Philosophical inquiries : an introduction to problems of philosophy / Nicholas Rescher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rescher, Nicholas, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Philosophy--Introductions.

Philosophy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (232 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania : University of Pittsburgh Press, [2010]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Nicholas Rescher offers his perspectives on many of the foundational concerns of philosophy. He sees the need to inquire as an evolutionary tool for adapting to a hostile environment and shows how philosophy has developed in an evolutionary fashion, building upon acquired knowledge and upon itself. In a historical thread that informs and enriches his overview, Rescher recalls Aristotle, Plato, Plotinus, Kant, Hegel, Leibniz, Laplace, Bertrand Russell, and others. Overall, he argues for philosophy as an unavoidable instrument for rational, cogent responses to large questions.

Contents:

The task of philosophy

Knowledge and scepticism

Limits of science

Realism/idealism

Intelligent design

Fallacies regarding free will

Mind and matter

Pragmatism and practical rationality

The demands of morality

By whose standards?

Pluralism and concretization quandaries

The power of ideals

Science and religion

On the improvability of the world

Why philosophy?

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780822973782

0822973782

OCLC:

880440006