Preface

CHAPTER 1 The Philosophical Enterprise

Section 1.1 Explaining the Possibility of the Impossible: Philosophical Problems and Theories

     Philosophical Problems

     The Stakes in Philosophical Inquiry

          The Mind-Body Problem

          The Problem of Free Will

          The Problem of Personal Identity

          The Problem of Moral Relativism

          The Problem of Evil

          The Problem of Skepticism

     Necessary and Sufficient Conditions

     Socrates and the Socratic Method

     Science and the Scientific Method

     Logical versus Causal Possibility

Section 1.2 Evidence and Inference: Proving your Point

     Deductive Arguments

     Inductive Arguments

     Informal Fallacies

Section 1.3 The Laboratory of the Mind: Thought Experiments

     How Are Thought Experiments Possible?

     Criticizing Thought Experiments

     Conceivability and Possibility

     Scientific Thought Experiments

      Readings :

          Bertrand Russell, "The Value of Philosophy"

          Brand Blanshard, "The Philosophic Enterprise "

          Robert Nozick, "Philosophy as an Art Form"

CHAPTER 2 The Mind-Body Problem

Section 2.1 The Ghost in the Machine: Mind as Soul

     Descartes's Doubt

     I Think, Therefore I Am

     The Conceivability Argument

     The Divisibility Argument

     The Problem of Interaction

     The Causal Closure of the Physical

     The Problem of Other Minds

Section 2.2 You Are What You Eat: Mind as Body

     Empiricism

     Logical Positivism

     Logical Behaviorism

     The Identity Theory

Section 2.3 I, Robot: Mind as Software

     Artificial Intelligence

     Functionalism and Feeling

     The Turing Test

     Intentionality

Section 2.4 There Ain't No Such Thing as Ghosts: Mind as Myth

     Folk Psychology

     Subjective Knowledge

Section 2.5 The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Mind as Quality

     Primitive Intentionality

     Mental Dependence

     The Causal Exclusion Problem

     Emergentism

      Readings :

          Rene Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy: Meditations I and II"

          Richard Taylor, "Materialism vs. Dualism"

          Alan Turing, "The Imitation Game"

          David Chalmers, "The Puzzle of Conscious Experience"

          Terry Bisson, "They're Made of Meat"

CHAPTER 3 Free Will and Determinism

Section 3.1 The Luck of the Draw: Freedom as Chance

     Hard Determinism

     Indeterminism

Section 3.2 The Mother of Invention: Freedom as Necessity

     Traditional Compatibilism

     Hierarchical Compatibilism

Section 3.3 Control Yourself: Freedom as Self-Determination

     The Case for Freedom

     Agent-Causation

      Readings :

          Robert Blatchford, "The Delusion of Free Will"

          W. T. Stace, "The Problem of Free Will"

          Corliss Lamont, "Freedom of Choice and Human Responsibility"

          Thomas D. Davis, "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends"

CHAPTER 4 The Problem of Personal Identity

Section 4.1 We Are Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On: Self as Substance

     Persons

     Animalism

     The Soul Theory

Section 4.2 Golden Memories: Self as Psyche

     The Memory Theory

     The Reduplication Problem

Section 4.3 You Can't Step into the Same River Twice: Self as Process

     The Brain Theory

      Split Brains

     Closest Continuer Theories

     Identity and What Matters in Survival

     Identity and What Matters in Responsibility

     Explaining the Self

     Moral Agents, Narratives, and Persons

      Readings :

          John Locke, "Of Identity and Diversity"

          Thomas Reid, "On Mr. Locke's Account of Personal Identity"

          Derek Parfit, "Divided Minds and the Nature of Persons"

          Ray Kurzweil, "Live Forever"

CHAPTER 5 The Problem of Relativism and Morality

Section 5.1 Don't Question Authority: Might Makes Right

     Subjective Absolutism

     Subjective Relativism

     Emotivism

     Cultural Relativism

     The Divine Command Theory

     Are There Universal Moral Principles?

Section 5.2 The End Justifies the Means: Good Makes Right

     Ethical Egoism

     Act-Utilitarianism

     Rule-Utilitarianism

Section 5.3 Much Obliged: Duty Makes Right

     Kant's Categorical Imperative

     Ross's Prima Facie Duties

     Rawls's Contractarianism

     Nozick's Libertarianism

     The Social Contract

     The Ethics of Care

     Making Ethical Decisions

Section 5.4 Character is Destiny: Virtue Makes Right

     The Virtuous Utilitarian

     The Virtuous Kantian

     The Purpose of Morality

     Aristotle on Virtue

     MacIntyre on Virtue

     Virtue Ethics

      Readings :

          W. T. Stace, "Are Ethical Values Relative?"

          Jeremy Bentham, "Of the Principle of Utility"

          Immanuel Kant, "Good Will, Duty, and the Categorical Imperative"

          John Rawls, "The Original Position and Justification"

          Alasdair MacIntyre, “The Virtues”

          Ursula K. Leguin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"

CHAPTER 6 The Problem of Evil and the Existence of God

Section 6.1 The Mysterious Universe: God as Creator

     The Traditional Cosmological Argument

     The Kalam Cosmological Argument

     The Teleological Argument

     The Argument from Miracles

     The Argument from Religious Experience

     The Ontological Argument

     Pascal's Wager

Section 6.2 When Bad Things Happen to Good People: God as Troublemaker

     The Ontological Defense

     The Knowledge Defense

     The Free-Will Defense

     The Ideal-Humanity Defense

     The Soul-Building Defense

     The Finite-God Defense

     The Leap of Faith

Faith and Meaning: Believing the Unbelievable

     The Leap of Faith

     Evidentialism

     Existentialism

     Religion Without God

      Readings :

          St. Thomas Aquinas, "The Five Ways "

          Richard Swinburne, “Natural Theology”

          David Hume, "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion"

          B.C. Johnson, "God and the Problem of Evil"

          Michael Martin, "The Miracle Sleuth"

CHAPTER 7 The Problem of Skepticism and Knowledge

Section 7.1 Things Aren't Always What They Seem: Skepticism about Skepticism

     Greek Rationalism

     Cartesian Skepticism

     Reasonable Doubt

     The Empiricist Alternative

     The Kantian Synthesis

Section 7.2 Facing Reality: Perception and the External World

     Direct Realism

     Representative Realism

     Phenomenalism

Section 7.3 What Do You Know? Knowing What Knowledge Is

     The Defeasibility Theory

     The Causal Theory

     The Reliability Theory

     The Explanationist Theory

      Readings :

          Rene Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy: Meditation IV"

          George Berkeley, "Of the Principles of Human Knowledge"

          Edmund L. Gettier, "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?"

          Thomas D. Davis, "Why Don't You Just Wake Up!"

Notes

Credits

Index