Classic Philosophical Questions

by Gould, James A.; Mulvaney, Robert J.

• ISBN13: 9780131407411
• ISBN10: 0131407414
• Edition: 11th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

First published over thirty years ago, Classic Philosophical Questions has presented decades of students with the most compelling classic and contemporary readings on the most enduring and abiding questions in philosophy. The anthology, topically arranged, uses debate and argument as vehicles to teach students the fundamentals of philosophy while also demonstrating that philosophy is a discourse spanning centuries. James A. Gould and Robert J. Mulvaney continue to provide students with interesting, intriguing essays from major philosophers in a distinctive presentation, often involving a pro/con format, to ensure that both the apparent and subtle points of argument are both meaningful and clear. Features of this new edition: bull; bull;Sections on epistemology and metaphysics introduced earlier in this edition bull;New readings from Martha Nussbaum and Martin Luther King, Jr. bull;Concise, student-friendly introductions to each philosopher and reading bull;Helpful study and reflection questions focus students' reading and improve comprehension

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
PART 1 Plato and the Trial of Socrates
What Is Philosophy?
Euthyphro: Defining Philosophical Terms	1	(10)
The Apology, Phaedo, and Crito: The Trial, Immortality, and Death of Socrates	11	(24)
PART 2 The Value of Philosophy
What Is the Value of Philosophy?
Russell: The Value of Philosophy	35	(8)
PART 3 Philosophical Methodologies
What Is the Best Approach to Philosophy?
Peirce: Four Approaches to Philosophy	43	(11)
Feigl: The Scientific Approach	54	(11)
PART 4 Knowledge
What Is Knowledge?
Plato: Knowledge Is ``Warranted, True Belief''	65	(9)
How Do We Acquire Knowledge?
Descartes: Knowledge Is Not Ultimately Sense Knowledge	74	(13)
Locke: Knowledge Is Ultimately Sensed	87	(14)
Kant: Knowledge Is Both Rational and Empirical	101	(10)
How Is Truth Established?
Russell: Truth Is Established by Correspondence	111	(7)
Bradley: Truth Is Established by Coherence	118	(7)
James: Truth Is Established on Pragmatic Grounds	125	(8)
Can We Know the Nature of Causal Relations?
Hume: Cause Means Regular Association	133	(7)
Hume: There Are No Possible Grounds for Induction	140	(11)
PART 5 Metaphysics
Of What Does Reality Consist?
Descartes: Reality Consists of Mind and Matter	151	(7)
Taylor: Reality Consists of Matter	158	(14)
Berkeley: Reality Consists of Ideas	172	(13)
Heidegger: The Nature of Being	185	(17)
Is Reality General or Particular?
Plato: Universals Are Real	202	(10)
Hume: Particulars Are Real	212	(6)
Do Humans Have an Identical Self?
Locke: Human Beings Have an Identical Self	218	(10)
Hume: Human Beings Have No Identical Self	228	(7)
PART 6 Philosophy of Religion
Can We Prove God Exists?
St. Anselm: The Ontological Argument	235	(7)
St. Thomas Aquinas: The Cosmological Argument	242	(6)
Paley: The Teleological Argument	248	(6)
Pascal: It Is Better to Believe in God's Existence Than to Deny It	254	(6)
Kierkegaard: Faith, Not Logic, Is the Basis of Belief	260	(6)
Does the Idea of A Good God Exclude Evil?
Hume: A Good God Would Exclude Evil	266	(8)
Hick: God Can Allow Some Evil	274	(9)
PART 7 Ethics
Are Humans Free?
Holbach: Humans Are Determined	283	(10)
James: Humans Are Free	293	(10)
Are Ethics Relative?
Benedict: Ethics Are Relative	303	(8)
Stace: Ethics Are Not Relative	311	(12)
Are Humans Always Selfish?
Humans Are Always Selfish: Glaucon's Challenge to Socrates	323	(4)
Rachels: Humans Are Not Always Selfish	327	(11)
Which Is Basic In Ethics: Happiness or Obligation?
Aristotle: Happiness Is Living Virtuously	338	(10)
Bentham: Happiness Is Seeking the Greatest Pleasure for the Greatest Number of People	348	(10)
Kant: Duty Is Prior to Happiness	358	(14)
Nietzsche: Happiness Is Having Power	372	(8)
Sartre: Existentialist Ethics	380	(10)
Tong: Feminist Ethics Are Different	390	(19)
PART 8 Social Philosophy
The Abortion Issue
English: Most Abortions Are Moral	409	(11)
The Pornography Issue
Ward: Should Pornography Be Censored?	420	(10)
The Homosexuality Issue
Gould: Is Homosexuality Unnatural or Immoral?	430	(7)
PART 9 Political Philosophy
What Is Freedom?
Dostoevski: Freedom and Authority	437	(12)
Mill: Freedom Is Independence from the Majority's Tyranny	449	(12)
King: Freedom and Racial Prejudice	461	(11)
Light: Race and Public Policy	472	(11)
Nussbaum: Women, Justice, and Freedom	483	(21)
Which Government Is Best?
Hobbes: Monarchy Is Best	504	(8)
Locke: Liberal Democracy Is Best	512	(8)
Marx: Communism and Nonalienate Labor Is Best	520	(16)
Dewey: Social Democracy Is Best	536	(9)
PART 10 Aesthetics
Are Artistic Judgments Subjective?
Ducasse: Tastes Cannot Be Disputed	545	(10)
Beardsley: Tastes Can Be Disputed	555	(8)
What Is the Function of Art?
Aristotle: Art Purges the Emotions	563	(8)
Collingwood: Magic or Amusement?	571	(18)
PART 11 The Meaning of Life
What Gives Life Meaning?
Tolstoy: Faith Provides Life's Meaning	589	(11)
Camus: Each Person Determines His or Her Life's Meaning	600	(13)
Glossary	613

Excerpts

This eleventh edition ofClassic Philosophical Questionsis structured to set forth the fundamental questions raised in undergraduate philosophy courses. The instructor will find that this structure encourages especially lively classes. The essays, starting with Plato'sEuthyphroandApology,have been selected because they concern topics of particular interest to the beginning student in philosophy. These topics also encompass the major classical questions of concern to philosophers. None of the material is technical. Introductions and study questions precede the essays and alert students to which ideas are important to grasp. The instructor may find it valuable to organize the class around these questions. At the end of the essays, the "To Think About" questions and quotations provide material for spirited debates or for written assignments. Also at the end of the essays is a reading list that can be used for writing term papers. At the end of the book there is a glossary. The enthusiastic reception the earlier editions received reflects in part many excellent suggestions from both students and teachers. We have included some of their ideas in this eleventh edition, with new or additional material from Plato, George Berkeley, Martin Heidegger, Martin Luther King, Jr., Martha Nussbaum, and Steven Andrew Light, as well as essays relating to contemporary social issues. We sincerely appreciate the suggestions from the following reviewers, who helped to strengthen this edition: Warren Weinstein of California State University, Long Beach, and David Meeler of Winthrop University. In addition, we want to thank Martha Nussbaum and Steven Andrew Light for allowing us to include their essays in this edition. We are also grateful to Laurie Tollefsen for correcting an error in the tenth edition. Finally we want to express our gratitude for the care and support given by the Prentice-Hall team, especially our editor, Ross Miller, and our production liaison, Joanne Hakim. James A. Gould Robert J. Mulvaney