Introduction to philosophical problems / Joseph Margolis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Margolis, Joseph, 1924-

Contributor:

Margolis, Joseph, 1924-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Philosophy--Introductions.

Philosophy.

Belief and doubt.

Ontology.

Human beings.

Mind and body.

Individuation (Philosophy).

Meaning (Philosophy).

Genre:

Introductions.

Physical Description:

xx, 266 pages ; 20 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Continuum, [2006]

Summary:

Provides an introduction to philosophy in the tradition of The Problems of Philosophy and Central Questions of Philosophy . This book focuses on Western Philosophy, of epistemology, ontology, language and logic. It introduces such concepts as Knowledge and Belief, Perception and Sensation, Identity and Individualism, and Language and Truth.

Contents:

I Knowledge & Belief 1

1 Ascriptions of Belief 3

2 Asymmetries regarding Knowledge and Belief 11

3 The Justification of Beliefs and Claims 20

4 Causal Conditions and Evidence 27

II Perception & Sensation 33

1 Perception and Sense-datum Theories 35

2 Transitive and Intransitive Modes of Sentience 42

3 Varieties of Intransitive Sentience 46

4 Perceptual Distinctions and Existential Import 55

5 The Causal Theory of Perception 59

III Doubt & Certainty 66

1 The Asymmetry of Doubt and Certainty 67

2 Indubitability, Self-intimating States, and Privileged Access 73

3 Radical and Methodological Doubt 79

IV Existence & Reality 84

1 Referents and Existents 86

2 Existence and Quantification 90

3 The Sense and Criteria of 'Exists' 96

4 Existence Construed as a Predicate 101

5 Ontology and Science 104

V Identity & Individuation 110

1 Identity, Continuity, and Composition 113

2 Theoretical Identity 120

3 Discontinuities and Strict Identity 127

4 Instantiation and the Identity of Cultural Entities 134

VI Actions & Events 137

1 The Nature and Causes of Actions 140

2 The Identification of Actions 146

3 Explanations by Causes and by Reasons 151

4 Freedom and Choice 155

5 The Description of Events 160

6 Actions and Persons 166

VII Language & Truth 169

1 Learning a Language 172

2 The Analysis of Natural Languages 177

3 Conditions of Intelligibility 185

4 Truth and Facts 191

5 Meanings and Concepts 197

VIII Mind & Body 203

1 The Ascription of Mental and Physical Properties 206

2 Behavior and Machines 216

3 Intentionality and the Mental 220

4 The Nature and Individuation of Persons 228

5 The Identity Thesis 234

IX Facts & Values 240

1 The Fact-Value Dichotomy 243

2 Cognitivism and Values 250

3 Consistency and Practical Reasoning 254.

Notes:

"The previous edition of this book was entitled Knowledge and existence: an introduction to philosophical problems. Published by Oxford University Press, 1973"--T.p. verso.

Related Work:

Margolis, Joseph, 1924- Knowledge & existence.

ISBN:

082649062X

0826490638

OCLC:

63400117

Publisher Number:

9780826490636