Philosophy: A Text with Readings

Velasquez, Manuel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1133933424 ISBN 13: 9781133933427

Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2013

Engaging and compelling on every page, Velasquez's text helps you explore and understand philosophy while it helps you appreciate the relevance of philosophy to your day-to-day life and the larger social world. This trusted text combines clear prose and primary source readings to take you on a meaningful exploration of a range of philosophical topics, such as human nature, reality, truth, ethics, the meaning of life, diversity, and social/political philosophy. Carefully crafted built-in learning aids help you quickly master the material and succeed in your course.

Product Description:

Unusual book

Review:

1. THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY. What Is Philosophy? The Traditional Divisions of Philosophy. A Philosopher in Action: Socrates. The Value of Philosophy. Chapter Summary. Reading. Historical Showcase: The First Philosophers. 2. HUMAN NATURE. Why Does Your View of Human Nature Matter? What Is Human Nature? The Mind-Body Problem: How Do Mind and Body Relate? Is There an Enduring Self? Are We Independent and Self-Sufficient Individuals? Chapter Summary. Readings. Historical Showcase: Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius. 3. REALITY AND BEING. What Is Real? Reality: Material or Nonmaterial? Reality in Pragmatism. Reality and Logical Positivism. Antirealism: The Heir of Pragmatism and Idealism. Encountering Being: Reality in Phenomenology and Existentialism. Is Freedom Real? Is Time Real? Chapter Summary. Readings. Historical Showcase: Hobbes and Berkeley. 4. PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, AND GOD. The Significance of Religion. Defining Religion. Does God Exist? Atheism, Agnosticism, and the Problem of Evil. Traditional Religious Belief and Experience. Nontraditional Religious Experience. Chapter Summary. Readings. Historical Showcase: Aquinas, Descartes, and Conway. 5. THE SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE. Why Is Knowledge a Problem? Is Reason the Source of Our Knowledge? Can the Senses Account for All Our Knowledge? Kant: Does the Knowing Mind Shape the World? Does Science Give Us Knowledge? Chapter Summary. Readings. Historical Showcase: Hume. 6. TRUTH. Knowledge, Truth, and Justification. What Is Truth? Does Science Give Us Truth? Can Interpretations Be True? Chapter Summary. Readings. Historical Showcase: Kant. 7. ETHICS. What Is Ethics? Is Ethics Relative? Do Consequences Make an Action Right? Do Rules Define Morality? Is Ethics Based on Character? Can Ethics Resolve Moral Quandaries? Chapter Summary. Readings. Historical Showcase: Nietzsche and Wollstonecraft. 8. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY. What Is Social and Political Philosophy? What Justifies the State? What Is Justice? Limits on the State. Chapter Summary. Readings. Historical Showcase: Marx and Rawls. 9. POSTSCRIPT: THE MEANING OF LIFE. Does Life Have Meaning? The Theistic Response to Meaning. Meaning and Human Progress. The Nihilist Rejection of Meaning. Meaning as a Self-Chosen Commitment. Chapter Summary. Glossary. Suggestions for Further Reading. Index.