Author Description

Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings, Fourth Edition, is a highly acclaimed topically organized anthology featuring eighty four selections that cover five major areas of philosophy theory of knowledge, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, freedom and determinism, and moral philosophy. Louis P. Pojman and new coeditor James Fieser enhance the text's topical organization by presenting opposing articles on each issue so that students can better understand different perspectives. Offering a unique feature for a collection of this depth, the editors also include accessible introductions to each part, subsection, and individual reading, providing context for the essays and summarizing their key themes.Beginning with the opening section, "What Is Philosophy?", the book focuses on a compelling sampling of classical material including selections from Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. It also incorporates some of philosophy's best contemporary work, offering articles by Harry Frankfurt, Richard Taylor, John Searle, Thomas Nagel, and others. The volume is enriched by helpful pedagogical features including "Questions for Further Reflection" after each selection; "Suggestions for Further Reading" at the end of the book; a glossary; and two appendices "How to Read and Write a Philosophy Paper" and "A Little Bit of Logic."The fourth edition includes the complete text of Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy and nine new selections:* Sextus Empiricus: "Skepticism and Tranquility"* Lorraine Code: "A Feminist Epistemology?"* Samuel Clarke and David Hume: "The Causal Argument for God"* Voltaire: "The Best of All Possible Worlds?"* René Descartes: "Interactive Dualism"* Anne Conway: "Mind and Body as a Continuum"* Epictetus: "Stoic Resignation to Fate"* David Hume: "Morality Not Derived from Reason"* Alfred Jules Ayer: "Emotivism and Prescriptivism"