Description
Taylor & Francis Ltd Core Questions in Philosophy 2021 Edition by Elliott Sober
Writtten in an engaging lecture-style format, this 8th edition of Core Questions in Philosophy shows students how philosophy is best used to evaluate many different kinds of arguments and to construct sound theories. Well-known historical texts are discussed, not as a means to honor the dead or merely to describe what various philosophers have thought but to engage with, criticize, and even improve ideas from the past. In addition-because philosophy cannot function apart from its engagement with the wider society-traditional and contemporary philosophical problems are brought into dialogue with the physical, biological, and social sciences. Text boxes highlight key concepts, and review questions, discussion questions, and a glossary of terms are also included. Core Questions in Philosophy has served as a premier introductory textbook for three decades, with updates to each new edition. Key updates to this 8th edition include: A new chapter, "Probability and Bayes' Theorem"A new explanation of the concept of "soundness," as a useful tool in assessing argumentsA clearer explanation, in the chapter on evolution, of the crucial biological idea that the similarities of different species provide evidence of their common ancestryA new discussion of evolutionary altruism in the chapter on psychological egoism A presentation of two interesting arguments from historically important Islamic and Confusian philosophersImproved clarity and updated material from philosophy and empirical research, throughout Revisions to the online list of recommended resources include: Additional recommendations of supplementary readings, with the inclusion of more work from female philosophers New recommended videos and podcasts, all organized by their relevance to each chapter in the book Table of contents : - PrefacePart I: Introduction1. What Is Philosophy?2. Deductive Arguments3. Inductive and Abductive ArgumentsPart II: Philosophy of Religion4. Aquinas's First Four Ways5. The Design Argument6. Evolution and Creationism7. Can Science Explain Everything?8. The Ontological Argument9. Is the Existence of God Testable?10. Pascal and Irrationality11. The Argument from EvilPart III: Theory of Knowledge12. What Is Knowledge? 13. Descartes' Foundationalism14. The Reliability Theory of Knowledge15. Justified Belief and Hume's Problem of Induction16. Can Hume's Skepticism Be Refuted?17. Beyond Foundationalism18. Locke on the Existence of External Objects19. Probability and Bayes's TheoremPart IV: Philosophy of Mind20. Dualism and the Mind/Body Problem21. Logical Behaviorism22. Methodological Behaviorism23. The Mind/Brain Identity Theory24. Functionalism25. Freedom, Determinism, and Causality26. A Menu of Positions on Free Will27. Compatibilism28. Psychological EgoismPart V: Ethics29. Ethics-Normative and Meta30. The Is/Ought Gap and the Naturalistic Fallacy31. Observation and Explanation in Ethics32. Conventionalist Theories33. Utilitarianism34. Kant's Moral Theory35. Aristotle on the Good LifeGlossary