Philosophy Matters An Introduction to Philosophy

Written for those who may be approaching the subject for the first time, Philosophy Matters shows that philosophy is crucial in questioning our presuppositions, and for helping us to establish our own beliefs about the nature of the world.

Preface.

Part I: What is Philosophy?:.

1. The Origins of Philosophy.

2. The Contemporary Situation.

3. Knowledge and Reason.

4. Progress in Philosophy.

5. Philosophy and the World.

Part II: Science and the World:.

6. Empiricism.

7. The Authority of Science.

8. Many Universes.

9. Physicalism and Naturalism.

Part III: Can We Understand the World?:.

10. Science and Reason.

11. The Influence of the Enlightenment.

12. What makes Science Successful?.

13. Autonomy and Choice.

Part IV: Modernity:.

14. Laws of Nature.

15. Mechanism and Machines.

16. The Reaction against Modernity.

17. The Lure of Pragmatism.

Part V: Relativism and its Flaws:.

18. Tradition and Truth.

19. A Shared World.

20. Translation and Conceptual Differences.

21. The Incoherence of Relativism.

Part VI: The Impact of Darwinism:.

22. Relativism and Scientism.

23. Darwinism.

24. A Vicious Circle.

25. Causes and Content.

Part VII: The Challenge of Determinism:.

26. The Limits of Causation?.

27. Blind Matter.

28. Reasons and Causes.

29. Do Causes Undermine Reasons?.

Part VIII: Materialism and the Laws of Nature:.

30. The Status of Mathematics.

31. Mathematics and Materialism.

32. Laws of Nature.

33. Contingent Order.

Part IX: The Brain and the Mind:.

34. The Attack on Dualism.

35. Are We Machines?.

36. The Importance of Feelings.

37. Emergence and Causation.

Part X: Reason and Philosophy:.

38. Reason and Matter.

39. Can We Accept the Non-material?.

40. Two Worlds.

41. Philosophy Matters.

Roger Trigg is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is Chairman of the United Kingdom National Committee for Philosophy, representing all British philosophy departments. He is the author of many books and articles, including Rationality and Science (Blackwell 1993), Rationality and Religion (Blackwell 1998), Ideas of Human Nature (second edition, Blackwell 1999) and Understanding Social Science (second edition, Blackwell 2000).