What is this thing called Philosophy?

by Duncan Pritchard (Editor), Michael Brady (Contributor), Berit Brogaard (Contributor)

What is Knowledge? Where does it come from? Can we know anything at all? This lucid and engaging introduction grapples with these central questions in the theory of knowledge, offering a clear, non-partisan view of the main themes of epistemology including recent developments such as virture epistemology and contextualism. Duncan Pritchard discusses both traditional issues and contemporary ideas in thirteen easily digestible sections which include: the value of knowledge; the structure of knowledge; virtues and faculties; perception; testimony and memory; induction; and scepticism. What is this thing called knowledge? contains many helpful student-friendly features. Each chapter concludes with a useful summary of the main ideas discussed, study questions, annotated further reading, and a guide to web resources.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

408 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2015

About the author

Duncan Pritchard FRSE is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, UK. His main research area is epistemology, and he has published widely in this field, including the books Epistemic Luck (2005), Knowledge (2009), The Nature and Value of Knowledge (with A. Millar & A. Haddock, 2010), and Epistemological Disjunctivism (2012). In 2007 he was awarded a Phillip Leverhulme Prize for his research. In 2011 he was elected to a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Reviews

[Kevin Stilley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title "What is This Thing Called Philosophy" is an appropriate title because I think that a few of the contributors to the work don't really know and were helping someone would help them understand. Disappointing.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best introductory textbook for anyone looking to get a good grasp of the main areas of philosophy.