Fundamentals of Philosophy, 8th edition

Fundamentals of Philosophy offers a broad scope of classic and contemporary selections from the world’s major thinkers via a narrative format that presents difficult issues and readings in a simplified manner for students.

Its readings are grouped around nine major themes/chapters, and are organized as a debate on one central issue. This approach helps students understand the argumentative style of philosophy, and learn how philosophic issues and solutions they encounter can be applied to their everyday life.

A better teaching and learning experience
This program will provide a better teaching and learning experience–for you and your students. Here’s how:

• Improve Critical Thinking — “Questions for Discussion” and a “Glossary of Terms” help students study.
• Engage Students — “Biographies” and “Recent Developments” stimulate student interest and understanding of philosophy’s contemporary applications.
• Support Instructors — An Instructor’s Manual to accompany the text are available.

• Fundamentals of Philosophy includes more material than can be covered in a single academic term, so instructors have options for their course.  (ex. p. ix)
• The readings are grouped around nine major themes/chapters (listed below) and are organized as a debate on one central issue:
  • What is Philosophy? 
  • Thinking About Thinking (Logic)
  • What is Real? (Metaphysics)
  • How Do We Know? (Epistemology)
  • What Ought We to Do? (Ethics)
  • Philosophy of Religion
  • Philosophy of Art (Aesthetics)
  • Social and Political Philosophy
  • Eastern Thought
• Chapter 3 (Philosophy’s History) gives students an introduction to the history of ideas.  (ex. p. 17)
• Thomas A. Shipka’s “Are You a Critical Thinker” in Chapter 8 (Strategies for Philosophical Argument)provides students with a discussion of techniques essential to thinking about philosophical concepts.
• The section on logical and analytical techniques presents students with discussions and readings on necessary and sufficient conditions, inductive arguments, casual reasoning, definition, analysis, and the difference between truth and validity. (ex. p. 46)
• The section on Eastern thought focuses on philosophical rather than religious issues in Eastern thought. (ex. p. 475)

IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING

• Questions for Discussion within each chapter encourage students to understand philosophy as a living discipline. (ex. p. 55)
• A Glossary of Terms provides easy access to important terminology. (ex. p. 519)

ENGAGE STUDENTS

• Biographies and pictures of all major philosophers stimulate interest in the issues by situating each philosopher’s position within the context of his/her life. (ex. p. 342)
• “Recent Developments” in each chapter help students understand the contemporary applications of philosophy. (ex. p. 418)

SUPPORT INSTRUCTORS

• The Instructor’s Manual includes a brief overview, suggested classroom activities, suggested answers to the “Questions for Discussion” in each chapter, and a test bank of questions with answers.
• Create a Custom Text: For enrollments of at least 25, create your own textbook by combining chapters from best-selling Pearson textbooks and/or reading selections in the sequence you want. To begin building your custom text, visit www.pearsoncustomlibrary.com. You may also work with a dedicated Pearson Custom editor to create your ideal text–publishing your own original content or mixing and matching Pearson content. Contact your Pearson Publisher’s Representative to get started.

Found in this Section:

1. Overview of Changes

2. Chapter-by-Chapter Changes

1. Overview of Changes

THEMATICALLY INTRODUCES STUDENTS TO THE MAJOR PHILOSOPHIC THINKERS.

• Chapter 20 (Moral Skepticism) is new to the 8^th edition.
  • The chapter considers philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche who are skeptical of the core of traditional morality. It also discusses other philosophers like J.L. Mackie who are skeptical of the existence of objective moral facts.  (ex. p. 248)
  • A selection from J.L. Mackie’s “Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong” is included, as is a reconstruction and evaluation of Mackie’s argument from relativity.  (ex. p. 254)
• Chapter 21 (Morality and Metaphysics) is also new to the 8^th edition.
  • The centerpiece of the chapter is an article by Matthew Jordan on whether morality is dependent on the existence of God. (ex. p. 265)
  • The chapter includes analysis of ordinary commitment to the existence of objective moral facts.  (ex. p. 261)
  • The authors consider non-naturalism, intuitionalism, and divine command theory in their discussions. (ex. p. 263)
• Expanded coverage of traditional issues in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. (ex. p. 74)
• The discussion of philosophy and pop culture for this edition has been condensed and now focuses on connections made to specific issues within the various chapters. (ex. p. 386)

SUPPORT INSTRUCTORS

• The Instructor’s Manual was revised to reflect changes in the 8^th edition. 
• Create a Custom Text: For enrollments of at least 25, create your own textbook by combining chapters from best-selling Pearson textbooks and/or reading selections in the sequence you want. To begin building your custom text, visit www.pearsoncustomlibrary.com. You may also work with a dedicated Pearson Custom editor to create your ideal text—publishing your own original content or mixing and matching Pearson content. Contact your Pearson Publisher’s Representative to get started.

2. Chapter-by-Chapter Changes

Chapter 9: Introduction to Metaphysics

• The information on Plato’s metaphysics has been expanded to include discussion his account of human nature.
• A selection on the immateriality of the soul from Plato’s “Phaedo” has been added.

Chapter 15: René Descartes: The Quest for Certainty

• This chapter now includes an extended discussion of the theistic foundations to Descartes’ epistemology.
• New commentary explains the role played by Descartes’ proofs for God’s existence and the authenticity in his epistemology.
• A substantial selection from the Third Mediation has been added.

Chapter 16: David Hume: Trust Your Senses

• This chapter was expanded to include an explanation of Hume’s classification of perceptions and his “copy principle.”
• A selection from section II of Hume’s “Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding” was added.

Chapter 17: A Compromise

• The discussion of Kant’s epistemology now includes expanded treatment of his classification of judgments.
• Discussion of Kant’s Copernican Revolution in epistemology has been expanded.
• The selection from the Introduction to Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason” has been expanded to include passages in which Kant discusses the place of synthetic a priori judgments in mathematics, the natural sciences, and traditional metaphysics.

Chapter 19: Introduction to Ethical Reasoning

• The section on why one should be moral has been eliminated. Some of the material, including the discussion of Nietzsche, was moved to the new chapter on moral skepticism.