-Philosophy

This book is a history of modern psychology, beginning with the publication of Fechner's elements of Psychophysics in the mid-19th century to the present. It approaches the history of psychology from a scientific perspective. Chapter topics include: the psychology of consciousness, the unconscious mind, and adaptation; the conspiracy of naturalism; the golden age and decline of behaviorism; the rise of cognitive science; the birth of applied psychology; the rise of professional psychology; and the psychological society. For individuals interested in the history of psychology—and what it is today.

This book is an accessible introduction to the central themes of contemporary metaphysics. It carefully considers accounts of causation, freedom and determinism, laws of nature, personal identity, mental states, time, material objects, and properties, while inviting students to reflect on metaphysical problems. The philosophical questions discussed include: What makes it the case that one event causes another event? What are material objects? Given that material objects exist, do such things as properties exist? What makes it the case that a person may exist at two different times? An Introduction to Metaphysics makes these tough questions tractable by presenting the features and flaws of current attempts to answer them. Intended primarily for students taking a first class in metaphysics, this lucid and well-written text would also provide an excellent introduction for anyone interested in knowing more about this important area of philosophy.

This title explains the moral problems of abortion, infanticide, suicide, euthanasia, capital punishment, war and other life-or-death choices.

Engaging, accessible, and up-to-date, this work introduces the central debates of English language philosophy since 1945. It begins with a brief description of philosophical debate during the first half of the twentieth century, offering fascinating discussions of writings by Wittgenstein, Ryle, Austin, Quine, and Sellars. It then describes several ensuing philosophical debates that have shaped philosophical discussions since the 1960s, addressing the Davidson/Dummett debate on language; the Kripke/Lewis debate on possible worlds; the Popper/Kuhn debate on the justification in epistemology; the debates on materialism, functionalism, and dual-aspect theories of mind; and recent work in moral psychology, metaethics, and normative ethics. It also includes a critical discussion of Rorty's metaphilosophical skepticism and pays extensive attention to writings of Strawson, Putnam, Evans, McDowell, Williams, Nagel, and many other contemporary philosophers.

Conversations in Philosophy: Crossing the Boundaries consists of essays that revolve around the question of the nature and meaning of philosophy, even as it demonstrates philosophyâs significance and relevance to some fundamental human problems and issues. The essays present diverse views of what philosophy might be and might aspire to be, with contributors being influenced by a wide range of philosophical approaches and traditions. The conversations also cut across disciplinary boundaries to interrogate and utilize ideas taken from ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, literary studies, cultural studies, and the sociology of science. Traversing regional boundaries, the essays show philosophical analysis at work in exploring some issues pertinent to African, Caribbean, European and American experiences, even while not ignoring Asian traditions. The collection presents interesting and intriguing views on how philosophical inquiry can illuminate various pressing problems: development, conflict, the discriminating preservation of worthwhile traditions, and the prevalence of apathy. It also reflects the vitality and multifaceted nature of philosophical discourse in grappling with live issues. Conversations in Philosophy is a comprehensive, balanced, and unique anthology of readings capturing the diversity of philosophical investigation.

A comprehensive update of the best-selling first edition, this revitalized new text presents readers with a series of clear, well-written entries focusing on fifty of the most influential philosophers from the last two thousand years.

Chosen to present the traditional mainstream of European philosophy, the text also provides a critical survey that meets the needs of readers seeking a broad basic understanding as well as a foundation for further philosophical enquiry.

Encompassing a wide range of ancient, medieval and modern philosophers, features of the second edition include:

• new entries on Dewey, Collingwood, Popper, Quine, Merleau-Ponty, Ayer and Rawls
• a thorough revision of existing entries
• a complete update of the further reading section
• an expanded glossary
• the addition of an alphabetical table of contents and an index for ease of use.

Authoritative and highly readable, this book is a vital reference tool for all those wishing to improve their understanding of some of the world’s most fascinating intellectual figures.

This book introduces the fundamental methods and techniques of correct reasoning, in a manner that shows the relevance of the topics to readers everyday lives. Many new exercises introduced in this edition help supplement and support explanations, aid in review, and make the book visually stimulating. Includes many fascinating illustrations taken from the history of science as well as from contemporary research in the physical and biological sciences, plus introduces an abundance of new exercises throughout, complete with solutions for the first exercise in a set. Appropriate for those in business, education, political, or psychology careers.

A passionate celebrator of "sexual difference," Luce Irigaray was never simply after the social equality that her generation so publicly demanded. She was seeking more fundamentally a society that celebrated the differences between the genders and their coming together in a union without hierarchy. As she formulates it in this compellingly readable introduction to her own thought, Irigaray is writing about how "I" and "You" become "We." Exploring along the way women’s experiences of motherhood, abortion, the AIDS crisis and the beauty industry, this book presents one of the most important thinkers of our day in her own words.

This introductory text for students gives a thematic survey of the ideas of the major philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries. Topics include Perception And Ideas, Matter And Motion, Necessity And Freedom, And Minds and persons.

What parent hasn't wondered "What do I do now?" as a baby cries or a teenager glares? Making babies may come naturally, but knowing how to raise them doesn't. As primatologist-turned-psychologist Harriet J. Smith shows in this lively safari through the world of primates, parenting by primates isn't instinctive, and that's just as true for monkeys and apes as it is for humans.

In this natural history of primate parenting, Smith compares parenting by nonhuman and human primates. In a narrative rich with vivid anecdotes derived from interviews with primatologists, from her own experience breeding cottontop tamarin monkeys for over thirty years, and from her clinical psychology practice, Smith describes the thousand and one ways that primate mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, and even babysitters care for their offspring, from infancy through young adulthood.

Smith learned the hard way that hand-raised cottontop tamarins often mature into incompetent parents. Her observation of inadequate parenting by cottontops plus her clinical work with troubled human families sparked her interest in the process of how primates become "good-enough" parents. The story of how she trained her tamarins to become adequate parents lays the foundation for discussions about the crucial role of early experience on parenting in primates, and how certain types of experiences, such as anxiety and social isolation, can trigger neglectful or abusive parenting.

Smith reveals diverse strategies for parenting by primates, but she also identifies parenting behaviors crucial to the survival and development of primate youngsters that have stood the test of time.

(20060201)