Thinking It Through: An Introduction to Contemporary PhilosophyThinking it Through is a thorough, vividly written introduction to contemporary philosophy and some of the most crucial questions of human existence, including the nature of mind and knowledge, the status of moral claims, the existence of God, the role of science, and the mysteries of language. Noted philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah shows us what it means to "do" philosophy in our time and why it should matter to anyone who wishes to live a more thoughtful life. Opposing the common misconceptions that being a philosopher means espousing a set of philosophical beliefs--or being a follower of a particular thinker--Appiah argues that "the result of philosophical exploration is not the end of inquiry in a settled opinion, but a mind resting more comfortably among many possibilities, or else the reframing of the question, and a new inquiry." Ideal for introductory philosophy courses, Thinking It Through is organized around eight central topics--mind, knowledge, language, science, morality, politics, law, and metaphysics. It traces how philosophers in the past have considered each subject (how Hobbes, Wittgenstein, and Frege, for example, approached the problem of language) and then explores some of the major questions that still engage philosophers today. More importantly, Appiah not only explains what philosophers have thought but how they think, giving students examples that they can use in their own attempts to navigate the complex issues confronting any reflective person in the twenty-first century. Filled with concrete examples of how philosophers work, Thinking it Through guides students through the process of philosophical reflection and enlarges their understanding of the central questions of human life. |
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Thinking It Through: An Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy Kwame Anthony Appiah Limited preview - 2003 |
Thinking it Through: An Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy Anthony Appiah No preview available - 2003 |
Thinking It Through: An Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy Kwame Anthony Appiah No preview available - 2003 |
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able action actually alleles answer argued argument assumption Attila the Hun Azande brain called causal causes chapter claim Cleanthes conception conclusion consider deductive closure principle Descartes discussion emotivism enumerative induction epistemology example existence experience explain fact false follows Frege functionalism functionalist genes give happen Hobbes human idea important indefeasible evidence induction innocent justified Kant kill kind knowledge language logical look Mbuti means Mendel mental metaethical metaphysics mind moral beliefs Morning Star Nozick objection observation open sentence peas person philosophical philosophy of mind physical possible worlds predicate premises principle problem produce punishment question Rawls reason reference relativism responsible rules sense simply sky is gray someone sort strategy suppose tell tence Theaetetus theory there’s things thought tion true belief truth conditions understand universe utilitarian utility valid verification principle verificationism Wittgenstein word wrong