Synopses & Reviews
This book is a defence of the philosophy of common sense broadly in the spirit of Thomas Reid and G.E. Moore. It breaks new ground by drawing on the work of Aristotle, contemporary evolutionary biology and psychology, and historical studies on the origins of early modern philosophy. Part One offers new answers to the questions: What counts as a common sense belief? Why should common sense beliefs be considered default positions?, and Why is it that philosophers so frequently end up denying what we all know to be true? Part Two defends common sense beliefs from specific challenges from prominent philosophers on topics from metaphysics to ethics.
Synopsis
How should one go about conducting the business of philosophy? And what should we make of the paradoxical conclusions defended by the great and the good of the discipline? In this book it is argued that, contrary to common practice, philosophical paradoxes and counter-intuitive theses ought to be taken as clear indications that errors of one form or another have been committed. The author presents a new account, defense, and illustration of this meta-philosophy of common sense, drawing on a variety of sources including the work of Aristotle, Reid, Moore, Ryle, Austin and Grice, current thinking in evolutionary biology and psychology, as well as an historically informed view of the origins of the 'spirit of modernity' so clearly exemplified by Descartes. This approach to philosophy is then illustrated in a series of studies on topical issues ranging from metaphysics to ethics.
Synopsis
This book is a defence of the philosophy of common sense in the spirit of Thomas Reid and G.E. Moore, drawing on the work of Aristotle, evolutionary biology and psychology, and historical studies on the origins of early modern philosophy. It defines and explores common sense beliefs, and defends them from challenges from prominent philosophers.
Synopsis
This book picks up the threads of G.E. Moore's philosophy of common sense and relocates it within contemporary discussion, arguing for a return to intuitionism.
About the Author
STEPHEN BOULTER is Senior Lecturer and Field Chair of Philosophy and Ethics within the Division of Theology, Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Oxford Brookes.
Table of Contents
PART I * The Meta-Philosophy of Common Sense * Evolutionary Theory and the Defence of Common Sense * Explanations of "The Amazing and Most Interesting Fact" * Our Forgotten Past * PART II * McDowell and Neo-Kantian Theories of Perception * Dummett and the Challenge of Semantic Anti-Realism * Eliminating Eliminative Materialism * Answering the Threat of Determinism * Defending Moral Realism * Conclusion PART I * The Meta-Philosophy of Common Sense * Evolutionary Theory and the Defence of Common Sense * Explanations of "The Amazing and Most Interesting Fact" * Our Forgotten Past * PART II * McDowell and Neo-Kantian Theories of Perception * Dummett and the Challenge of Semantic Anti-Realism * Eliminating Eliminative Materialism * Answering the Threat of Determinism * Defending Moral Realism * Conclusion