Introduction to Philosophy

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The readings in this acclaimed topically organized collection cover five major areas of philosophy--philosophy of religion, theory of knowledge, philosophy of mind, freedom and determinism, and ethics. Editor Louis P. Pojman enhances the topical organization by arranging the selections into a pro/con format to help students better understand opposing arguments. He also includes comprehensive, accessible introductions to each chapter, subsection, and individual reading, a unique feature for an anthology of this depth. While Introduction to Philosophy, 2/e focuses on a compelling sampling of classical material--including selections from Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant--it also incorporates a representation of philosophy's best twentieth-century and contemporary work, featuring articles by such philosophers as Bertrand Russell, Richard Taylor, John Searle, and Thomas Nagel. This second edition contains an expanded glossary, a more extensive appendix on logic, and eight new selections: John Locke: "Philosophy: The Love of Truth versus Enthusiasm" Fyodor Dostoevsky: "Why Is There Evil?" from The Brothers Karamazov John Maynard Smith: "Science and Myth" Thomas Nagel: "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" John Searle: "Minds, Brains, and Computers" Richard Taylor: "Libertarianism: A Defense of Free Will" Galen Strawson: "The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility" Thomas Hobbes' defense of contractualism from Leviathan