Are humans really selfish and greedy, or generous and kind? Does anyone have the right to tell you what ‘good’ and ‘bad’ mean? Is morality about obeying a set of rules or thinking about the consequences?
Ethics affects everyone. Moral dilemmas can be big or small, from whether to keep pets pr recycle assiduously to how to use your vote, or whether it’s right to assist someone who wants to die. We all have our own ideas about what is right and what is wrong, but is this something we can know rather than merely believe?
Introducing Ethics traces the arguments of great moral philosophers...
Philosophers have always enjoyed asking awkward and provocative questions. Some of these include: What is the nature of reality? What are human beings really like? What is special about the human mind and consciousness? Are we free to choose who we are and what we do? Can we prove that God exists? Can we be certain about anything at all? What is truth? Does language provide us with a true picture of the world? How should we behave towards each other? Do computers think?
Written by Dave Robinson and illustrated by Judy Groves, Introducing Philosophy is a comprehensive and enjoyable graphic guide to philosophical thinking.
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Introducing Descartes explains why he is usually called the father of modern philosophy. It is a clear and accessible guide to all the puzzling questions that Descartes asked about human beings and their place in the world. It gives a lucid account of Descartes’ contributions to modern science, mathematics and the Philosophy of Mind, and also reveals why Descartes liked to do all of his serious thinking in bed.
Introducing Plato begins by explaining how philosophers like Socrates and Pythagoras influenced Plato’s thought. It provides a clear account of Plato’s puzzling theory of knowledge, and explains how this theory then directed his provocative views on politics, ethics and individual liberty. It offers detailed critical commentaries on all of the key doctrines of Platonism, especially the very odd theory of Forms, and concludes by revealing how Plato’s philosophy stimulated the work of important modern thinkers such as Karl Popper, Martha Nussbaum and Jacques Derrida.