Learning from arguments : an introduction to philosophy / Daniel Z. Korman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Korman, Daniel Z., author.

Series:

Open textbook library

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Philosophy--Textbooks.

Philosophy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (227 pages).

Place of Publication:

London, Ontario : PhilPapers Foundation, 2022.

Summary:

Learning from Arguments is a novel approach to teaching Introduction to Philosophy. It advances accessible versions of key philosophical arguments, in a form that students can emulate in their own writing, and with the primary aim of cultivating an understanding of the dynamics of philosophical argumentation. The book contains ten core chapters, covering the problem of evil, Pascal's wager, personal identity, the irrationality of fearing death, free will and determinism, Cartesian skepticism, the problem of induction, the problem of political authority, the violinist argument, the future-like-ours argument, the ethics of eating meat, utilitarianism (both act and rule), and the trolley problem. Additionally, there is an introductory chapter explaining what arguments are and surveying some common argumentative strategies, an appendix on logic explaining the mechanics and varieties of valid arguments, and an appendix providing detailed advice for writing philosophy papers. Each of the ten core chapters offers a sustained argument for some controversial thesis, specifically written for an audience of beginners. The aim is to introduce newcomers to the dynamics of philosophical argumentation, using some of the arguments standardly covered in an introductory philosophy course, but without the additional hurdles one encounters when reading the primary sources of the arguments: challenging writing, specialized jargon, and references to unfamiliar books, philosophers, or schools of thought.

Contents:

Preface for Students

Preface for Instructors

Introduction

Chapter 1: Can God Allow Suffering?

Chapter 2: Why You Should Bet on God

Chapter 3: What Makes You You

Chapter 4: Don't Fear the Reaper

Chapter 5: No Freedom

Chapter 6: You Know Nothing

Chapter 7: Against Prisons and Taxes

Chapter 8: The Ethics of Abortion

Chapter 9: Eating Animals

Chapter 10: What Makes Things Right

Appendix A: Logic

Appendix B: Writing

Appendix C: Theses and Arguments.

Notes:

Description based on: online resource; title from PDF information screen (Open textbook library, viewed May 05, 2023).