Philosophy in Practice: An Introduction to the Main Questions

Philosophy in Practice is a completely new kind of introductory textbook, focusing on philosophy as an activity, rather than a doctrine. At its heart is a stimulating sequence of exercises, activities, and examples that lead the student directly into philosophical thinking and arguing.

The book is divided into three parts, concentrating on issues of reason, experience, and reality. Each is covered in a way that makes clear both the key connections between metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics, and the main trends in the history of philosophy. It provides the ideal general introduction to philosophy.

This second edition has been extensively revised. There are new discussions of the philosophy of religion, freedom, The Matrix, and the epistemology of the Internet. In addition, a companion website includes an online teacher′s guide with resources for students, suggestions for teaching with the book, plus tests and essay topics: www.blackwellpublishing.com/pip

Thanks.

Note to Teachers.

The Contract.

Part I: The Lure of Certainty:.

1. Certainty and Doubt.

2. Sources of Conviction.

3. Rationalism.

4. Rationalism versus Relativism in Morals.

5. Induction and Deduction.

6. The Retreat from Certainty.

Postcard History of Philosophy I.

Part II: Life in an Uncertain World: .

7. Utilitarianism.

8. Kantian Ethics.

9. Empiricism.

10. Beyond Empiricism.

11. Objectivity.

Postcard History of Philosophy II.

Part III: Reality: .

12. Materialism and Dualism.

13. Morality for Naturalists.

14. Deep Illusions.

15. Realism.

Postcard History of Philosophy III.

Definitions.

Index.

Adam Morton is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oklahoma. He has previously taught at Princeton University, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Bristol. His publications include Frames of Mind (1980), Disasters and Dilemmas (Blackwell, 1991), The Importance of being Understood: Folk Psychology as Ethics (2002), A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge (third edition, Blackwell, 2003), and On Evil (2004).

"This second edition of Morton′s Philosophy in Practice is the best introductory textbook on the market. Morton′s approach to teaching takes into account what we have learned about learning and critical thinking over the past twenty years, and the text emphasizes doing philosophy as an integral part of learning it. If you want an introductory textbook which makes it possible to teach philosophy as a verb to undergraduates, one that makes possible real conversation with beginners, this is it." Michael Silberstein, Elizabethtown College <!––end––>

"I find it hard to imagine that one could get very far into this engaging book without wanting to think through, for oneself, the core issues of philosophy. Fortunately, Adam Morton has also provided the basic resources one would need to deal responsibly with those great issues." Gareth B. Matthews, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, author of Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of Philosophy