Exploring Philosophy A Comprehensive Guide To The Branches History Theories And Practices Of Philosophy

Embark on a profound journey into the world of philosophy with this comprehensive guide that delves into the core branches, rich history, intricate theories, and practical applications of philosophical thought. "Exploring Philosophy" from Lucien Sina offers readers an engaging exploration of the diverse realms of philosophical inquiry, providing a detailed overview of key concepts, historical developments, influential theories, and practical implications within the field of philosophy. Whether you are a seasoned philosopher or a curious novice, this book serves as a valuable resource for deepening your understanding of philosophical discourse and enhancing your critical thinking skills. Discover the timeless wisdom and enduring relevance of philosophy as you navigate through its fascinating landscapes with "Exploring Philosophy."

This comprehensive guide to modern philosophy covers the major thinkers and theories of the past three centuries, from Descartes and Hume to Hegel and Nietzsche. Arthur S. Dewing provides a clear and concise overview of the philosophical debates that have shaped our world, exploring questions of ethics, ontology, and epistemology with insight and clarity. Whether you're a philosophy student or simply an interested reader, Introduction to the History of Modern Philosophy is an essential resource. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This volume collects contributions from leading scholars of early modern philosophy from a wide variety of philosophical and geographic backgrounds. The distinguished contributors offer very different, competing approaches to the history of philosophy. Many chapters articulate new, detailed methods of doing history of philosophy. These present conflicting visions of the history of philosophy as an autonomous sub-discipline of professional philosophy. Several other chapters offer new approaches to integrating history into one's philosophy by re-telling the history of recent philosophy. A number of chapters explore the relationship between history of philosophy and history of science. Among the topics discussed and debated in the volume are: the status of the principle of charity; the nature of reading texts; the role of historiography within the history of philosophy; the nature of establishing proper context.

Those who begin the study of philosophy may easily become discouraged. Many classic texts are daunting in their complexity, and much contemporary writing is intended primarily for a professional audience. In Exploring Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn has gathered recent essays by noted philosophers who place a premium on clarity, plus a number of the most accessible historical sources, thereby showing general readers what it means to think like a philosopher. Here is a remarkably accessible and engaging introduction to philosophy. These carefully edited essays are topically organized, and address issues drawn from the major fields of philosophy, such as knowledge and skepticism, freedom and determinism, mind and body, the existence of God, the problem of evil, faith and reason, cultural relativism, abortion, euthanasia, democracy, privacy, capital punishment, affirmative action, death, and the meaning of life. The collection also contains, in preeminent translations and with explanatory notes, the complete texts of Plato's Meno, Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito as well as specially selected materials by Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Mill. Also provided are an introduction to logic and scientific method and guiding commentary by the editor. Steven M. Cahn has proved that it is possible to discuss the core topics of philosophy without arcane terminology, unexplained references, or convoluted arguments. For anyone interested in delving into philosophy, this anthology offers an impressive sampling of lucid, inviting articles that tackle some of the field's most provocative questions.

The Reader's Guide to the History of Science looks at the literature of science in some 550 entries on individuals (Einstein), institutions and disciplines (Mathematics), general themes (Romantic Science) and central concepts (Paradigm and Fact). The history of science is construed widely to include the history of medicine and technology as is reflected in the range of disciplines from which the international team of 200 contributors are drawn.

Discovering Philosophy is a comprehensive introduction to philosophy that is specially designed for readers who are more comfortable with secondary, rather than primary sources. Using more accessible content that is unintimidating yet intellectually engaging, it relates the philosophical issues to readers' own experiences and challenges them to do philosophy on their own. Presents excerpts from primary sources when appropriate, but relies primarily on summaries, explanations, and discussions of the major arguments on the issues involved; teaches readers not so much about what philosophers think, but how to think philosophically themselves; demonstrates that after understanding a philosopher's position we are supposed to react to it, not memorize it; explores the major, traditional areas and topics of philosophy - logic, free will/determinism, ethics, political obligation, the nature of reality, knowledge, the existence of God, the meaning of life.

This book is a critique of Cambridge School Historical Contextualism as the currently dominant mode of history of political thought, drawing upon Michael Oakeshott’s analysis of the logic of historical enquiry. While acknowledging that the early Cambridge School work represented a considerable advance towards genuinely historical histories of political thought, this work identifies two major historiographical problems that have become increasingly acute. The first is general: an insufficiently rigorous understanding of the key concept of "pastness" necessarily presupposed in historical enquiry of all kinds. The second is specific to histories of political thought: a failure to do justice to the varieties of past political thinking, especially differences between ideology and philosophy. In addressing these problems, the author offers a comprehensive account of the history of political thought that establishes the parameters not just of histories of ideological thinking but also of the much disputed character of histories of political philosophy. Since rethinking history of political thought in Oakeshottian terms requires resisting current pressures to turn history into the servant of currently felt needs, the book offers a sustained defence of the cultural value of modernist historical enquiry against its opponents. An important work for political theorists, historians of political thought and those researching intellectual history, the philosophy of history and proposed new directions in contemporary historical studies.