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Print Price: $94.99

Format:
Paperback
688 pp.
2 tables, 8" x 10"

ISBN-13:
9780195430967

Copyright Year:
2011

Imprint: OUP Canada

Introducing Philosophy for Canadians

A Text with Integrated Readings, Canadian Edition

Robert C. Solomon and Douglas McDermid

Adapted from Robert C. Solomon's internationally successful Introducing Philosophy, this fully revised Canadian edition engages students with the core philosophical problems that have shaped human thought throughout history. Each chapter focuses on a central topic, combining primary-source readings with comprehensive analysis to illuminate essential questions about reality, religion, knowledge, mind-body relationships, freedom, ethics, and justice. Arguing that philosophical approaches are accessible and useful to everyone, the authors examine perspectives not only from Western and non-Western philosophers, but also from leading scientists, psychologists, literary figures, politicians, and social commentators. With readings that range from the oldest known fragments to excerpts from contemporary texts, Introducing Philosophy for Canadians shows that philosophy is as vital today as it was in ancient times.

Readership : Introducing Philosophy, Canadian edition, is intended as a main text for the very large introductory philosophy course market. Introduction to philosophy courses are typically taught at the first-year level at universities and colleges across Canada.

Reviews

"This is obviously an extremely good textbook . . . with detailed excerpts from all the major figures throughout the centuries."

--Michael Stack, University of Manitoba
"The accessibility of the text is quite good; the connecting and explanatory materials are at no point dumbed down, yet they are very clear."

--Kent Peacock, University of Lethbridge

PART ONE: BEGINNING PHILOSOPHY
Introduction: Starting With Socrates
A. Socrates
Aristophanes, from The Clouds
Plato, from The Apology
Plato, from The Crito
Plato, from The Phaedo
Plato, from The Republic
B. Making Sense of Socrates
Plato, from The Apology
Plato, from The Meno (New)
Plato, from The Theaetetus (New)
Plato, from The Symposium (New)
Paul Gooch, from Reflections on Jesus and Socrates (New)
Karl Popper, from The Open Society and Its Enemies
Søren Kierkegaard, from The Sickness unto Death
C. What Is Philosophy?
Plato, from The Apology
Karl Jaspers, from 'The "Axial Period"'
Lao-zi, from Dao De Jing
D. A Modern Approach to Philosophy
René Descartes from Discourse on Method
Bertrand Russell from The Problems of Philosophy
Mary Midgley from Utopias, Dolphins, and Computers
E. Becoming a Philosopher
George Grant from 'What Is Philosophy?' (Cdn) (New)
Francis Sparshott, from 'Philosopher' (poem) (Cdn) (New)
Simone Weil from First and Last Notebooks (New)
George Grant from 'What Is Philosophy?' (Cdn) (New)
James Frederick Ferrier from Institutes of Metaphysic (New)
F. A Brief Introduction to Logic
PART TWO: THE WORLD AND BEYOND
1. Reality
A. The Way the World Really Is
B. The First Greek Philosophers
Aristotle, from Metaphysics
Parmenides, from Fragments
C. Ultimate Reality in the East: India, Persia, and China
From the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28)
From the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (4.3.32)
From the IsaUpanishad (4-6)
From the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (5.1.1)
From the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (3.7.3-23)
From the Chandogya Upanishads (6.11)
From the Kath Upanishad (1.25-27, 2.11-12, and 2.20-23)
From the Zend-Avesta
Confucius, from The Analects
Lao-zi, from Dao De Jing
Buddha, from 'Fire Sermon'
D. Two Kinds of Metaphysics: Plato and Aristotle
Plato, from The Symposium
Plato, from The Republic
Plato, from The Meno
Aristotle, from Metaphysic
Aristotle, from Physics
Aristotle, from Metaphysics
E. Modern Metaphysics
René Descartes, on Substance
René Descartes, from 'Meditation VI'
Benedictus de Spinoza, from Ethics
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, from Monadology
2. Religion
A. What Is Religion?
John Wisdom, from 'Gods'
Albert Einstein, on the Design of the Universe
Keiji Nishitani, from 'What Is Religion?'
Swami Vivekananda, from 'Maya and Illusion' (New)
Bernard Lonergan, from Method in Theology (Cdn) (New)
Maimonides, from The Guide for the Perplexed (New)
B. The Western Religions
C. Proving God: The Ontological Argument
St Anselm, on the Ontological Argument
René Descartes, on the Ontological Argument
Immanuel Kant, Against the Ontological Argument
Charles Hartshorne, on the Ontological Argument
D. Proving God: The Cosmological Argument
St Thomas Aquinas, on the Cosmological Argument
Samuel Clarke, from A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God (New)
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, from Monadology (New)
Samuel Clarke, from A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God (New)
E. Proving God: The Teleological Argument
William Paley, from Natural Theology (New)
St John Damascene, from An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
St Thomas Aquinas, on the 'Fifth Way' (New)
David Hume, on an Imperfect Universe
Richard Dawkins, from The Blind Watchmaker (New)
Paul Davies, from The Mind of God
Cory Juhl, on the 'Fine-Tuning' Argument
F. Mystical Experience and God
William James, from The Varieties of Religious Experience (New)
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, from An Idealist View Of Life (New)
Mohammad al-Ghazali, from The Deliverance from Error
Plotinus, from The Enneads (New)
William James, from The Varieties of Religious Experience (New)
Phillip Wiebe (Trinity Western University), 'Religious Experience and Religious Belief' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)
G. Religion and Practical Reason
Immanuel Kant, on God and Morality
William James, from 'The Will to Believe'
H. God and Evil
St Augustine, from Confessions
From The Bhagavadgita
I. A Hidden God?
John Schellenberg (Mount St. Vincent University), 'Would a Loving God Hide from Anyone? Assembling and Assessing the Hiddenness Argument for Atheism' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)
Blaise Pascal, from Pensées (New)
Emil Fackenheim, from 'On the Eclipse of God' (Cdn) (New)
Isaac Bashevis Singer, from 'Joy' (New)
J. Beyond Reason: Faith and Irrationality
Søren Kierkegaard, on Subjective Truth
Paul Tillich, on the Ultimate Concern
K. Doubts about Religion
Fyodor Dostoyevski, from The Brothers Karamazov
Karl Marx, from Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right
Friedrich Nietzsche, from Beyond Good and Evil
Friedrich Nietzsche, from The Antichrist
Friedrich Nietzsche, from The Gay Science
Sigmund Freud, from The Future of an Illusion
3. Knowledge
Bertrand Russell, from The Problems of Philosophy
Plato, from Theaetetus
A. The Rationalist's Confidence: Descartes
René Descartes, from 'Meditation I'
Barry Stroud, from The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism (Cdn) (New)
René Descartes, from 'Meditation I'
René Descartes, from 'Meditation II'
ené Descartes, from 'Meditation VI'
B. Innate Ideas Concerning Human Understanding: John Locke
John Locke, from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, from New Essays on Human Understanding
C. The Empiricist Theory of Knowledge
John Locke, from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
D. Common Sense Undone: Bishop George Berkeley
Bishop George Berkeley, from Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge
Jorge Luis Borges, 'Things' (New)
E. The Congenial Skeptic: David Hume
David Hume, from A Treatise of Human Nature
David Hume, from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
F. Common Sense Defended: Thomas Reid and G.E. Moore
Thomas Reid, from Essays on The Intellectual Powers of Man (New)
Thomas Reid, from An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (New)
Thomas Reid, from An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (New)
G.E. Moore, from Some Main Problems of Philosophy (NEW)
G. Immanuel Kant's Revolution
Immanuel Kant, from The Critique of Pure Reason
Immanuel Kant, from Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics
H. The Battle in Europe after Kant: Relativism and Absolutism
G.W.F. Hegel, from The Phenomenology of Spirit
G.W.F. Hegel, from Reason in History
Arthur Schopenhauer, from The World as Will and Representation
Friedrich Nietzsche, on Truth
I. Phenomenology
Edmund Husserl, from 'Philosophy as Rigorous Science'
Edmund Husserl, from The 1929 Paris Lectures
John Russon (University of Guelph), from Human Experience (Cdn) (New)
J. Hermeneutics and Pragmatism: Relativism Reconsidered
Richard Rorty, from 'Solidarity or Objectivity?'
Cheryl Misak (University of Toronto), from Truth, Politics, Morality (Cdn) (New)
K. The Nature of Truth: Three Theories
James O. Young (University of Victoria), 'Could Truth Be Coherence with a System of Beliefs?' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)
Mark Migotti (University of Calgary), 'Pragmatist Theories of Truth' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)
L. Feminist Epistemology
Elizabeth Grosz, on Feminist Knowledge
Lorraine Code (York University, Emerita), from 'Is the Sex of the Knower Epistemologically Significant?' (Cdn) (New)
Summary and Conclusion
Review Questions
Key Terms
Further Reading
PART THREE: KNOW THYSELF
4. Mind and Body
A. What Is Consciousness?
René Descartes, from 'Meditation VI'
René Descartes, from 'Meditation III'
B. The Problem of Dualism
René Descartes, from 'The Passions of the Soul'
C. The Rejection of Dualism
Gilbert Ryle, from The Concept of Mind
J.J.C. Smart, from 'Sensations and Brain Processes'
Jerome Shaffer, Against the Identity Theory
Paul M. Churchland, on Eliminative Materialism (Cdn)
David Braddon-Mitchell and Frank Jackson, from Philosophy of Mind and Cognition
John R. Searle, from 'The Myth of the Computer'
John R. Searle, from Minds, Brains, and Science
D. The Problem of Consciousness
Sigmund Freud, on the 'Unconscious'
Thomas Nagel, from Mortal Questions
Colin McGinn, on 'The Mystery of Consciousness'
Aristotle, from De Anima
Galen Strawson, on 'Cognitive Experience'
William James, from 'Does Consciousness Exist?'
Friedrich Nietzsche, on the 'Genius of the Species'
William Seager (University of Toronto, Scarborough), 'Panpsychism' (Cdn) (Newly commssioned)
5. Self and Freedom
A. Consciousness and the Self: From Descartes to Kant
René Descartes, from 'Meditation VI'
John Locke, on Personal Identity
Thomas Reid, from Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man
David Hume, on 'There Is No Self'
Immanuel Kant, Against the Soul
B. Existentialism: Self-identity, Responsibility, and Radical Freedom
Jean-Paul Sartre, on Existentialism
Jean-Paul Sartre, on Bad Faith
Jean-Paul Sartre, from No Exit
Jean-Paul Sartre, on -Absolute Freedom-
Alia Al-Saji, 'Sartrean Freedom and Bad Faith: Social Identities and Situations' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)
Fyodor Dostoyevski, from 'The Most Advantageous Advantage'
C. One Self? Any Self? Questioning the Concept of Personal 'Essence'
Robert Louis Stevenson, from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (New)
Hermann Hesse, from Steppenwolf
From The Questions of King Milinda (New)
From The Dhammapada
Lao-zi, from Dao De Jing
D. Fatalism and Karma
Sophocles, from Oedipus the King
Keiji Nishitani, on Fate
E. Predestination
St Augustine, from On Free Choice of the Will
Mohammad Iqbal, from The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam
F. Determinism
Paul Henri d'Holbach, from System of Nature
Robert Kane, on Indeterminism
John Stuart Mill, on Causation and Necessity
David Hume, on Causation and Character
Roderick Chisholm, from 'Human Freedom and the Self' (New)
PART FOUR: THE GOOD AND THE RIGHT
6. Ethics
A. Moral Philosophy
A.R.C. Duncan, from Moral Philosophy (Cdn) (New)
B. Morality
St Augustine, from On Freedom
C. Is Morality Relative?
Gilbert Harman, from 'Moral Relativism Defended'
D. Egoism and Altruism
Plato, from The Republic
E. Are We Naturally Selfish? A Debate
Mencius, on Human Nature: Man Is Good
Xun-zi, from 'Human Nature Is Evil'
Joseph Butler, Against Egoism
F. Morality as Virtue: Aristotle
Aristotle, from The Nicomachean Ethics (New)
G. Beyond Aristotle: Happiness, Human Nature, and Perfectionism
Jean Vanier, from Made for Happiness (Cdn) (New)
Christine McKinnon (Trent University), from Character, Virtue Theories, and the Vices (Cdn) (New)
Thomas Hurka, from 'The Well-Rounded Life' (Cdn) (New)
H. Morality and Sentiment: Hume and Rousseau
David Hume, on 'Reason as Slave of the Passions'
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from Emile
I. Morality and Practical Reason: Kant
Immanuel Kant, from Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals
J. Utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham, from An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
John Stuart Mill, from Utilitarianism
K. The Creation of Morality: Friedrich Nietzsche and Existentialism
Friedrich Nietzsche, on 'Morality as Herd-Instinct'
Friedrich Nietzsche, on 'Master and Slave Morality'
Friedrich Nietzsche, from Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Friedrich Nietzsche, from Beyond Good and Evil
Jean-Paul Sartre, from Existentialism as a Humanism
Christine Daigle (Brock University), 'Nietzsche and Sartre on the Creation of Morality' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)
L. Ethics and Gender
Susan Sherwin (Dalhousie University, Emerita), from 'Ethics, Feminism, and Caring' (Cdn) (New)
M. Ethics in the Modern Age
Charles Taylor (McGill University), from The Malaise of Modernity (Cdn) (New)
Margaret Somerville (McGill University), from The Ethical Imagination (Cdn) (New)
7. Justice
A. The Problem of Justice
Pierre Trudeau, on 'The Just Society' (Cdn) (New)
B. Two Ancient Theories of Justice: Plato and Aristotle
Plato, from The Republic
Aristotle, from The Nicomachean Ethics
C. Two Modern Theories of Justice: David Hume and John Stuart Mill on Utility and Rights
David Hume, on 'Justice and Utility'
John Stuart Mill, from Utilitarianism
D. The Social Contract
Thomas Hobbes, from Leviathan
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from The Social Contract
E. Classical Conservatism: Tradition and Attachment
Edmund Burke, from Reflections on the Revolution in France (New)
W.L. Morton, from 'Canadian Conservatism Now' (Cdn) (New)
Michael Oakeshott, from 'On Being Conservative' (New)
F. Two Contemporary Theories of Justice: John Rawls and Robert Nozick
John Rawls, from 'Justice as Fairness'
Robert Nozick, from Anarchy, State, and Utopia
G. Socialism: Equality and Community
G.A. Cohen, from 'Why Not Socialism?' (Cdn) (New)
Tommy Douglas, 'Mouseland' (Cdn) (New)
H. Justice or Care: A Feminist Perspective
Cheshire Calhoun, from 'Justice, Care, Gender Bias'
I. Individual Rights and Freedom
From the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Cdn) (New)
John Locke, from The Second Treatise on Government (New)
Michael Ignatieff, from The Rights Revolution (New)
John Stuart Mill, from On Liberty
J. Obeying the Law: Civil Disobedience and Anarchism
Henry David Thoreau, on 'Civil Disobedience'
George Woodcock, from Anarchism (Cdn) (New)
K. Multiculturalism and Race
Pierre Trudeau, from 'Multiculturalism' (Cdn) (New)
Will Kymlicka, from Finding Our Way (Cdn) (New)
Charles Taylor, 'The Other and Ourselves (Cdn) (New)
Phil Fontaine, from 'Modern Racism in Canada' (Cdn) (New)

Instructor's Manual:
Lecture outlines
Key concepts
Suggestions for class discussions and activities
PowerPoint Slides
Test Bank:
Multiple choice questions
Long answer/essay questions
Answer key with page references
Fill-in-the-blank worksheets for quizzes:
One worksheet per chapter
Answer key with page references
Student Study Guide:
Chapter goals, overviews, and summaries
Essay questions
Discussion questions
Self-quizzes with answer key and page references
Recommended websites
Suggested further readings

Robert C. Solomon (deceased) was Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Business and Philosophy and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author or editor of more than forty books, including The Little Philosophy Book (2007), True to Our Feelings (2006), Honest Work (2006), The Joy of Philosophy (2003), and A Short History of Philosophy (1996), all published by Oxford. Robert Solomon lectured and gave seminars around the world, in addition to producing several video and audio 'Superstar Teacher' courses for the Teaching Company.

Douglas McDermid is associate professor of philosophy at Trent University. Prior to his arrival at Trent, he spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Instituto de Investigaciones at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City, followed by two years in a tenure track position at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. In addition to publishing over twenty articles in various journals and edited volumes, McDermid published The Varieties of Pragmatism (2006) with Continuum Press. McDermid's primary research interests are in epistemology, metaphysics, and the history of modern philosophy.

Writing Philosophy - Lewis Vaughn and Jillian Scott McIntosh
Creativity for Critical Thinkers - Anthony Weston and Byron Stoyles
Philosophy - Louis Pojman and Lewis Vaughn
Introduction to Philosophy - John Perry, Michael Bratman and John Martin Fischer
Introduction to World Philosophy - Edited by Daniel Bonevac and Stephen Phillips
Exploring Philosophy - Edited by Steven M. Cahn
The Little Philosophy Book - Robert C. Solomon
The Great Conversation - Norman Melchert

Special Features

Canadian selections. Readings by such prominent thinkers as George Woodcock, Emil Fackenheim, George Grant, Pierre Trudeau, Charles Taylor, Lorraine Code, and Phil Fontaine - offer Canadian perspectives on universal questions.
Seven original contributions. Distinguished Canadian academics - including Christine Daigle on Nietzsche and Sartre, John Schellenberg on the problem of divine hiddenness, James Young on the coherence theory of truth, Alia Al-Saji on Sartre, Mark Migotti on pragmatism, William Seager on panpsychism, and Phillip Wiebe on religious experience - provide contemporary analyses in selections prepared expressly for this volume.
New readings. This fully revised edition features a total of 65 new primary source selections - including 34 Canadian selections - with integrated commentary and analysis.
Non-Western philosophy. Expanded coverage of non-Western philosophical tradition with new selections-such as The Questions of King Milinda (a seminal Buddhist text) and excerpts from Swami Vivekananda, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and many others-offer students thorough coverage of this important tradition.
Rich selection of literary texts. Readings are not limited to philosophical texts but also include new selections of fiction and poetry, including works by Robert Louis Stevenson, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Jorge Luis Borges, Sophocles, and Dostoevsky.
Expanded historical coverage. Offers a more thorough treatment of five major historical periods in Western philosophy-Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Nineteenth Century, and Twentieth Century-ensuring students receive in-depth knowledge of these important eras.
Philosopher biographies. Profiles of significant philosophers help students imagine the individuals behind the theories.
Critical study questions. Students are encouraged to synthesize what they have read and develop their own philosophical opinions through questions interspersed throughout each chapter.
Historical timeline. Offers students a quick reference for placing key philosophers within the history of the tradition.
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Excerpts help students understand how philosophical concepts impact Canadian ideals.
Online resources. A student website - with chapter overviews, self-testing quizzes, essay and discussion questions, and lists of recommended resources - and an instructor website that features an instructor's manual, lecture outlines, PowerPoint slides, a test bank, and worksheets for in-class quizzes offer support for learning and teaching.