book then turns to an in-depth treatment of the Prediction Paradox, versions of the Preface/Fallibility Paradox, the Lottery Paradox, Newcomb's Problem, the Prisoner's Dilemma and the Sorites Paradox. Each of these paradoxes is shown to have considerable philosophical punch. Olin unpacks the central arguments in a clear and systematic fashion, offers original analyses and solutions, and exposes further unsettling implications for some of our most deep-seated principles and convictions.

Philosophy and the Problems of Work

Philosophy and the Problems of Work PDF Author: Kory Schaff
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0742507955
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
Philosophy and the Problems of Work brings together for the first time important philosophical perspectives on the subjects of labor and work, spanning analytical and Continental traditions. This comprehensive collection engages contemporary debates in political theory and the philosophy of economics, including the perspectives of classical and welfare liberals, anarchists, and feminists, about the nature and meaning of work in modern technological society, the issues of meaningful work and exploitation, justice and equality, the welfare state and democratic rights, and whether market socialism is a competitive alternative to traditional capitalism. An introduction by the editor charts the historical development of these issues in philosophical and political discussions and examines the central importance of the organization and structures of work for both individual self-realization and human societies generally.Philosophy and the Problems of Work brings together for the first time important philosophical perspectives on the subjects of labor and work, spanning analytical and Continental traditions. This comprehensive collection engages contemporary debates in political theory and the philosophy of economics, including the perspectives of classical and welfare liberals, anarchists, and feminists, about the nature and meaning of work in modern technological society, the issues of meaningful work and exploitation, justice and equality, the welfare state and democratic rights, and whether market socialism is a competitive alternative to traditional capitalism. An introduction by the editor charts the historical development of these issues in philosophical and political discussions and examines the central importance of the organization and structures of work for both individual self-realization and human societies generally.

Moral and Political Philosophy

Moral and Political Philosophy PDF Author: Paul Smith
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230593941
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
A clear and concise introduction to moral and political philosophy which critically analyses arguments about controversial and topical practical issues – drug laws, justifications of punishment, civil disobedience, whether there is a duty to obey the law, and global poverty.