Books in the Problems of Philosophy series

Surveying the historical development and present condition of utilitarian ethics, Geoffrey Scarre concludes that whilst utilitarianism may not be a faultless moral doctrine, its positions are relevant and remain significant today.

Fully updated and expanded edition of the influential book on the philosophy of explanation, including ideas from Plato, Aristotle and JS Mill.

Considering the philosophical reasons why people will sometimes deliberately take the worst course of action, this book examines theories put forward by Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics. The author argues the case for weakness to be considered irrational.

Substance: Its Nature and Existence is one of the first non-technical, accessible guides to this central problem and will be of great use to students of metaphysics and philosophy.

Finn Collin guides students through the maze of questions raised by the problem of social reality.

This volume is concerned with those parts of Indian pramana theory that Western philosophers would count as logic and philosophy of language.

A controversial yet accessible introduction surveying perception. Covers theory from Descartes and the empiricists through Wittgenstein on privacy to contemporary physicalist theories, with a focus on the sense-datum theory.

This study disagrees that Wittgenstein has made the traditional philosophical problem of knowledge of the external world redundant. After a survey of the classic modern philosophers' views on the subject, the author offers his own original solution.

Harrison provides a clear justification of democracy, informed by facts and detailed knowledge of the work of theorists such as Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Mill and Marx amongst others.

Presents an historical perspective on scepticism by considering contrasting views, such as those Sextus Empiricus, Descartes and Hume, on why scepticism is important.

This book provides a broad survey of the existing views on political freedom, from conservative to radical. Brenkert identifies their weaknesses and presents his own alternative contribution to the debate.

How do I know whether there are minds besides my own? This accessible introduction provides a historical overview, and an investigation of the views of contemporary philosophers on one of the most important problems in philosophy.

A systematic account of the leading philosophical ideas about art and aesthetics from ancient times to the present day, proposing a new theory of aesthetic satisfaction and of artistic abilities which also explains why aesthetic experiences cannot be fully captured in words.

Nelson looks at how language relates to the world and more particularly at the referring power of names. The first half of the book details the history of the subject from Locke onwards and is followed by Nelson's own reference theory.

This text is a philosophical treatment of a topic which is of political and social importance to each and every one of us. Alan Haworth situates the main arguments for free speech by tracing their relationship to contemporary debates in politics and political philosophy.

An introduction to the central issue of epistemology. Schmitt assesses the debate on whether justified belief is an external or internal matter and traces the issue from its its ancient origins.

This is a valuable introduction to one of the most important traditions in political philosophy. This will be essential reading for students of politics and philosophy.

Time offers a comprehensive history of the philosophy of time in western philosophy from the Greeks through to the twentieth century.

The first up-to-date and comprehensive examination of all issues pertaining to realism about possible worlds. An invaluable introduction to the topic, it includes many original developments and insights.

When did Rembrandt get old? Such questions eventually lead us to the problem of vagueness. Williamson traces its history, questions conventional theories and defends the realist view that vagueness is a kind of ignorance.

The Moral Self offers a dynamic, interdisciplinary slant on the discussion of moral theory, and will be of great interest and use to students of philosophy as well as psychology.

The Mind and Its World provides a clear and accessible introduction to a cluster of contemporary controversies in the area of the philosophy of mind and language.

Providing the reader with afirst-hand acquaintance of the religious philosophies of such classic writers as Aquinas and Hume, Hughes goes on to discuss their arguments in the light of current debates.