Philosophy Major’s Introduction to Philosophy

<p>Many philosophy majors are shocked by the gap between the relative ease of lower-level philosophy courses and the difficulty of upper-division courses. This book serves as a necessary bridge to upper-level study in philosophy by offering rigorous but concise and accessible accounts of basic concepts and distinctions that are used throughout the discipline. It serves as a valuable advanced introduction to any undergraduate who is moving into upper-level courses in philosophy. </p><p>While lower-level introductions to philosophy usually deal with popular topics accessible to the general student (such as contemporary moral issues free will and personal identity) in a piecemeal fashion <i>The Philosophy Major’s Introduction to Philosophy </i>offers coverage of important general philosophical concepts tools and devices that may be used for a long time to come in various philosophical areas. The volume is helpfully divided between a focus on the relation between language and the world in the first three chapters and coverage of mental content in the final two chapters but builds a coherent narrative from start to finish. It also provides ample study questions and helpful signposts throughout making it a must-have for any student attempting to engage fully with the problems and arguments in philosophy.</p><p> <b>Key Features</b></p><ul> <ul> <p> </p> <li>Integrates topics from various areas of philosophy such as philosophy of language metaphysics epistemology ethics and philosophical logic</li> <p> </p> <li>Provides descriptions of logico-mathematical tools necessary for philosophical studies such as propositional logic predicate logic modal logic set theory mereology and mathematical functions</li> <p> </p> <li>Makes connections with modern philosophy including discussions of Descartes’s skepticism and dualism Locke’s theory of personal identity Hume’s theory of causation and Kant’s synthetic a priori</li> <p> </p> <li>Includes well-known entertaining puzzles and thought experiments such as the Ship of Theseus the Statue and the Clay a Brain in a Vat and Twin Earth</li> <p> </p> <li>Lists helpful Exercise Questions and Discussion Questions at the end of each chapter and answers selected questions at the back of the book</li> </ul> </ul>