Top
"An Introduction to Philosophical Methods is a timely, comprehensive, and accessible introduction to `metaphilosophy': the study of the nature of philosophy itself. Daly's concern is with the methods of philosophy: the kinds of claims and argumentative strategies philosophers deploy in justifying their views. The book is not only a valuable contribution to the literature on metaphilosophy; it will also be hugely useful to philosophers interested in first-order issues across the philosophical spectrum, for example, scepticism, personal identity, and modal realism. Despite the somewhat abstract subject-matter, the book keeps its feet firmly on the ground by being permeated with examples and case studies. This helps to make An Introduction to Philosophical Methods an excellent choice of textbook for a masters or upper-level undergraduate course on philosophical method or metaphilosophy." ---Helen Beebee, University of Birmingham
"Chris Daly's book on philosophical methodology would be hard to improve on as an advanced introduction to a wide range of topics in that area. Its advanced undergraduate and graduate target audience will find it a model of clarity combining accessibility with an acute and penetrating treatment of such issues as the relationship between common sense and philosophy, philosophical analysis, and the role of simplicity and explanation in philosophical theorizing. Reading Daly's book has been a rewarding experience teaching me a good deal about subjects I thought I was well acquainted with." ---Andre Gallois, Syracuse University
"Contemporary analytic philosophers are becoming more and more explicit about methodological issues, from the relevance of intuitions and thought experiments to talk about inference to the best philosophical explanation and the cost and benefits' of accepting their philosophical views. This is the first book to survey the discussion of these methods. Daly has separate chapters on common sense, analysis, thought experiments, simplicity, explanations, and naturalism. While aimed at upper-level undergraduates, this book can be profitably studied by graduate students and researchers in philosophy who will learn about their own perhaps unconscious methodological preferences." ---Bernard Linsky, University of Alberta
An Introduction to Philosophical Methods is a pioneering survey of the various methods that philosophers use to support their views. Rigorous yet accessible, the book introduces and illustrates the methodological considerations that are involved in current philosophical debates. Where there is controversy, the book presents the case for each side, but highlights where the key difficulties with them lie. While eminently student-friendly, the book makes an important contribution to the debate regarding the acceptability of the various philosophical methods, and so it will also be of interest to more experienced philosophers.
