Philosophy: Great Thinkers and Great Theories

by David Papineau

Why should we be good? Why should we value life? Do other people have minds? Philosophy strikes right to the heart of what it means to be human...

Weaving together thought-provoking debates, stimulating ideas and illuminating insights from the world s great thinkers, Philosophy offers a rigorous yet thoroughly accessible survey of the history of Western thought from Plato to Derrida and beyond.

referred to as the the queen of all sciences by none other than Immanuel Kant, philosophy is the study of, well, everything. What is reality? Is there a god? How do we gauge morality, reason, right and wrong? Should we even try? Analyzing these questions has been the great ongoing task of our philosophical tradition for centuries. And today, these questions continue to inspire, incite and confound us as each new generation adds a fresh new wrinkle to the quandary of human Can we justify invading a sovereign nation? Dropping a nuclear bomb? Cloning? Abortion? Creating artificial intelligence? These debates continue to rage on all over the world in classrooms, living rooms, online, on television, and in this expertly curated book.

Each chapter of Philosophy offers an in-depth exploration of the ideas surrounding a key category of contemplation, including the World, the Mind and Body, Knowledge, Faith, Ethics, Aesthetics and Society. Offering concise and informative studies of history s great cultural critics, and contributions from some of the biggest names in contemporary philosophy, this compact yet powerful volume is the perfect companion for anyone interested in tackling life s biggest questions.

Featuring what the Humanist called A stellar cast of academic philosophers to guide the uninitiated through the fundamental questions, contributors to Philosophy include Tim Crane ( The World ), Jesse Prinz ( Mind and Body ), Adam Morton ( Knowledge ), John Graham Cottingham ( Faith ), Brenda Almond ( Ethics and Aesthetics ), and Jonathan Wolff ( Society ).

Genres: Philosophy, History, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

David Papineau ( born 1947) is a British academic philosopher, born in Como, Italy.[1] He works as Professor of Philosophy of Science at King's College London and the City University of New York Graduate Center having previously taught for several years at Cambridge University where he was a fellow of Robinson College.

Papineau was born in Italy and grew up in Trinidad, England and South Africa.[citation needed] He received a BSc in mathematics from the University of Natal and a BA and PhD in philosophy from the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Ian Hacking.

He has worked in metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophies of science, mind, and mathematics. His overall stance is naturalist and realist. He is one of the originators of the teleosemantic theory of mental representation, a solution to the problem of intentionality which derives the intentional content of our beliefs from their biological purpose. He is also a defender of the a posteriori physicalist solution to the mind-body problem

Papineau was elected President of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science for 1993–5, of the Mind Association for 2009–10 and of the Aristotelian Society for 2013-4

His latest book Knowing the Score (2017) is written for a general readership, and looks at a number of ways in which sporting issues cast light on long-standing philosophical problems.

Papineau lives in London with his wife, Rose Wild

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this might be helpful for teaching my students philosophy but after reading it I'm not convinced. Not only are some of the most important concepts not explained well, but the book also seems to be all over the place quite often and I think it would be confusing for "philosophy newbies".

Besides that, the German edition that I read is full of typos and grammatical mistakes and also features quite a few incorrectly translated phrases and sentences - quite disappointing!

[Robbertus · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent book to get a feel for most of the important philosophical theories, but I find it a bit lackluster and surface level. I also found a hint of bias which is not bad in it of it self, but it is never explicitly stated and/or proper discussed, but maybe I see something that isn't there.

[somerventures · Rating 3 out of 5]

a generous rating considering the book was paradoxically surface level yet not appropriate for someone without a background in basic tenants of philosophy. that being said, the thematic organization was beneficial, seeing as many philosophers wrote on many subjects