Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy

Zusatztext 'Simon Blackburn's lucidly elegant essay is a guide to the most central concerns of philosophy... A beautifully clear account of the chief arguments in each debate. Blackburn is an accomplished philosopher, which makes this a valuable little book.' Sunday Times, 7.11.99 Informationen zum Autor Simon Blackburn is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. Until recently he was Edna J. Koury Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, and from 1969 to 1999 a Fellow and Tutor at Pembroke College, Oxford. His books include Spreading the Word (1984), Essays in Quasi-Realism (1993), The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (1994), Ruling Passions (1998), Truth (co-edited with Keith Simmons, 1999), and the best-selling Think (1999). He edited the journal Mind from 1984 to 1990. Klappentext The author of the bestselling "Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy" offers a coherent, non-intimidating introduction to the challenging and fascinating landscape of Western philosophy. Zusammenfassung This is a book about the big questions in life: knowledge, consciousness, fate, God, truth, goodness, justice. It is for anyone who thinks there are big questions lurking out there, but does not know how to approach them. Written by the author of the bestselling Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Think sets out to explain what they are and why they are important. Inhaltsverzeichnis PART ONE: SETTING THE SCENE ; 1. Descartes's Demon ; PART TWO: BEGINNING TO THINK ABOUT OURSELVES ; 2. Consciousness! Zombies! and Permutants ; 3. Freedom! Determinism! Fate ; 4. The Conscious Self ; PART THREE: BEGINNING TO THINK ABOUT THE WAY THINGS ARE ; 5. Good God? ; 6. Wrestling with Idealism ; 7. Why do Things Keep on Keeping On? ; 8. The Arts of Intellectual Hygiene ; PART FOUR: BEGINNING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT TO DO ; 9. Behaving Well ; 10. Pulling Together

Autorentext

Simon Blackburn is the Edna J. Koury Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was a Fellow and Tutor at Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1969 to 1990. His books for OUP are Spreading the Word (1984), Essays in Quasi-Realism (1993), The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (hbk 1994, pbk 1996), and Ruling Passions (1998). He edited the journal Mind from 1984 to 1990.

Klappentext

The author of the bestselling "Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy" offers a coherent, non-intimidating introduction to the challenging and fascinating landscape of Western philosophy.

Zusammenfassung
What am I? What is consciousness? What is the difference between past and future? Does the world presuppose a creator? Do we always act out of self-interest? This is a book about the big questions in life: knowledge, consciousness, fate, God, truth, goodness, justice. It is for anyone who believes there are big questions out there, but does not know how to approach them. Written by the author of the bestselling Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Think sets out to explain what they are and why they are important. Simon Blackburn begins by putting forward a convincing case for the study of philosophy and goes on to give the reader a sense of how the great historical figures such as Plato, Hume, Kant, and Descartes have approached its central themes. Each chapter explains a major issue, and gives the reader a self-contained guide through the problems that philosophers have studied. The large range of topics covered range from scepticism, the self, mind and body, and freedom to ethics and the arguments surrounding the existence of God. Written in a lively and approachable manner, this book is ideal for all those who want to learn how the basic techniques of thinking shape our existence.

Inhalt

• PART ONE: Setting the Scene

• 1: Descartes's Demon

• PART TWO: Beginning to Think about Ourselves

• 2: Consciousness, Zombies, and Permutants

• 3: Freedom, Determinism, Fate

• 4: The Conscious Self

• PART THREE: Beginning to Think about the Way Things Are

• 5: Good God?

• 6: Wrestling with Idealism

• 7: Why do Things Keep on Keeping On?

• 8: The Arts of Intellectual Hygiene

• PART FOUR: Beginning to Think About What to Do

• 9: Behaving Well

• 10: Pulling Together