Core Questions in Philosophy

580 Pages·2004·14.716 MB·English

by  Elliott Sober

CORE QUESTIONS
inPHILOSOPHY
/ udth Readings
FOURTH EDITION

Core Questions
in Philosophy
A Text with Readings
FourthEdition
Elliott Sober
UniversityofWisconsin-Madison
PEARSON
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458
OCT 2005
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1
Contents
Boxes viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
PARTI introduction
Lectures
1.WhatIsPhilosophy? 1
2.DeductiveArguments 7
3.InductiveandAbductiveArguments 20
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 36
PARTll PhilosophyofReligion
Lectures
4.Aquinas’sFirstFourWays 37
5.TheDesignArgument 52
6.EvolutionandCreationism 61
7.CanScienceExplainEverything? 74
8.TheOntologicalArgument 82
9.IstheExistenceofGodTestable? 9
10.PascalandIrrationality 98
11.TheArgumentfromEvil 106
Readings
SaintThomasAquinasFiveWaystoProveThatGodExists 114
WilliamPaley TheDesignArgument 116
V
VI Contents
DavidHume CritiqueoftheDesignArgument 119
SaintAnselmandGaunilo TheOntologicalArgument 125
WilliamJames TheWilltoBelieve 128
AlfredJulesAyer TheMeaninglessnessofReligiousDiscourse 135
ErnestNagelDefendingAtheism 139
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 147
PARTIII TheoryofKnowledge
Lectures
12.WhatIsKnowledge? 149
13.Descartes’sFoundationalism 158
14.TheReliabilityTheoryofKnowledge 172
15.JustifiedBeliefandHume’sProblemofInduction 182
16.CanHume’sSkepticismBeRefuted? 188
1178..BInetyroondducFtoiuonndtaotiPoronbaalbiislmity—1Ba9y4es’sTheorem 200
Readings
PlatoKnowledgeIsSomethingMoreThanTrueBelief 207
ReneDescartesMeditationsonFirstPhilosophy 214
DavidHumeInductionCannotBeRationallyJustified 256
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 264
PARTIV PhilosophyofMind
Lectures '
19.DualismandtheMind/BodyProblem 265
20.LogicalBehaviorism 275
21. MethodologicalBehaviorism 281
22.TheMind/BrainIdentityTheory 289
23.Functionalism 295
24.Freedom,Determinism,andCausality 303
25.AMenuofPositionsonFreeWill 313
26.Compatibilism 322
27.PsychologicalEgoism 332
Readings
BertrandRussell OtherMindsAreKnownbyAnalogy
fromOne’sOwnCase 342
Contents vii
JD.aJv.iCd.HSummaretOMfenLitbaelrtPyroacnesdseNsecAersesiPthyysica3l49 345
C.A.CampbellHastheSelf“FreeWill”? 363
B.F.SkinnerDeterminismRulesOutFreedom 375
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 380
PARTV EthiCS
Lectures
—
28.Ethics NormativeandMeta 383
29.TheIs/OughtGapandtheNaturalisticFallacy 388
30. ObservationandExplanationinEthics 396
31.ConventionalistTheories 406
32.Utilitarianism 416
33.Kant’sMoralTheory 432
34.AristodeontheGoodLife 452
Readings
Plato CritiqueoftheDivineCommandTheory 452
Jean-PaulSartreExistentialism 464
JohnStuartMillDefenseofUtilitarianism 472
ImmanuelKantEthicsFoundedonReason 506
AristotleMoralityandHumanNature 526
SuggestionsforFurtherReading
Glossary
Index
4
Boxes
1.Conditionals 1
2. BeggingtheQuestion 15
3. DeducingThataTheoryIsTrue 28
4.NoSurprise/Surprise 30
5.AnInvestmentSwindle 33
6.HumansfromNonhumans,LifefromNonlife 70
7.“ButHowDoYouExplainGod?” 74
8.APriori/APosterioriandNecessity/Contingency 85
9.NeptuneandVulcan 95
10.TheExpectedValueofanAction 99
11.NecessaryandSufficientConditions 151
12.IsSkepticismSelf-Refuting? 157
13.Indubitability 160
14.TheKK-Principle 177
15.What’sRelativeAboutEinstein’sTheoryofRelativity? 181
16. SenseandReference 271
17.PainWithoutPainBehavior? 280
18.MinimalExplanationVersusDeepExplanation 286
19.NewtononParsimony 293
20.TheBirthdayFallacy,Again 296
21.PositionsintheMind/BodyProblem 301
22.Transitivity 304
23.TwoUsesofProbability 309
24.TheNormativeProblemofFreedom 315
25.WhatIsCoercion? 330
26.ApportioningCausalResponsibility 340
27.Emotivism 389
28.ValuesinScience 401
29.TwoViewsofDemocracy 413
30.LiberalismandConservatism 427
31. GoodVersusGreen 443
32. “Natural”and“Normal” 448
viii