The Great Ideas of Philosophy PDF Download

Author: Daniel N. Robinson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781565856233
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages :

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Author: James Rachels
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ISBN: 9780073386607
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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"This [text] is an introduction to some of the main problems of philosophy—the existence of God, the nature of the mind, human freedom, the limits of knowledge, and the truth about ethics. The chapters may be read independently of one another, but when read in order, they tell a more or less continuous story. We begin with some reflections on the life of Socrates and then go on to the existence of God, which is the most basic philosophical question, because our answer to it affects everything else. This leads naturally to a discussion of death and the soul, and then to more modern ideas about the nature of persons. The later chapters are about whether we can have objective knowledge in either science or ethics." -from the Preface Problems from Philosophy represents the final work of author and philosopher James Rachels. In it, he brings the same liveliness and clarity to the introduction of philosophy that he brings to his best-selling ethics text, The Elements of Moral Philosophy. This second edition has been revised by Rachels' son Stuart, who carefully has carefully refined his father's work to further strengthen its clarity and accessibility.

Author: Alan Watts
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462916732
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 117

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The Tao of Philosophy is a literary adaptation of talks selected to introduce the new "Love of Wisdom" series by Alan Watts to today's audiences. The following chapters provide rich examples of the way in which the philosophy of the Tao is as contemporary today as it was when it flourished in China thousands of years ago. Perhaps most significantly, these selections offer modern society a clearer understanding of what it will take for a successful reintegration of humans in nature.

Author: Ian Shapiro
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300189753
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 303

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When do governments merit our allegiance, and when should they be denied it? Ian Shapiro explores this most enduring of political dilemmas in this innovative and engaging book. Building on his highly popular Yale courses, Professor Shapiro evaluates the main contending accounts of the sources of political legitimacy. Starting with theorists of the Enlightenment, he examines the arguments put forward by utilitarians, Marxists, and theorists of the social contract. Next he turns to the anti-Enlightenment tradition that stretches from Edmund Burke to contemporary post-modernists. In the last part of the book Shapiro examines partisans and critics of democracy from Plato’s time until our own. He concludes with an assessment of democracy’s strengths and limitations as the font of political legitimacy. The book offers a lucid and accessible introduction to urgent ongoing conversations about the sources of political allegiance.

Author: Matthew Chrisman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315449757
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
Philosophy for Everyone begins by explaining what philosophy is before exploring the questions and issues at the foundation of this important subject. Key topics in this new edition and their areas of focus include: Moral philosophy – the nature of our moral judgments and reactions, whether they aim at some objective moral truth, or are mere personal or cultural preferences; and the possibility of moral responsibility given the sorts of things that cause behavior; Political philosophy – fundamental questions about the nature of states and their relationship to the citizens within those states Epistemology – what our knowledge of the world and ourselves consists in, and how we come to have it; and whether we should form beliefs by trusting what other people tell us; Philosophy of mind – what it means for something to have a mind, and how minds should be understood and explained; Philosophy of science – foundational conceptual issues in scientific research and practice, such as whether scientific theories are true; and Metaphysics - fundamental questions about the nature of reality, such as whether we have free will, or whether time travel is possible. This book is designed to be used in conjunction with the free ‘Introduction to Philosophy’ MOOC (massive open online course) created by the University of Edinburgh’s Eidyn research centre, and hosted by the Coursera platform (www.coursera.org/course/introphil).This book is also highly recommended for anyone looking for a short overview of this fascinating discipline.

Author: Wendy Fischman
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262046539
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Why higher education in the United States has lost its way, and how universities and colleges can focus sharply on their core mission. For The Real World of College, Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner analyzed in-depth interviews with more than 2,000 students, alumni, faculty, administrators, parents, trustees, and others, which were conducted at ten institutions ranging from highly selective liberal arts colleges to less-selective state schools. What they found challenged characterizations in the media: students are not preoccupied by political correctness, free speech, or even the cost of college. They are most concerned about their GPA and their resumes; they see jobs and earning potential as more important than learning. Many say they face mental health challenges, fear that they don’t belong, and feel a deep sense of alienation. Given this daily reality for students, has higher education lost its way? Fischman and Gardner contend that US universities and colleges must focus sharply on their core educational mission. Fischman and Gardner, both recognized authorities on education and learning, argue that higher education in the United States has lost sight of its principal reason for existing: not vocational training, not the provision of campus amenities, but to increase what Fischman and Gardner call “higher education capital”—to help students think well and broadly, express themselves clearly, explore new areas, and be open to possible transformations. Fischman and Gardner offer cogent recommendations for how every college can become a community of learners who are open to change as thinkers, citizens, and human beings.

Author: Michael Puett
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476777853
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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For the first time, an award-winning Harvard professor shares his wildly popular course on classical Chinese philosophy, showing you how ancient ideas—like the fallacy of the authentic self—can guide you on the path to a good life today. Why is a course on ancient Chinese philosophers one of the most popular at Harvard? Because it challenges all our modern assumptions about what it takes to flourish. Astonishing teachings emerged two thousand years ago through the work of a succession of Chinese scholars exploring how humans can improve themselves and their society. And what are these counterintuitive ideas? Transformation comes not from looking within for a true self, but from creating conditions that produce new possibilities. Good relationships come not from being sincere and authentic, but from the rituals we perform within them. A good life emerges not from planning it out, but through training ourselves to respond well to small moments. Influence comes not from wielding power but from holding back. Excellence comes from what we choose to do, not our natural abilities. In other words, The Path “opens the mind” (Huffington Post) and upends everything we are told about how to lead a good life. Its most radical idea is that there is no path to follow in the first place—just a journey we create anew at every moment by seeing and doing things differently. “With its…spirited, convincing vision, revolutionary new insights can be gleaned from this book on how to approach life’s multifarious situations with both heart and head” (Kirkus Reviews). A note from the publisher: To read relevant passages from the original works of Chinese philosophy, see our ebook Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi: Selected Passages, available wherever books are sold.

Author: Martha C. Nussbaum
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691219486
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 464

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Available for the first time in paperback, this volume contains text with translation of De Motu Animalium, Aristotle's attempt to lay the groundwork for a general theory of the explanation of animal activity, along with commentary and interpretive essays on the work.

Author: Thomas Young
Publisher: London : Taylor and Walton
ISBN:
Category : Hydrodynamics
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Author: Nicolas Laos
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781536195170
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Intro -- Contents -- Prolegomena by Giuliano di Bernardo -- Preface -- The Scope and the Structure of this Project -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 1 -- Philosophy, Science, and The Dialectic of Rational Dynamicity -- 1.1. The Meaning of Philosophy and Preliminary Concepts -- 1.2. The Abstract Study of a Being -- 1.2.1. Epistemological Presuppositions -- 1.2.2. The Significance and the Presence of a Being -- 1.2.3. The Knowledge of a Being -- Structuralism in Physics -- Newton's Three Laws of Kinematics -- Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation -- Conservation of Mass and Energy -- Laws of Thermodynamics -- Electrostatic Laws -- Quantum Mechanics -- Structuralism in Biology -- Structuralism in Linguistics -- Philosophical Structuralism and Hermeneutics -- 1.2.4. The Modes of Being -- 1.3. The Dialectic of Rational Dynamicity -- 1.3.1. Dynamized Time -- 1.3.2. Dynamized Space and the Problem of the Extension of the Quantum Formalism -- 1.3.3. Consciousness, the World, and the Dialectic of Rational Dynamicity -- 1.3.4. Matter, Life, and Consciousness -- Chapter 2 -- Foundations of Mathematical Analysis and Analytic Geometry -- 2.1. Sets, Relations, and Groups -- 2.1.2. Basic Operations on Sets -- Applications of Set Theory to Probability Theory -- 2.1.3. Relations -- 2.1.4. Groups -- 2.2. Number Systems, Algebra, and Geometry -- 2.2.1. Axiomatic Number Theory -- The System of Natural Numbers -- Principle of Mathematical Induction -- Recursion -- Properties of the System of Natural Numbers -- Enumeration -- Order in N and Ordinal Numbers -- Division -- 2.2.2. The Set of Integral Numbers -- 2.2.3. The Set of Rational Numbers -- 2.2.4. The Set of Real Numbers -- Dedekind Algebra -- R as a Field -- The Absolute Value of a Real Number -- Exponentiation and Logarithm -- Properties of the System of the Real Numbers.