In this book: 'Philosophy is like fish: best presented without too much adornment; hard to get just right and easy to ruin.' What's the point of it all? In Philosophy: All That Matters, bestselling philosopher Julian Baggini shows how abstract ideas feed into the most important existential questions of all. He tells the story of Philosophy, bringing together and interlinking all its different areas, to create what is perhaps the first non-historical narrative of the subject -- one that takes you right to its heart. It places philosophy firmly at the centre of what makes us human. From ethics and metaphysics, to the philosophy of science and religion, Baggini explains what makes us different to other species, why philosophy lies at the heart of that difference, and why that matters. This accessible and readable book will appeal to both students and general readers, giving a fascinating taste of philosophy -- and what matters most within it. The All That Matters series: All That Matters books: All books in the All That Matters series are written by world experts in their subject field. These experts work to distil a topic and get right to its heart, making the book accessible for both students and general readers. Each compelling book contains new and interesting perspectives and tells stories that matter. The Author: 'one of our most lucid and accessible popularisers of philosophy' Julian Baggini is a philosopher, author and journalist, who was recently named on the Observer's list of Britain's top public intellectuals. His doctorate was from University College London on the philosophy of personal identity, and his books have been published globally and translated into twelve languages. Baggini is widely regarded as one of our most lucid and accessible popularisers of philosophy. His work appears regularly in the Guardian, Prospect and the New Humanist, and he founder The Philosophers Magazine. Julian has also appeared as a character in an Alexander McCall Smith novel, and been the subject of a question in University Challenge. Keep up with Julian Baggini on his website or follow his Twitter account @microphilosophy . Other books in the All That Matters series: All That Matters - Interesting introductions to important issues Books on the following subjects are available from the All That Matters series: Muhammad, Water, Political Philosophy, Sustainability, God, Intelligence, Love, Russian Revolution, War, and Creativity. Philosophy - understand philosophy - story of philosophy - existential questions - abstract - the human mind - moral philosophy - ethics - metaphysics - science - religion - accessible - pocket sized - All That Matters - world expert - students - general interest - an introduction to philosophy - ideas - e-book - what is philosophy - knowledge - Plato - Hegel - Descartes

What is political philosophy? A philosophical study of political ideas such as authority, freedom, justice and democracy? An inquiry into the best form of government? An attempt to rationally justify forms of authority? Johanna Oksana asks exactly these questions as she opens this brilliant new guide to political philosophy. Rather than attempting to provide the reader with a definite answer, the book invites readers to recognize many of the issues encountered in everyday life as political, the outcome of human practices that incorporate power relations, social norms and obligations. It suggests that political philosophy should be understood as an open-ended, critical project that to some extent concerns everyone. The book employs an original structure which will be a huge help to both students and general readers seeking to understand the topic. Each chapter, which moves chronologically from antiquity to the twentieth century, focuses on selected classic texts in political philosophy, which are briefly introduced and analysed. The texts then function as a springboard for a discussion of central contemporary issues in political philosophy.

On 29th May 1919, British astronomers tested Einstein's theory of relativity by measuring the path of the stars travelling near the sun during an eclipse. On 7th November 1919, the results of that experiment were announced in London, proving Einstein's theory of relativity. A Theory of Everything (that Matters) has been written in celebration of this 100th anniversary. With the confirmation of Einstein's theories at the beginning of the twentieth century, our understanding of the universe became much more complex. What does this mean for religious belief, and specifically Christianity? Does it mean, as so many people assume, the death of God? In A Theory of Everything (that Matters) Alister McGrath - Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University - explores these questions, giving an overview of Einstein's thought and scientific theories, including his nuanced thinking on the difference between the scientific enterprise and beliefs outside its realm. This groundbreaking book is for anyone intrigued by Einstein as one of the twentieth century's most iconic figures, who wants to know what his theories mean for religion, and who is interested in the conversation between science and religions more broadly. 'An excellent study of Einstein's theories in relation to his beliefs about God' - starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

The question of unintelligibility does not arise with regard to books of fiction, such as the stories and novels, irrespective of how they are written. Even if a story is not understood, there is no great harm done. The problem is with the theoretical essays. Even there, there is no problem with the essays related to the natural science, if the language is simple. The real problem is with the books of philosophy! When we find the word ‘philosophy’ on the face of the book, we feel that ‘this book is meant for the scholars, not for us,’ The very word ‘philosophy’ at the outset will scare us immensely. When we read the word ‘philosophy’ on the face of a book, it does not mean that it represents ‘a great truth’ or ‘a great science.' The contents of the book could be correct or useless or a blend of both. The logic of the book will be in accordance with the philosophy of the book. A correct one will have a correct logic, a wrong one will have a wrong logic, and a vacillating one will have a vacillating logic.

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring The tradition of ancient philosophy is a long, rich and varied one. Julia Annas gives a succinct account of ancient Greco-Roman philosophy, emphasizing its freshness and variety of themes, and its approach of lively discussion and argument. Getting away from the presentation of ancient philosophy as a succession of Great Thinkers, the book gives readers a sense of the freshness and liveliness of ancient philosophy, and of its wide variety of themes and styles. This new edition has been fully updated to reflect updates in the field, with new illustrations and up to date further reading to allow further exploration of the field. The text has been expanded and modernized to be more comprehensive and accessible to the general reader, as well as exploring the relation of the tradition of ancient Greco-Roman philosophy to other traditions and to us. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Philosophy, Science, and History: A Guide and Reader is a compact overview of the history and philosophy of science that aims to introduce students to the groundwork of the field, and to stimulate innovative research. The general introduction focuses on scientific theory change, assessment, discovery, and pursuit. Part I of the Reader begins with classic texts in the history of logical empiricism, including Reichenbach’s discovery-justification distinction. With careful reference to Kuhn’s analysis of scientific revolutions, the section provides key texts analyzing the relationship of HOPOS to the history of science, including texts by Santayana, Rudwick, and Shapin and Schaffer. Part II provides texts illuminating central debates in the history of science and its philosophy. These include the history of natural philosophy (Descartes, Newton, Leibniz, Kant, Hume, and du Châtelet in a new translation); induction and the logic of discovery (including the Mill-Whewell debate, Duhem, and Hanson); and catastrophism versus uniformitarianism in natural history (Playfair on Hutton and Lyell; de Buffon, Cuvier, and Darwin). The editor’s introductions to each section provide a broader perspective informed by contemporary research in each area, including related topics. Each introduction furnishes proposals, including thematic bibliographies, for innovative research questions and projects in the classroom and in the field.

Pithy, direct, and bold: essays that propose new ways to think about old problems, spanning a range of philosophical topics. In Philosophical Provocations, Colin McGinn offers a series of short, sharp essays that take on philosophical problems ranging from the concept of mind to paradox, altruism, and the relation between God and the Devil. Avoiding the usual scholarly apparatus and embracing a blunt pithiness, McGinn aims to achieve as much as possible in as short a space as possible while covering as many topics as possible. Much academic philosophical writing today is long, leaden, citation heavy, dense with qualifications, and painful to read. The essays in Philosophical Provocations are short, direct, and engaging, often challenging philosophical orthodoxy as they consider issues in mind, language, knowledge, metaphysics, biology, ethics, and religion. McGinn is looking for new ways to think about old problems. Thus he writes, about consciousness, “I think we have been all wrong,” and goes on to suggest that both consciousness and the unconscious are mysteries. Summing up his proposal on altruism, he remarks, “My suggestion can now be stated, somewhat brutally, as follows: human altruism is the result of parasitic manipulation.” He takes a moment to reflect: “I really don't know why it is good to be alive, though I am convinced that the standard suggestions don't work.” McGinn gets straight to the point and states his position with maximum clarity. These essays offer provocative invitations to think again.

Sixteenth century philosophy was a unique synthesis of several philosophical frameworks, a blend of old and new, including but not limited to Scholasticism, Humanism, Neo-Thomism, Aristotelianism, and Stoicism. Unlike most overviews of this period, The Routledge Companion to Sixteenth Century Philosophy does not simplify this colorful era by applying some traditional dichotomies, such as the misleading line once drawn between scholasticism and humanism. Instead, the Companion closely covers an astonishingly diverse set of topics: philosophical methodologies of the time, the importance of the discovery of the new world, the rise of classical scholarship, trends in logic and logical theory, Nominalism, Averroism, the Jesuits, the Reformation, Neo-stoicism, the soul’s immortality, skepticism, the philosophies of language and science and politics, cosmology, the nature of the understanding, causality, ethics, freedom of the will, natural law, the emergence of the individual in society, the nature of wisdom, and the love of god. Throughout, the Companion seeks not to compartmentalize these philosophical matters, but instead to show that close attention paid to their continuity may help reveal both the diversity and the profound coherence of the philosophies that emerged in the sixteenth century. The Companion’s 27 chapters are published here for the first time, and written by an international team of scholars, and accessible for both students and researchers.