Thinking philosophically : an introduction to the great debates / David Roochnik.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Roochnik, David, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Thought and thinking.

Philosophy.

Physical Description:

xiv, 216 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Chichester, West Sussex ; Malden, MA : Wiley Blackwell, 2016.

Summary:

Thinking Philosophically: An Introduction to the Great Debates presents a highly accessible introduction to five cornerstone debates in world philosophy. Each chapter takes a fundamental philosophical question as its subject, and then outlines the core arguments of the resulting debate. The first issue explored is whether we are by nature social-political beings (Aristotle's position), or solitary ones, as Rousseau maintains. The second question considers whether an action's morality is determined by its consequences (argued by John Stuart Mill), or Kant's viewpoint - that some actions are obligatory, regardless of their consequences. The third, addressing the question of human excellence, then brings key thinkers such as Aristotle, Confucius, and Lao-Tzu into the conversation. Further chapters address the origins of knowledge - does it originate in sense perception, as the empiricist Hume believes, or can thinking on its own lead to knowledge; as the rationalist Descartes maintains? - and the passage of time, weighing whether one should (as Saint Augustine insists) seek what is permanent in response to the human experience of transience, or join Nietzsche, who affirms time's relentless flow. Each question is presented with an eye toward thorough and objective coverage, with the strengths and shortcomings of each position seriously discussed. While introducing readers to some of the greatest work in the history of philosophy, Thinking Philosophically reveals how arguments with roots stretching back millennia have surprising relevance for our twenty-first-century world, and invites its readers to join the debate. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 An Introduction to Philosophy 1

What Makes Philosophers Tick? 1

Five Questions 10

Reading Great Books 11

An Introduction to Socrates 16

2 Alone or With Others? 27

The Question 27

Rousseau's Answer 28

The State of Nature 29

Society 38

Aristotle's Answer 42

Community Is Natural 44

Teleology 47

By Nature Political 50

Animals with Logos 52

By Nature Unequal 56

Resolving the Dispute: Social-Political or Solitary? 61

3 What Should We Do? 65

The Question 65

Mill's Answer 66

What Is Happiness? 68

Utilitarianism Is Crude 68

Utilitarianism Is Selfish 72

Utilitarianism Becomes Moral Fanaticism 74

Utilitarians Are Frigid 75

Utilitarianism Is Expedient 75

Utilitarianism Is Unjust 78

Utilitarianism Is Fantasy 79

Kant's Answer 81

The Good Will 81

Consequences and Morality 82

Duty 83

Acting contrary to duty 83

Acting in accord with duty hut not really wanting to 84

Acting according to duty and really wanting to 84

Acting according to and from duty 85

Universality 86

Egalitarianism 89

Ordinary Moral Intuitions 91

The Dear Self 94

Resolving the Dispute: Consequences or Duty? 95

4 Whom Should We Emulate? (1) 98

The Question 98

Aristotle's Answer 98

Happiness and Excellence 98

Precision in Ethics 107

Character 111

Aristotle on Climate Change 112

Nietzsche's Answer 114

Resolving the Dispute: Virtue or Power? 122

5 Whom Should We Emulate? (2) 127

The Question 127

Confucius's Answer 127

Filial Piety 127

Ritual 129

Leadership 132

Teleology 133

What if the Father Is a Bad Guy? 135

Lao-Tzu's Answer 136

Anti-Teleology 136

Water 138

Paradox 139

Non-Action (Wu Wei) 140

Resolving the Dispute: Superior Man or Child? 143

6 What Do You Know? 145

The Question 145

Descartes's Answer 146

Descartes's Education 146

The Cogito 150

The Existence of God 153

Masters and Possessors of Nature 159

Hume's Answer 161

Ideas from Impressions 161

Principles of Association 163

Skeptical Doubts 165

Skeptical Solution of Skeptical Doubts 168

Hume on Global Warming 170

Resolving the Dispute: Rationalism or Empiricism? 172

7 Being in Time 175

The Question 175

Saint Augustine's Answer 178

Time and the Eternal 178

The Cry of the Present 181

The Subjective Reality of Time 184

Reason to Pray 185

The Nature of Sin 187

Digression 1 Pythagoras 190

Digression 2 Platonic Forms 193

Nietzsche (on Heraclitus) on Time 198

Becoming 198

Play 200

Resolving the Dispute: Being or Becoming? 201.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-213) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Roochnik, David. Thinking philosophically.

ISBN:

9781119067252

1119067251

9781119067078

1119067073

OCLC:

918986633