Problems of Philosophy
About the Book Series
This series addresses the central problems of philosophy. Each book gives a fresh account of a particular theme by offering two perspectives on the subject: the historical context and the author's own distinct and original contribution.
The books are written to be accessible to students of philosophy and related disciplines, while taking the debate to a new level.
Other recent titles in the Proplems of Philosophy series:
Social Reality
Hb: 0-415-14796-4: ยฃ40.00
Pb: 0-415-14797-2: ยฃ12.99
Substance
Hb: 0-415-11250-8: ยฃ42.50
Pb: 0-415-14032-3: ยฃ14.99
Utilitarianism
Hb: 0-415-09527-1: ยฃ40.00
Pb: 0-415-12197-3: ยฃ12.99
Vagueness
Pb: 0-415-13980-5: ยฃ15.99
Naming and Reference: The Link of Word to Object
1st Edition
By R.J. Nelson
April 27, 2015
The question of how language relates to the world is one of the most important problems of philosophy. What the word `God' refers to and the question `Does God exist?' are clearly linked. The existence or non-existence of God (or electrons or unicorns) is directly related to the issue of what and ...
Knowledge of the External World
1st Edition
By Bruce Aune
May 19, 2014
Many philosophers believe that the traditional problem of our knowledge of the external world was dissolved by Wittgestein and others. They argue that it was not really a problem - just a linguistic `confusion' that did not actually require a solution. Bruce Aune argues that they are wrong. He ...
Political Freedom
1st Edition
By George G. Brenkert
April 24, 2014
This book examines the underlying theoretical issues concerning the nature of political freedom. Arguing that most previous discussions of such freedom have been too narrowly focused, it explores both conservativism from Edmund Burke to its present resurgence, the radical tradition of Karl Marx, as...
Scepticism
1st Edition
By Christopher Hookway
April 24, 2014
Scepticism is a subject which has preoccupied philosophers for two thousand years. This book presents an historical perspective on scepticism by considering contrasting views, such as those of Sextus Empiricus, Descartes and Hume, on why scepticism is important. With its historical perspective and ...
The Weakness of the Will
1st Edition
By Justin Gosling
April 14, 2014
First Published in 2004. Since before Plato, philosophers have puzzled over why it is that people will sometimes deliberately take the worst course of action. The book begins by examining the various theories put forward by Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and a selection of medieval philosophers and ...
Knowledge and Belief
1st Edition
By Frederick F. Schmitt
December 16, 2013
Knowledge, from Plato onwards, has been considered in relation to justified belief. Current debate has centred around the nature of the justification and whether justified belief can be considered an internal or extenal matter. Epistemological internalists argue that the subject must be able to ...
The Nature of Art
1st Edition
By A. L. Cothey
December 16, 2013
Although various aesthetic themes have preoccupied many major philosophers, from Plato to Goodman, the central questions of the philosophy of art have remained ill-defined. This book gives a concise and systematic account of the leading philosophical ideas about art and aesthetics from ancient ...
Civic Republicanism
1st Edition
By Iseult Honohan
August 15, 2002
Civic Republicanism is a valuable critical introduction to one of the most important topics in political philosophy. In this book, Iseult Honohan presents an authoritative and accessible account of civic republicanism, its origins and its problems. The book examines all the central themes of this ...
Possible Worlds
1st Edition
By John Divers
August 29, 2002
Possible Worlds presents the first up-to-date and comprehensive examination of one of the most important topics in metaphysics. John Divers considers the prevalent philosophical positions, including realism, antirealism and the work of important writers on possible worlds such as David Lewis, ...
Utilitarianism
1st Edition
By Geoffrey Scarre
January 31, 2002
Surveying the historical development and the present condition of utilitarian ethics, Geoffrey Scarre examines the major philosophers from Lao Tzu in the fifth century BC to Richard Hare in the twentieth. Utilitarianism traces the 'doctrine of utility' from the moralists of the ancient world, ...
Perception
1st Edition
By Howard Robinson
January 18, 2001
Questions about perception remain some of the most difficult and insoluble in both epistemology and in the philosophy of mind. This controversial but highly accessible introduction to the area explores the philosophical importance of those questions by re-examining what had until recent times been ...
Other Minds
1st Edition
By Anita Avramides
December 14, 2000
How do we know whether there are other minds besides our own? The problem of other minds raises many questions which are at the root of all philosophical investigations - how it is we know, what is the mind and can we be certain about any of our beliefs?In this compelling analysis of 'other minds'...