Goldinger, Milton : University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Summary
For courses in Introduction to Philosophy or Contemporary Philosophy.
One of the most successful texts in its field over the last 30 years, Philosophy and Contemporary Issues introduces
today's students to philosophy with timely, approachable readings of philosophical significance. The authors strive
to demonstrate how philosophy illuminates and helps solve some of the important problems facing contemporary man,
and they encourage students to engage in philosophizing themselves. This book successfully makes the subject interesting
and intelligible for students encountering philosophy for the first time.
Features
NEW--Eighteen readings--Incorporated throughout in sections devoted to philosophical issues, contemporary issues,
and Puzzles and Problems. Includes selections from Richard Dawkins, Richard Swinburne, A.C. Grayling, Peter Singer
and others.
Gives students a more well-rounded and up-to-date perspective on various issues.
One major philosophical problem covered in each section--Followed by contemporary issues stemming from that
problem.
Enables instructors to select those philosophical problems and contemporary issues that interest students.
Articles selected for their readability.
Provides students with selections they can read with comprehension.
Interesting pro and con articles on various contemporary issues.
Encourages students to delve into the readings so they can be drawn into the issues.
Problems and Puzzles section.
Piques students' interest and stimulates classroom discussion.
The relation of traditional philosophical issues to key contemporary problems--Follows explanation of each
issue with a related reading, then Puzzles and Problems reading.
Shows students the relevance of the text material.
Challenge conventional thinking and presents opposing viewpoints--Covers topics such as the limitation of immigration,
the existence of God, and the relation of mind and body.
Encourages students to reflect on issues raised and form their own views.
End-of-section bibliographies--Lists books and articles that are accessible to undergraduates.
Enables students to explore the subject further, with resources that are on a level they will be comfortable
with.
Table of Contents
GENERAL INTRODUCTION.
1. The Apology, Plato.
I. FREEDOM AND DETERMINISM.
2. The Delusion of Free Will, Robert Blatchford.
3. A Brief Defense of Free Will, Tibor Machen.
4. The Problem of Free Will, W. T. Stace.
5. What Means This Freedom?, John Hospers.
6. An Address Delivered to the Prisoners in the Chicago County Jail, Clarence Darrow.
7. The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment, C. S. Lewis.
8. Luck Swallows Everything, Galen Strawson.
9. Fate, Richard Taylor.
II. GOD AND RELIGION.
10. Seven Reasons Why a Scientist Believes in God, A. Cressy Morrison.
11. The Improbability of God, Richard Dawkins.
12. The Justification of Theism, Richard Swinburne.
13. Does God Exist? Reflections on Disbelief, Kai Neilsen.
14. God and the Problem of Evil, B. C. Johnson.
15. The Problem of Evil, John Hick.
16. The Ethics of Belief, W. K. Clifford.
17. The Will to Believe, William James.
18. My Confession, Leo Tolstoy.
19. Three Arguments for Nonbelief, Michael Martin.
III. MORALITY AND SOCIETY.
20. Ethical Relativism, W.T. Stace.
21. The Morality Trap, Harry Browne.
22. Utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham.
23. The Deep Beauty of the Golden Rule, R. M. MacIver.
24. People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution, William F. Baxter.
25. Environmental Values, Peter Singer.
26. An Almost Absolute Value in History, John T. Noonan, Jr.
27. A Defense of Abortion, Judith Jarvis Thompson.
28. The Case for Torture, Michael Levin.
29. The Survival Lottery, John Harris.
IV. STATE AND SOCIETY.
30. The Philosophical Presuppositions of Democracy, Sidney Hook.
31. Democratic Tyranny, Alexis de Tocqueville.
32. Man's Rights, Ayn Rand.
33. A Moral Case for Socialism, Kai Nielson.
34. The State, Murray W. Rothbard.
35. Pornography, Oppression, and Freedom: A Closer Look, Helen E. Longino.
36. Pornography, Jan Narveson.
37. Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping, Garrett Hardin.
38. Insiders and Outsiders, Peter Singer.
39. The Prisoner's Dilemma, Morton D. Davis.
40. Is It Rational to Be an Informed Voter? Anthony Downs.
41. Why a High Society is a Free Society, A.C. Graying.
V. MIND AND BODY.
42. Materialism, Hugh Elliot.
43. The Mind as Distinct from the Body, C. E. M. Joad.
44. The Problem of Other Minds, John Hospers.
45. Brain Transplants and Personal Identity: A Dialogue, Derek Parfit and Godfrey Vesey.
46. Can a Machine Think? Christopher Evans.
47. Minds or Machines, John Beloff.
48. The Myth of the Soul, Clarence Darrow.
49. Parable of the Chinese Room, John Searle.
VI. KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCE.
50. Meditations I and II, René Descartes.
51. Empiricism, Friedrich Paulsen.
52. Scepticism, A.C. Grayling.
53. The Detective as Scientist, Irving M. Copi.
54. The Limits and the Value of Scientific Method, Morris R. Cohen and Ernest Nagel.
55. Can Science Prove That God Does Not Exist? Theodore Schick, Jr.
56. Science Cannot Prove That God Does Not Exist, Bobby Treat.
57. A Consumer's Guide to Pseudoscience, James S. Trefil.
58. Baloney Detection, Michael Schermer.
59. Time Travel: Possible or Impossible?, John Hospers.
60. The Problem of the Criterion, Sextus Empiricus.
