1st Edition

Contemporary Materialism A Reader

Edited By Paul K. Moser, J. D. Trout Copyright 1995
    390 Pages
    by Routledge

    390 Pages
    by Routledge

    Contemporary Materialism brings together the best recent work on materialism from many of our leading contemporary philosophers. This is the first comprehensive reader on the subject. The majority of philosophers and scientists today hold the view that all phenomena are physical, as a result materialism or 'physicalism' is now the dominant ontology in a wide range of fields. Surprisingly no single book, until now, has collected the key investigations into materialism, to reflect the impact it has had on current thinking in metaphysics, philosophy of mind and the theory of value. The classic papers in this collection chart contemporary problems, positions and themes in materialism. At the invitation of the editors, many of the papers have been specially up-dated for this collection: follow-on pieces written by the contributors enable them to appraise the original paper and assess developments since the work was first published. The book's selections are largely non-technical and accessible to advanced undergraduates. The editors have provided a useful general introduction, outlining and contextualising this central system of thought, as well as a topical bibliography. Contemporary Materialism will be vital reading for anyone concerned to discover the ideas underlying contemporary philosophy. David Armstrong, University of Sydney; Jerry Fodor, Rutgers University, New Jersey; Tim Crane, University College, London; D. H. Mellor, Univeristy of Cambridge; J.J.C.

    General Introduction: Contemporary Materialism Part I Materialism and Naturalism 1 Naturalism, Materialism, and First Philosophy POSTSCRIPT: “NATURALISM, MATERIALISM, AND FIRST PHILOSOPHY” RECONSIDERED 2 Special Sciences 3 There is no Question of Physicalism Part II Materialism and Mind 4 Sensations and Brain Processes 5 Mental Events 6 Philosophy and our Mental Life 7 The Myth of Nonreductive Materialism 8 Eliminative Materialism and the Prepositional Attitudes POSTSCRIPT: EVALUATING OUR SELF CONCEPTION 9 What Mary Didn’t Know Part III Materialism and Meaning 10 Things and their Place in Theories 11 Physicalism and the Indeterminacy of Translation 12 Why There Isn’t a Ready-made World 13 Evolution, Error, and Intentionality POSTSCRIPT Part IV: Materialism and Value 14 The Scientific and the Ethical 15 How to be a Moral Realist POSTSCRIPT: MATERIALISM AND REALISM IN METAETHICS 16 How to be an Ethical Antirealist

    Biography

    Paul K. Moser is Professor of Philosophy and J.D. Trout is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Adjunct at the Parmly Hearing Institute, Loyola University of Chicago.