Steven D. Hales - This Is Philosophy

Series editor: Steven D. Hales

Reading philosophy can be like trying to ride a bucking bronco–you hold on for dear life while “transcendental deduction” twists you to one side, “causa sui” throws you to the other, and a 300‐word, 300‐year‐old sentence comes down on you like an iron‐shod hoof the size of a dinner plate. This Is Philosophy is the riding academy that solves these problems. Each book in the series is written by an expert who knows how to gently guide students into the subject regardless of the reader’s ability or previous level of knowledge. Their reader‐friendly prose is designed to help students find their way into the fascinating, challenging ideas that compose philosophy without simply sticking the hapless novice on the back of the bronco, as so many texts do. All the books in the series provide ample pedagogical aids, including links to free online primary sources. When students are ready to take the next step in their philosophical education, This Is Philosophy is right there with them to help them along the way.

This Is Philosophy, 2nd edition

Steven D. Hales

This Is Philosophy of Mind

Pete Mandik

This Is Ethics

Jussi Suikkanen

This Is Political Philosophy

Alex Tuckness and Clark Wolf

This Is Business Ethics

Tobey Scharding

This Is Metaphysics

Kris McDaniel

This Is Bioethics

Ruth F. Chadwick and Udo Schuklenk

This Is Epistemology

Adam Carter and Clayton Littlejohn

This Is Philosophy of Religion

Neil Manson

Forthcoming:

This Is Philosophy of Mind, 2nd edition

Pete Mandik

This is Environmental Ethics

Wendy Lee

STEVEN D. HALES

Second Edition

This edition first published 2021

© 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Edition History

Second Edition © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc

First Edition © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc

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The right of Steven D Hales to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Hales, Steven D., author.

Title: This is philosophy: an introduction / Steven D. Hales.

Description: Second edition. | Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, [2021] | Series: This is philosophy | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020047567 (print) | LCCN 2020047568 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119635536 (paperback) | ISBN 9781119635543 (pdf) | ISBN9781119635550 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Philosophy–Introductions.

Classification: LCC BD21 .H223 2021 (print) | LCC BD21 (ebook) | DDC 100–dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020047567

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020047568

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2 Series page THIS IS PHILOSOPHY Series editor: Steven D. Hales Reading philosophy can be like trying to ride a bucking bronco–you hold on for dear life while “transcendental deduction” twists you to one side, “causa sui” throws you to the other, and a 300‐word, 300‐year‐old sentence comes down on you like an iron‐shod hoof the size of a dinner plate. This Is Philosophy is the riding academy that solves these problems. Each book in the series is written by an expert who knows how to gently guide students into the subject regardless of the reader’s ability or previous level of knowledge. Their reader‐friendly prose is designed to help students find their way into the fascinating, challenging ideas that compose philosophy without simply sticking the hapless novice on the back of the bronco, as so many texts do. All the books in the series provide ample pedagogical aids, including links to free online primary sources. When students are ready to take the next step in their philosophical education, This Is Philosophy is right there with them to help them along the way. This Is Philosophy, 2nd edition Steven D. Hales This Is Philosophy of Mind Pete Mandik This Is Ethics Jussi Suikkanen This Is Political Philosophy Alex Tuckness and Clark Wolf This Is Business Ethics Tobey Scharding This Is Metaphysics Kris McDaniel This Is Bioethics Ruth F. Chadwick and Udo Schuklenk This Is Epistemology Adam Carter and Clayton Littlejohn This Is Philosophy of Religion Neil Manson Forthcoming: This Is Philosophy of Mind, 2nd edition Pete Mandik This is Environmental Ethics Wendy Lee