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The Big Questions A Short Introduction to Philosophy (with Source CD-ROM)

by: Solomon, Robert C.

The Big Questions A Short Introduction to Philosophy (with Source CD-ROM)

by: Solomon, Robert C.

ISBN 13:
9780534625504
ISBN 10:
0534625509
Edition: 7th
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 02/11/2005
Publisher: Cengage High School
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Summary

It's time for an introduction to philosophy textbook that's written so you can actually understand it! THE BIG QUESTIONS: A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY tackles the tough issues and helps you make up your mind about what you think, all while presenting the best philosophical selections available.

Preface

xiii

Introduction Doing Philosophy

(24)

Beyond Buzzwords

(1)

Articulation and Argument: Two Crucial Features of Philosophy

(3)

Concepts and Conceptual Frameworks

(7)

Doing Philosophy with Style

(2)

A Little Logic

(12)

Deduction

(1)

Induction

(3)

Criticizing Arguments

(4)

Closing Questions

(1)

Suggested Readings

(2)

Chapter 1 Philosophical Questions

(16)

Philosophical Questions

(1)

Opening Questions

(12)

Suggested Readings

(2)

Chapter 2 The Meaning of Life

(22)

Opening Questions

(1)

The Meaning of Meaning

(6)

Children as Meaning

(1)

God as Meaning

(1)

Afterlife as Meaning

(1)

No Meaning at All

(3)

The Meanings of Life

(12)

Life as a Game

(1)

Life as a Story

(1)

Life as Tragedy

(1)

Life as Comedy

(2)

Life as a Mission

(1)

Life as Art

(1)

Life as an Adventure

(1)

Life as Disease

(1)

Life as Desire

(1)

Life as Nirvana

(1)

Life as Altruism

(1)

Life as Honor

(1)

Life as Learning

(1)

Life as Suffering

(1)

Life as an Investment

(1)

Life as Relationships

(1)

Closing Questions

(1)

Suggested Readings

(2)

Chapter 3 God

(42)

Opening Questions

(1)

Believing in God

(3)

Gods and Goddesses

(1)

The Traditional Western Conceptions of God

(11)

God as Transcendent

(1)

God as Immanent

(1)

God as Totally Immanent: Pantheism

(2)

God as Universal Spirit

(1)

God as Process

(1)

God as Transcendent Creator: Deism

(1)

God as the Unknown Object of Faith

(1)

God as a Moral Being

(1)

The Problem of Evil

(6)

Denial of God

(1)

Two Kinds of Evil

(1)

Denial of Evil

(1)

The Least of the Evils

(1)

The Aesthetic Totality Solution

(1)

The Free-Will Solution

(1)

Justice in the Afterlife

(1)

God's "Mysterious Ways"

(1)

Working Out an Answer

(1)

Faith and Reason: Ways of Believing

(11)

The Cosmological Argument

(1)

The Argument from Design

(1)

The Ontological Argument

(1)

Rational Faith

(2)

Pascal's Wager

(2)

Irrational Faith

(2)

Religious Tolerance: Ritual, Tradition, and Spirituality

(3)

Doubts

101

(2)

Closing Questions

103

(1)

Suggested Readings

104

(3)

Chapter 4 The Nature of Reality

107

(38)

Opening Questions

107

(1)

The Real World

108

(2)

What Is Most Real?

110

(4)

The Reality Behind the Appearances

111

(1)

Dreams, Sensations, and Reason: What Is Real?

112

(1)

The Basis of Metaphysics

113

(1)

The First Metaphysicians

114

(3)

Thales

114

(1)

The Pre-Socratic Materialists

114

(3)

Early Nonphysical Views of Reality

117

(3)

Plato's Forms

120

(2)

Aristotle's Metaphysics

122

(2)

Mind and Metaphysics

124

(6)

René Descartes

125

(1)

Baruch Spinoza

126

(3)

Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz

129

(1)

Idealism

130

(6)

Teleology

136

(3)

Metaphysics and the Everyday World

139

(2)

Closing Questions

141

(1)

Suggested Readings

142

(3)

Chapter 5 The Search for Truth

145

(38)

Opening Questions

145

(1)

What Is True?

145

(2)

Two Kinds of Truth

147

(4)

Empirical Truth

147

(1)

Necessary Truth

148

(3)

Rationalism and Empiricism

151

(2)

The Presuppositions of Knowledge

153

(2)

Skepticism

155

(8)

René Descartes and the Method of Doubt

157

(2)

David Hume's Skepticism

159

(3)

The Resolution of Skepticism: Immanuel Kant

162

(1)

Knowledge, Truth, and Science

163

(5)

The Nature of Truth

168

(4)

The Coherence Theory of Truth

170

(1)

The Pragmatic Theory of Truth

171

(1)

Rationality

172

(3)

Why Be Rational?

174

(1)

Subjective Truth and the Problem of Relativism

175

(5)

Closing Questions

180

(1)

Suggested Readings

181

(2)

Chapter 6 Self

183

(34)

Opening Questions

183

(1)

The Essential Self

184

(2)

Self as Body, Self as Consciousness

186

(10)

The Self and Its Emotions

190

(3)

The Egocentric Predicament

193

(3)

The Mind-Body Problem

196

(2)

Behaviorism

198

(16)

Identity Theory

198

(2)

Functionalism

200

(2)

The Self as a Choice

202

(4)

No Self, Many Selves

206

(2)

The Self as Social

208

(3)

Self and Relationships

211

(3)

Closing Questions

214

(1)

Suggested Readings

215

(2)

Chapter 7 Freedom

217

(26)

Opening Questions

217

(1)

Freedom and the Good Life

218

(9)

Why Is Freedom So Important to Us?

219

(3)

What Is Freedom?

222

(5)

Free Will and Determinism

227

(13)

Determinism Versus Indeterminism

230

(4)

The Role of Consciousness

234

(1)

Soft Determinism

235

(2)

In Defense of Freedom

237

(3)

Closing Questions

240

(1)

Suggested Readings

240

(3)

Chapter 8 Morality and the Good Life

243

(34)

Opening Questions

243

(2)

The Good Life

245

(8)

Hedonism

245

(2)

Success

247

(2)

Asceticism

249

(1)

Freedom

249

(1)

Power and Creativity

250

(1)

Religion

250

(1)

Happiness

251

(2)

Egoism Versus Altruism

253

(5)

Morality and Theories of Morality

258

(3)

Duty-Defined Morality

261

(3)

Immanuel Kant and the Authority of Reason

261

(3)

Consequentialist Theories

264

(3)

Utilitarianism: Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill

264

(3)

Aristotle and the Ethics of Virtue

267

(1)

Morality-Relative or Absolute?

268

(3)

Friedrich Nietzsche and the Attack on Morality

271

(3)

Closing Questions

274

(1)

Suggested Readings

275

(2)

Chapter 9 Justice and the Good Society

277

(24)

Opening Questions

277

(1)

Morals and Society

278

(1)

The Nature of Society

279

(1)

Who Should Rule? The Question of Legitimacy

280

(3)

Anarchism, the Free Market, and the Need for Government

283

(3)

What Is Justice?

286

(3)

The Meaning of Equality

289

(3)

The Origins of Justice and the Social Contract

292

(3)

Rights and the Notion of the Self

295

(2)

Libertarianism

296

(1)

Liberalism

296

(1)

Communitarianism

297

(1)

Closing Questions

297

(1)

Suggested Readings

298

(3)

Chapter 10 Philosophy, Sex, Race, and Culture

301

(36)

Opening Questions

301

(1)

Expanding the Philosophical Canon

302

(3)

Beyond the Western Tradition

305

(1)

Other Cultures, Other Philosophies

306

(17)

South Asian Philosophy

308

(5)

East Asian Philosophy

313

(3)

The Middle East

316

(1)

Hispanic Philosophy

317

(3)

Native American and African Philosophy

320

(3)

Sexual Politics: The Rise of Feminist Philosophy

323

(8)

Women and Nature

326

(2)

Plato: Patriarch or Early Feminist?

328

(1)

Reason Versus Passion in Ethics: The Ethics of Care

329

(2)

Feminist Epistemology and Feminist Science

331

(1)

The Revival of African American Philosophy

331

(3)

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X

332

(2)

Closing Questions

334

(1)

Suggested Readings

334

(3)

Chapter 11 Beauty

337

(18)

Opening Questions

337

(1)

Beauty and Truth

338

(3)

Enjoying Tragedy

341

(2)

Arguing About Taste

343

(3)

Art, Ethics, and Religion

346

(2)

The Aesthetics of Popular Culture and Everyday Life

348

(4)

Closing Questions

352

(1)

Suggested Readings

353

(2)

Appendix A Writing Philosophy

355

(22)

Opening Questions

355

(1)

The Rules of Good Writing in Philosophy

356

(12)

Organize

356

(1)

Write Simply

357

(1)

Be Clear

358

(1)

Be Human

359

(1)

Use Examples

360

(2)

Argue Your Point

362

(3)

Consider the Objections and Alternatives

365

(1)

Define Your Specialized Terms

366

(1)

Use the History of Philosophy

367

(1)

Indirect Styles

368

(15)

Dialogue Style

368

(4)

Ironic Style

372

(2)

Aphoristic Style

374

(3)

Appendix B Deductive Logic Valid Argument Forms

377

(6)

Appendix C Common Informal Fallacies

383

(6)

Informal Fallacies

383

(6)

Glossary

389

(16)

Index

405

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Big Questions A Short Introduction to Philosophy (with Source CD-ROM)

The Big Questions A Short Introduction to Philosophy (with Source CD-ROM)

9780534625504

0534625509

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Big Questions A Short Introduction to Philosophy (with Source CD-ROM)

The Big Questions A Short Introduction to Philosophy (with Source CD-ROM)

9780534625504

0534625509

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

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