Great Philosophical Problems

Peter Alward’s rigorous introductory text functions as a roadmap for students, laying out the key issues, positions, and arguments of academic philosophy. The book covers central topics in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy. An introductory chapter presents the foundations of philosophical discourse and offers a primer on the basics of logic. Those argumentative tools are then employed to address classic philosophical issues such as the relationship between body and mind, skepticism, the possibility of free will, and the existence of God. Later chapters engage issues of morality, justice, and liberty, as well as moral questions concerning abortion and the practice of punishment. Throughout, Alward aims for clarity, providing summaries, diagrams, and reflective questions to assist the student reader.

God and Evidence presents a new set of compelling problems for theistic philosophers. The problems pertain to three types of theistic philosopher, which Lovering defines here as 'theistic inferentialists,' 'theistic non-inferentialists,' and 'theistic fideists.' Theistic inferentialists believe that God exists, that there is inferential probabilifying evidence of God's existence, and that this evidence is discoverable not simply in principle but in practice. Theistic non-inferentialists believe that God exists, that there is non-inferential probabilifying evidence of God's existence, and that this evidence is discoverable not simply in principle but in practice. Theistic fideists believe that God exists, that there is no discoverable probabilifying evidence (inferential or non-inferential) of God's existence, and that it is nevertheless acceptable-morally if not otherwise-to have faith that God exists. Lovering argues that each type of theistic philosopher faces a problem unique to his type and that they all share two particular problems. Some of these problems take us down an entirely new discursive path; others down a new discursive path branching off from an old one.

From the PREFACE. This volume of Philosophical Essays is an independent work, and may be read as such. But it has, at the same time, an ulterior and higher value than that of a volume of detached essays. For, in its choice of subjects, it has been designed and purposed to serve as a supplementary volume to my recent large work, entitled ' A Philosophical System of Theistic Idealism.' All the subjects dealt with in the present volume were touched upon in that work, but, because I could not, without serious disproportion, give them in that work, "elaborate" as it was said to be, the extended treatment which I desired, I have provided this in the present volume. This enhances the value of the present work, by placing the contents of its chapters in a systematic relation and connection. It, at the same time, extends the range and widens the usefulness of the larger work, which it so supplements. This to me is important, for, however some philosophers may choose to entertain indifference as to the value of system, that appears to me no high or satisfying philosophic plane in which the mind is content to be the abode of merely individual, sporadic, and unrelated problems. There is no lack of philosophical variety in the work. Epistemology, Ontology and Metaphysics, and Ethics, are all represented in its chapters, in whose discussions Psychology and Logic also find frequent place. The chapters on "The Character of Cognitive Acts," "Philosophy and Faith," and "The Phenomenology of Pain" appear for the first time. My best thanks are tendered to Mrs Paul Cams for cordial permission to republish the chapters on "The Greatest Problem in Value," and on "Rationalism and Voluntarism," which appeared in "The Monist"; to Dr. Silas M'Bee, editor of 'The Constructive Quarterly,' New York, from which journal the chapters on "The Ontological Consciousness" and "The Unity of God and Man" are reprinted; and to Professor James H. Tufts, University of Chicago, editor of ' The International Journal of Ethics,' from which the chapter on "The Ethical Value of Individuality " is taken. The chapter on "The Ethics of Some Modern World Theories" appeared in the 'Bibliotheca Sacra' while my dear and distinguished friend, the late Professor G. F. Wright, D.D., LL.D., was editor. All these papers have been revised, and minor alterations and additions made, but without substantially affecting the character of the papers as they originally appeared. In their present form they will, I hope, find a new circle of readers. -JAMES LINDSAY.

Problems from Philosophy is an introductory text organized around the great philosophical problems―the existence of God, the nature of the mind, human freedom, the limits of knowledge, and the truth about ethics. It begins by reflecting on the life of the first great philosopher, Socrates. Then it takes up the fundamental question of whether God exists. Next comes a discussion of death and the soul, which leads to a chapter about persons. The later chapters consider whether objective knowledge is possible in science and ethics. Problems from Philosophy represents the final work of philosopher James Rachels. In it, he brings the same liveliness and clarity to the introduction of philosophy present in his many other best-selling texts. Problems from Philosophy has been revised by James Rachels’ son Stuart, who has carefully refined his father’s work to further strengthen its clarity and accessibility. The fourth edition features revisions on discussions of free will, artificial intelligence, idealism, and Kantian ethics.

Provocative essays that seek “to turn the attention of analytic philosophy of religion on the problem of evil . . . towards advances in ethical theory” (Reading Religion). The contributors to this book—Marilyn McCord Adams, John Hare, Linda Zagzebski, Laura Garcia, Bruce Russell, Stephen Wykstra, and Stephen Maitzen—attended two University of Notre Dame conferences in which they addressed the thesis that there are yet untapped resources in ethical theory for affecting a more adequate solution to the problem of evil. The problem of evil has been an extremely active area of study in the philosophy of religion for many years. Until now, most sources have focused on logical, metaphysical, and epistemological issues, leaving moral questions as open territory. With the resources of ethical theory firmly in hand, this volume provides lively insight into this ageless philosophical issue. “These essays—and others—will be of primary interest to scholars working in analytic philosophy of religion from a self-consciously Christian standpoint, but its audience is not limited to such persons. The book offers illustrative examples of how scholars in philosophy of religion understand their aims and how they go about making their arguments . . . hopefully more work will follow this volume’s lead.”—Reading Religion “Recommended.”—Choice

It is ten years since Adolf Griinbaum published the first edition of this book. It was promptly recognized to be one of the few major works in the philosophy of the natural sciences of this generation. In part, this is so because Griinbaum has chosen a problem basic both to philosophy and to the natural sciences - the nature of space and time; and in part, this is so because he so admirably exemplifies that Aristotelian devotion to the intimate and mutual dependence of actual science and philosophical understanding. More than this, however, the quality of his work derives from his achievement in combining detail with scope. The problems of space and time have been among the most difficult in contemporary and classical thought, and Griinbaum has been responsible to the full depth and complexity of these difficulties. This revised and enlarged second edition is a work in progress, in the tradition of reflective analysis of modern science of such figures as Ehrenfest and Reichenbach. In publishing this work among the Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, we hope to contribute to and encourage that broad tradition of natural philosophy which is marked by the close collaboration of philoso phers and scientists. To this end, we have published the proceedings of our Colloquia, of meetings and conferences here and abroad, as well as the works of single authors.

Excerpt from Great Philosophical Problems This volume of Philosophical Essays is an inde pendent work and may be read as such. But it has, at the same time, an ulterior and higher value than that of a volume of detached essays. For, in its choice of subjects, it has been designed and pur posed to serve as a supplementary volume to my recent large work, entitled A Philosophical System of Theistic Idealism.' All the subjects dealt with in the present volume were touched upon in that work, but, because I could not, without serious dis proportion, give them in that work, elaborate as it was said to be, the extended treatment which I desired, I have provided this in the present volume. This enhances the value of the present work, by placing the contents of its chapters in a systematic relation and connection. It, at the same time, ex tends the range and widens the usefulness of the larger work, which it so supplements. This to me is important, for, however some philosophers may choose to entertain indifference as to the value of system, that appears to me no high or satisfying philosophic plane in which the mind is content to be the abode of merely individual, sporadic, and unrelated problems. There is no lack of philosophical variety in the work. Epistemology, Ontology and Metaphysics, and Ethics, are all represented in its chapters, in whose discussions Psychology and Logic also find frequent place. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.