The Elements of Philosophy: Readings from Past and Present is a comprehensive collection of historical and contemporary readings across the major fields of philosophy. With depth and quality, this introductory anthology offers a selection of readings that is both extensive and expansive; the readings span twenty-five centuries. They are organized topically into five parts: Religion and Belief, Moral and Political Philosophy, Metaphysics and Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind and Language, and Life and Death. The product of the collaboration of three highly respected scholars in their fields - Tamar Szabó Gendler, Susanna Siegel, and Steven M. Cahn - The Elements of Philosophy also includes introductions from the editors, explanatory footnotes, and a glossary.

Table of Contents:
Preface: Note to the Reader: Note to the Instructor: Acknowledgments: About the Editors: INTRODUCTION What Is Philosophy?: Simon Blackburn The Elements of Logic: Simon Blackburn I. RELIGION AND BELIEF Introduction A. TRADITIONAL ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST THE EXISTENCE OF GOD The Ontological Argument--and Replies The Ontological Argument: Saint Anselm In Behalf of the Fool: Gaunilo Is Existence a Predicate?: G.E. Moore Why the Ontological Argument Fails: William Rowe The Cosmological Argument, the Argument from Design--and Replies The Cosmological Argument: Richard Taylor The Argument from Design: William Paley Does God Exist?: Ernest Nagel The Problem of Evil--and Replies The Problem of Evil: John Hick The Problem of Goodness: Steven M. Cahn B. GROUNDS FOR BELIEF The Wager: Blaise Pascal The Ethics of Belief: W.K. Clifford The Will to Believe: William James The Hiddenness of God: Robert McKim C. GOD AND SCIENCE: CONTEMPORARY DISCUSSIONS Theism and Modern Science: Nicholas Everitt II. MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY MORAL PHILOSOPHY Introduction A. THREE MAJOR ETHICAL THEORIES Utilitarianism John Stuart Mill, Selections from Utilitarianism Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism: J.J.C. Smart Utilitarianism, Integrity and Responsibility: Bernard Williams Deontology Immanuel Kant, Selections from Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals A Simplified Account of Kant's Ethics: Onora O'Neill Virtue Ethics Aristotle, Selections from the Nicomachean Ethics Normative Virtue Ethics: Rosalind Hursthouse B. SOME APPLICATIONS Moral Duties to the Poor Rich and Poor: Peter Singer Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor: Garrett Hardin "Aiding" the Global Poor: Thomas W. Pogge Vegetarianism and Animals Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases: Alastair Norcross A Critique of the Alleged Moral Basis of Vegetarianism: Carl Cohen C. PUZZLES AND CHALLENGES Puzzling Cases The Trolley Problem: Judith Jarvis Thomson Moral Luck: Thomas Nagel The Value of Morality Plato, "Glaucon's Challenge" from The Republic Moral Saints: Susan Wolf The Universality of Morality Egoism and Moral Skepticism: James Rachels The Challenge of Cultural Relativism: James Rachels Morality and Social Science Women's "Different Voice": Jennifer Saul Morality and Heuristics: Cass R. Sunstein POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Introduction D. JUSTICE, EQUALITY, AND THE STATE Thomas Hobbes, "Contract and Commonwealth" from Leviathan John Rawls, "Justice as Fairness" from A Theory of Justice Robert Nozick, "Distributive Justice" from Anarchy, State and Utopia E. JUST WAR Conventions and the Morality of War: George I. Mavrodes War and Innocence: Robert K. Fullinwider Self-Defense and the Killing of Non-Combatants: A Reply to Fullinwider: Lawrence A. Alexander III. METAPHYSICS AND EPISTEMOLOGY KNOWLEDGE AND REALITY Introduction A. DEFINING "KNOWLEDGE" Plato, "What is Knowledge?" from The Meno Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?: Edmund Gettier Robert Nozick, "Knowledge" from Philosophical Explanations B. SKEPTICISM AND RESPONSES Meditations 1 and 2: René Descartes Proof of an External World: G.E. Moore Certainty: G.E. Moore Robert Nozick, "Skepticism" from Philosophical Explanations Cartesian Skepticism and Inference to the Best Explanation: Jonathan Vogel C. KNOWLEDGE AND THE NATURE OF REALITY Plato, "The Allegory of the Cave" from The Republic George Berkeley, Selections from Of the Principles of Human Knowledge Posits and Reality: W.V.O. Quine Brains in a Vat: Hilary Putnam The Matrix as Metaphysics: David J. Chalmers Fiction: Robert Nozick D. INDUCTION David Hume, "Induction" from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Wesley Salmon, Selections from The Problem of Induction The New Riddle of Induction: Nelson Goodman METAPHYSICAL PERPLEXITIES Introduction E. TIME AND TIME TRAVEL Time and the Relativity of Simultaneity: Albert Einstein Time: Theodore Sider The Paradoxes of Time Travel: David Lewis F. FREE WILL Freedom and Necessity: A.J. Ayer Human Freedom and the Self: Roderick M. Chisholm Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person: Harry Frankfurt Freedom and Resentment: Peter Strawson G. IDENTITY AND PERSONAL IDENTITY John Locke, "Of Identity and Diversity" from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding The Self and the Future: Bernard Williams Derek Parfit, "Personal Identity" from Reasons and Persons IV. PHILOSOPHY OF MIND AND LANGUAGE MIND Introduction A. METAPHYSICS OF MIND Dualism and Behaviorism Sixth Meditation: René Descartes Understanding Nyaya-Vaisesika Dualism: Kisor Kumar Chakrabarti Descartes' Myth: Gilbert Ryle Physicalism Physicalism: Daniel Stoljar Sensations and Brain Processes: J.J.C. Smart Eliminative Materialism and the Propositional Attitudes: Paul M. Churchland Challenges to Physicalism Saul Kripke, The Modal Argument The Knowledge Argument: Frank Jackson B. CONSCIOUSNESS AND PERCEPTION Consciousness What Is It Like to Be a Bat?: Thomas Nagel Quining Qualia: Daniel C. Dennett Concepts of Consciousness: Ned Block Minds and Machines Computing Machinery and Intelligence: A.M. Turing Can Computers Think?: John Searle Perception Reasoning About Our Experience: J.J. Valberg The Argument from Illusion: A Defense of Sense Data: A.J. Ayer The Argument from Illusion: A Critique of Sense Data: J.L. Austin LANGUAGE Introduction C. LANGUAGE, MEANING, AND REFERENCE Logic and Conversation: H.P. Grice Language and Problems of Knowledge: Noam Chomsky The Problem of the Essential Indexical: John Perry V. LIFE AND DEATH Introduction A. LIFE Plato, "On the Harmony of the Soul" from The Republic Existentialism: Jean-Paul Sartre What Makes Someone's Life Go Best: Derek Parfit The Absurd: Thomas Nagel B. DEATH Death: Thomas Nagel Death Without Dread: Walter Kaufmann Glossary: Notes: Resources: