Thinking Things Through: An Introduction to Philosophical Issues and Achievements

From the criticisms commonly leveled at philosophy, one would think it were a top--all that going around and around and never really getting anywhere. Clark Glymour introduces philosophical theories that actually lead somewhere. He begins with the Greeks and ends with cutting edge computational theory, demonstrating the contributions of philosophy in such areas of logic, decision theory, computation, scientific method, and the mind. A word of warning, however: although Glymour excels at organizing and presenting ideas, he pulls no punches when it comes to the inherent complexity of some theories. He is a mathematician's philosopher. Designed as a textbook but worthy of a broader audience, each section of this book ends with an excellent bibliography so that curious readers can explore further.