Great Philosophical Arguments

An Introduction to Philosophy
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-0-19-534260-4
Verlag: OXFORD UNIV PR

Buch, Englisch, 688 Seiten, Format (B × H): 191 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 1251 g

Great Philosophical Arguments is based on the fact that much of the power, drama, and pleasure of philosophy comes from argument—specifically from the many touchstone arguments that generated much of the philosophical canon. Like other topically organized introductory philosophy readers, this book is organized around the main areas of philosophy: the existence of God, knowledge and skepticism, mind and body, free will and determinism, ethics, and contemporary ethical debates, including
abortion, euthanasia, and global hunger and poverty. But what is unique is the systematic focus on argument.

The reading selections are organized by argument. Each argument is introduced by a briefing that (1) sketches the argument, (2) provides conceptual background for it, and (3) reviews some of the main philosophical responses to it. After the briefing come two to four selections presenting the classic statement of the argument, critiques and defenses of it, and discussions of related debates. At the end of each agrument are useful essay questions for further analysis. Vaughn's approach focuses
students' attention on argumentation, where much of the philosophical work gets done; it gives them clear points of reference for navigating material in which they often get lost; and it helps them understand and appreciate the philosophical dialectic-the interplay of argument and counterargument among
articles and authors.

An introductory Chapter One explains the concerns and methods of philosophy, explains its practical and theoretical benefits, and provides a short lesson in identifying, constructing, and assessing arguments. Each chapter has an extensive introduction to the issue and arguments, and essay questions at chapter endings urge reflection on the chapter as a whole. Other pedagogical features include biographical text boxes, bold key terms lists at the ends of chapters and collected in an end-of-book
glossary, suggestions for further readings, and an appendix on How to Write an Argumentative Essay.

An Instructor's Manual and Testbank on CD features chapter summaries, reading summaries, lecture outlines in PowerPoint format, and objective test questions for use in exams or midterms. A Companion Website for both students and instructors at www.oup.com/us/vaughn includes all the material from the Instructor's Manual and Testbank, and such resources for students as study questions, interactive quizzes, flashcards with key words, and helpful web links.

Message: The only introduction to philosophy textbook that teaches students to think critically about philosophical arguments-that shows students how to identify, understand, and critique philosophical arguments.

Zielgruppe

Undergrad Intro to Philosophy

Autoren/Hrsg.

Vaughn, Lewis

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Philosophie: Allgemeines, Methoden

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapters 2-7 open with an Introduction and close with Essay Questions and Suggestions for Further Reading.
Preface:
CHAPTER 1. PHILOSOPHICAL WORK
Back to Basics
The Consolations of Philosophy
Box: Socrates
Philosophy and Arguments
Plato: Socrates' Examined Life
Bertrand Russell: The Value of Philosophy
CHAPTER 2. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
1. The Cosmological Argument
Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica
Box: Thomas Aquinas
J.L. Mackie: Critique of Cosmological Arguments
William Lane Craig: The Kalam Cosmological Argument
Avicenna: On the Nature of God
2. The Design Argument from Analogy
William Paley: The Watch and the Watchmaker
David Hume: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
3. The Design Argument from the Best Explanation
Richard Swinburne: The Best Explanation of Apparent Design
Lewis Vaughn: The Failure of Supernatural Hypotheses
Michael J. Behe: Intelligent Design
Philip Kitcher: Living with Darwin
4. The Ontological Argument
Anselm and Gaunilo: Anselm's Proof
Immanuel Kant: Of the Impossibility of an Ontological Proof
William L. Rowe: The Problem with the Ontological Argument
René Descartes: On the Ontological Argument
5. The Argument from Miracles
J. L. Mackie: Miracles and Testimony
David Hume: Of Miracles
Richard Swinburne: Miracles
6. The Argument from Evil
William L. Rowe: The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism
H. J. McCloskey: God and Evil
Alvin Plantinga: The Free Will Defense
John Hick: The Soul-Making Defense
CHAPTER 3. KNOWLEDGE AND SKEPTICISM
7. Descartes' Dream and Evil Genius Arguments
René Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy: Meditation I
Christopher Grau: Bad Dreams, Evil Demons, and the Matrix
8. Descartes' Argument against Skepticism
René Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy: Meditation IV
David Hume: Of Skepticism with Regard to the Senses
Robert Audi: Against Skepticism
9. Berkeley's Argument against the Existence of Material Objects
George Berkeley: Principles of Human Knowledge
John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Bertrand Russell: Berkeley's Idealism
10. Hume's Argument against Induction
David Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Box: David Hume
Wesley C. Salmon: The Problem of Induction
CHAPTER 4. MIND AND BODY
Box: René Descartes
11. Descartes' Conceivability Argument for Dualism
René Descartes: Discourse on Method
Paul M. Churchland: Dualism
Buddhist Writings: There Is No Ego
12. Nagel's Bat Argument against Mind-Body Identity
Thomas Nagel: What Is It Like to Be a Bat?
J. J. C. Smart: Sensations and Brain Processes
13. Chalmers' Zombie Argument against Materialism
David Chalmers: The Logical Possibility of Zombies
Daniel Dennett: "Epiphenomenal" Qualia?
14. Block's Chinese Brain Argument against Functionalism
Ned Block: Troubles with Functionalism
Jerry A. Fodor: The Mind-Body Problem
15. Searle's Chinese Room Argument against Strong AI
John R. Searle: Is the Brain's Mind a Computer Program?
William G. Lycan: Machine Consciousness
CHAPTER 5. FREE WILL AND DETERMINISM
16. Argument for Hard Determinism
Baron d'Holbach: Of the System of Man's Free Agency
Richard Taylor: Freedom and Determinism
Jean-Paul Sartre: Absolute Freedom
17. Indeterminist Argument for Free Will
William James: The Dilemma of Determinism
Box: William James
Robert Kane: Free Will and Modern Science
18. Argument against Compatibilism
W. T. Stace: The Problem of Free Will
William L. Rowe: Two Concepts of Freedom
Harry G. Frankfurt: Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person
Peter van Inwagen: The Incompatibility of Free Will and Determinism
19. Argument against Libertarianism
Randolph Clarke: Toward a Credible Agent-Causal Account of Free Will
Galen Strawson: Libertarianism, Action, and Self-Determinism
Timothy O'Connor: Agent Causation
CHAPTER 6. ETHICS
20. Argument for Cultural Relativism
Ruth Benedict: The Case for Cultural Relativism
Russ Shafer-Landau: Ethical Relativism
21. Argument against Ethical Egoism
Thomas Hobbes: Leviathan
Louis P. Pojman: A Critique of Ethical Egoism
Joel Feinberg: Psychological Egoism
22. Argument against the Divine Command Theory
Plato: Euthyphro
Russ Shafer-Landau: The Divine Command Theory
23. Argument against Utilitarianism
John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism
Box: John Stuart Mill
E. F. Carritt: Criticisms of Utilitarianism
24. Argument against Kantian Ethics
Immanuel Kant: Foundations of the Metaphysic of Morals
William K. Frankena: Kant's Theory
Virginia Held: The Ethics of Care
CHAPTER 7. PHILOSOPHY AT WORK: CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL DEBATES
Abortion
Two Arguments against Abortion
25. John T. Noonan, Jr.: An Almost Absolute Value in History
26. Don Marquis: Why Abortion Is Immoral
Two Arguments for Abortion
27. Mary Anne Warren: On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion
28. Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion
Euthanasia
Two Arguments against Euthanasia
29. Leon R. Kass: Why Doctors Must Not Kill
30. Daniel Callahan: When Self-Determination Runs Amok
Two Arguments for Euthanasia
31. Dan W. Brock: Voluntary Active Euthanasia
32. James Rachels: Active and Passive Euthanasia
Global Hunger
33. Hardin's Argument against Aiding the Poor
Garrett Hardin: Living on a Lifeboat
William W. Murdoch and Allan Oaten: A Critique of Lifeboat Ethics
34. Singer's Argument for Aiding the Poor
Peter Singer: Famine, Affluence, and Morality
Louis P. Pojman: World Hunger and Population
Appendix: How to Read and Write Argumentative Essays
Glossary:

Über Autor(innen)

Vaughn, Lewis
Lewis Vaughn is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Philosophy: The Quest for Truth, Eighth Edition (2011), Classics of Philosophy, Third Edition (2010), Contemporary Moral Arguments (2010), The Power of Critical Thinking, Third Edition (2009), Bioethics (2008), and Writing Philosophy (2005), all published by Oxford University Press.