Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ; A. SOCRATES ; B. WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? ; C. A MODERN APPROACH TO PHILOSOPHY ; D. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC ; PART ONE: THE WORLD AND BEYOND ; B. THE WESTERN RELIGIONS ; C. PROVING GOD: THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT ; D. GOD AS CREATOR: INTELLIGENCE AND DESIGN ; F. BEYOND REASON: FAITH AND IRRATIONALITY ; G. DOUBTS ABOUT RELIGION ; SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ; CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ; KEY TERMS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING ; A. "THE WAY THE WORLD REALLY IS" ; B. THE FIRST GREEK PHILOSOPHERS ; C. ULTIMATE REALITY IN THE EAST: INDIA, PERSIA, AND CHINA ; D. TWO KINDS OF METAPHYSICS: PLATO AND ARISTOTLE ; E. MODERN METAPHYSICS ; SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ; CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ; KEY TERMS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING ; A. THE RATIONALIST'S CONFIDENCE: DESCARTES ; B. INNATE IDEAS CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING: JOHN LOCKE ; C. TWO EMPIRICIST THEORIES OF KNOWLEDGE ; D. THE CONGENIAL SKEPTIC: DAVID HUME ; F. THE BATTLE IN EUROPE AFTER KANT: RELATIVISM AND ABSOLUTISM ; G. PHENOMENOLOGY ; I. THE ANALYTIC TURN ; SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ; CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ; KEY TERMS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING ; PART TWO: KNOW THYSELF ; A. CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE SELF: FROM DESCARTES TO KANT ; C. THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE COMMUNITY ; D. ONE SELF? ANY SELF? QUESTIONING THE CONCEPT OF PERSONAL "ESSENCE" ; FROM THE DHAMMAPADA ; SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ; CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ; KEY TERMS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING ; A. WHAT IS CONSCIOUSNESS? ; B. THE PROBLEM OF DUALISM ; C. THE REJECTION OF DUALISM ; D. THE PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS ; SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ; CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ; KEY TERMS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING ; A. FATALISM AND KARMA ; B. PREDESTINATION ; C. DETERMINISM 402 ; D. COMPULSION AND IGNORANCE ; E. FREEDOM IN PRACTICE 441 ; F. RADICAL FREEDOM: EXISTENTIALISM ; SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ; CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ; KEY TERMS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING ; PART THREE: THE GOOD AND THE RIGHT ; A. MORALITY ; B. IS MORALITY RELATIVE? ; C. EGOISM AND ALTRUISM ; D. ARE WE NATURALLY SELFISH? A DEBATE ; E. MORALITY AS VIRTUE: ARISTOTLE ; F. MORALITY AND SENTIMENT: HUME AND ROUSSEAU ; G. MORALITY AND PRACTICAL REASON: KANT ; H. UTILITARIANISM ; I. THE CREATION OF MORALITY: NIETZSCHE AND EXISTENTIALISM ; J. PRAGMATISM IN ETHICS ; K. ETHICS AND GENDER ; SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ; CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ; KEY TERMS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING ; A. THE PROBLEM OF JUSTICE ; B. TWO ANCIENT THEORIES OF JUSTICE: PLATO AND ARISTOTLE ; C. TWO MODERN THEORIES OF JUSTICE: HUME AND MILL ON UTILITY AND RIGHTS ; D. THE SOCIAL CONTRACT ; E. FAIRNESS AND ENTITLEMENT ; F. JUSTICE OR CARE: A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE ; G. INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOM ; H. FIGHTING FOR RIGHTS AND JUSTICE: CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ; SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ; CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ; KEY TERMS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING ; GLOSSARY ; INDEX

About the Author

Robert C. Solomon, deceased, was a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin. Clancy Martin is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Kathleen M. Higgins is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin.

Reviews

This is undoubtedly one of the best philosophy textbooks available. Among its strengths are its breadth of coverage, the seamless integration of the material along historical and topical lines, the introductions and explanations that accompany the extracts from each author, and the contrastive approach.--Christian Coseru, College of Charleston
Robert Solomon had one of the greatest philosophical styles in contemporary philosophy, and the joy of Introducing Philosophy is largely to be found in his lucid, fun, and gently provocative prose.--Jonathan Scott Lee, Colorado College