The Rise and Fall of Scottish Common Sense Realism

The Rise and Fall of Scottish Common Sense Realism

Author: Douglas McDermid

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-03-02

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0192507060

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The Rise and Fall of Scottish Common Sense Realism examines the ways in which five Scottish philosophers - Lord Kames (1696-1782), Thomas Reid (1710-1796), Dugald Stewart (1753-1828), Sir William Hamilton (1788-1856), and James Frederick Ferrier (1808-1864) - tackled a problem which has haunted Western philosophy ever since Descartes: that of determining whether any form of perceptual realism is defensible, or whether the very idea of a material world existing independently of perception and thought is more trouble than it is worth. This century-long conversation about the relation between mind and world led these five Scots to think uncommonly hard about a host of challenging issues in epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and meta-philosophy. In order to present each philosopher's views in a fair and reasonably charitable light, Douglas McDermid has tried to identify the main problems each was attempting to solve, to relate his work to that of his predecessors where possible, to describe the mistakes (real or perceived) he was particularly anxious to correct, to explain the internal logic of his position, and to discuss some of the main objections which he anticipated and tried to rebut. McDermid's hope is that even seasoned students of the realism controversy may learn something new and valuable from this exercise, if only because he has chosen to focus not on the usual suspects - Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant - but on a fresh and undervalued cast of characters.


Book Synopsis The Rise and Fall of Scottish Common Sense Realism by : Douglas McDermid

Download or read book The Rise and Fall of Scottish Common Sense Realism written by Douglas McDermid and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-02 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rise and Fall of Scottish Common Sense Realism examines the ways in which five Scottish philosophers - Lord Kames (1696-1782), Thomas Reid (1710-1796), Dugald Stewart (1753-1828), Sir William Hamilton (1788-1856), and James Frederick Ferrier (1808-1864) - tackled a problem which has haunted Western philosophy ever since Descartes: that of determining whether any form of perceptual realism is defensible, or whether the very idea of a material world existing independently of perception and thought is more trouble than it is worth. This century-long conversation about the relation between mind and world led these five Scots to think uncommonly hard about a host of challenging issues in epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and meta-philosophy. In order to present each philosopher's views in a fair and reasonably charitable light, Douglas McDermid has tried to identify the main problems each was attempting to solve, to relate his work to that of his predecessors where possible, to describe the mistakes (real or perceived) he was particularly anxious to correct, to explain the internal logic of his position, and to discuss some of the main objections which he anticipated and tried to rebut. McDermid's hope is that even seasoned students of the realism controversy may learn something new and valuable from this exercise, if only because he has chosen to focus not on the usual suspects - Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant - but on a fresh and undervalued cast of characters.


Selections from the Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense

Selections from the Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense

Author: George Alexander Johnston

Publisher:

Published: 1911

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Selections from the Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense by : George Alexander Johnston

Download or read book Selections from the Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense written by George Alexander Johnston and published by . This book was released on 1911 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Common Sense in the Scottish Enlightenment

Common Sense in the Scottish Enlightenment

Author: Charles Bradford Bow

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 0198783906

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Common sense philosophy was one of the Scottish Enlightenment's most original intellectual products. The nine specially written essays in this volume explore the philosophical and historical significance of this school of thought, recovering the ways in which it developed during the long eighteenth century.


Book Synopsis Common Sense in the Scottish Enlightenment by : Charles Bradford Bow

Download or read book Common Sense in the Scottish Enlightenment written by Charles Bradford Bow and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Common sense philosophy was one of the Scottish Enlightenment's most original intellectual products. The nine specially written essays in this volume explore the philosophical and historical significance of this school of thought, recovering the ways in which it developed during the long eighteenth century.


The Cambridge Companion to Common-Sense Philosophy

The Cambridge Companion to Common-Sense Philosophy

Author: Rik Peels

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-11-19

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 1108476007

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A comprehensive exploration of the historical development and philosophical importance of common-sense philosophy.


Book Synopsis The Cambridge Companion to Common-Sense Philosophy by : Rik Peels

Download or read book The Cambridge Companion to Common-Sense Philosophy written by Rik Peels and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-19 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive exploration of the historical development and philosophical importance of common-sense philosophy.


Scientific Challenges to Common Sense Philosophy

Scientific Challenges to Common Sense Philosophy

Author: Rik Peels

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-05-27

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1351064207

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Common sense philosophy holds that widely and deeply held beliefs are justified in the absence of defeaters. While this tradition has always had its philosophical detractors who have defended various forms of skepticism or have sought to develop rival epistemological views, recent advances in several scientific disciplines claim to have debunked the reliability of the faculties that produce our common sense beliefs. At the same time, however, it seems reasonable that we cannot do without common sense beliefs entirely. Arguably, science and the scientific method are built on, and continue to depend on, common sense. This collection of essays debates the tenability of common sense in the face of recent challenges from the empirical sciences. It explores to what extent scientific considerations—rather than philosophical considerations—put pressure on common sense philosophy. The book is structured in a way that promotes dialogue between philosophers and scientists. Noah Lemos, one of the most influential contemporary advocates of the common sense tradition, begins with an overview of the nature and scope of common sense beliefs, and examines philosophical objections to common sense and its relationship to scientific beliefs. Then, the volume features essays by scientists and philosophers of science who discuss various proposed conflicts between commonsensical and scientific beliefs: the reality of space and time, about the nature of human beings, about free will and identity, about rationality, about morality, and about religious belief. Notable philosophers who embrace the common sense tradition respond to these essays to explore the connection between common sense philosophy and contemporary debates in evolutionary biology, neuroscience, physics, and psychology.


Book Synopsis Scientific Challenges to Common Sense Philosophy by : Rik Peels

Download or read book Scientific Challenges to Common Sense Philosophy written by Rik Peels and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-05-27 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Common sense philosophy holds that widely and deeply held beliefs are justified in the absence of defeaters. While this tradition has always had its philosophical detractors who have defended various forms of skepticism or have sought to develop rival epistemological views, recent advances in several scientific disciplines claim to have debunked the reliability of the faculties that produce our common sense beliefs. At the same time, however, it seems reasonable that we cannot do without common sense beliefs entirely. Arguably, science and the scientific method are built on, and continue to depend on, common sense. This collection of essays debates the tenability of common sense in the face of recent challenges from the empirical sciences. It explores to what extent scientific considerations—rather than philosophical considerations—put pressure on common sense philosophy. The book is structured in a way that promotes dialogue between philosophers and scientists. Noah Lemos, one of the most influential contemporary advocates of the common sense tradition, begins with an overview of the nature and scope of common sense beliefs, and examines philosophical objections to common sense and its relationship to scientific beliefs. Then, the volume features essays by scientists and philosophers of science who discuss various proposed conflicts between commonsensical and scientific beliefs: the reality of space and time, about the nature of human beings, about free will and identity, about rationality, about morality, and about religious belief. Notable philosophers who embrace the common sense tradition respond to these essays to explore the connection between common sense philosophy and contemporary debates in evolutionary biology, neuroscience, physics, and psychology.


INSTITUTES OF METAPHYSIC

INSTITUTES OF METAPHYSIC

Author: JAMES F. FERRIER

Publisher:

Published: 1854

Total Pages: 580

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis INSTITUTES OF METAPHYSIC by : JAMES F. FERRIER

Download or read book INSTITUTES OF METAPHYSIC written by JAMES F. FERRIER and published by . This book was released on 1854 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Common Sense Nation

Common Sense Nation

Author: Robert Curry

Publisher: Encounter Books

Published: 2015-11-24

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1594038260

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“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This sentence is perfectly familiar. We know it as a core principle of our founding. But few, if any of us consider why Jefferson wrote it in exactly this way. Why “unalienable rights” and not simply rights? Why “self-evident” truths and not simply truths? Why does the Declaration make these distinctions? Do they really matter? If these questions are challenging or Jefferson’s words seem esoteric, it is because we no longer conduct our politics in the language of the Founders and we are no longer able to think as they once thought. In Congress and the media, political arguments are advanced by a torrent of policy studies and “expert” opinions—not on the basis of self-evident truths, unalienable rights, and definitely not in the language of the Founders. Common Sense Nation is a potent re-introduction to the political ideas of the Founders—in their own words and on their terms. It is dedicated to the proposition that the only way to fully unlock the profound and distinctive power of American self-government is to understand it as its inventors did. Common Sense Nation reclaims the language of liberty from entities that prefer to interpret our freedoms for us. For in knowing the Founders as they knew themselves, readers will learn the surprising depths of their own political powers as American citizens.


Book Synopsis Common Sense Nation by : Robert Curry

Download or read book Common Sense Nation written by Robert Curry and published by Encounter Books. This book was released on 2015-11-24 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This sentence is perfectly familiar. We know it as a core principle of our founding. But few, if any of us consider why Jefferson wrote it in exactly this way. Why “unalienable rights” and not simply rights? Why “self-evident” truths and not simply truths? Why does the Declaration make these distinctions? Do they really matter? If these questions are challenging or Jefferson’s words seem esoteric, it is because we no longer conduct our politics in the language of the Founders and we are no longer able to think as they once thought. In Congress and the media, political arguments are advanced by a torrent of policy studies and “expert” opinions—not on the basis of self-evident truths, unalienable rights, and definitely not in the language of the Founders. Common Sense Nation is a potent re-introduction to the political ideas of the Founders—in their own words and on their terms. It is dedicated to the proposition that the only way to fully unlock the profound and distinctive power of American self-government is to understand it as its inventors did. Common Sense Nation reclaims the language of liberty from entities that prefer to interpret our freedoms for us. For in knowing the Founders as they knew themselves, readers will learn the surprising depths of their own political powers as American citizens.


Uncertain Victory

Uncertain Victory

Author: James T. Kloppenberg

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1988-03-24

Total Pages: 557

ISBN-13: 0195363930

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Between 1870 and 1920, two generations of European and American intellectuals created a transatlantic community of philosophical and political discourse. Uncertain Victory, the first comparative study of ideas and politics in France, Germany, the U.S., and Great Britain during these fifty years, demonstrates how a number of thinkers from different traditions converged to create the theoretical foundations for new programs of social democracy and progressivism. Kloppenberg studies a wide range of pivotal theorists and activists--including philosophers such as William James, Wilhelm Dilthey, and T. H. Green, democratic socialists such as Jean Jaurès, Walter Rauschenbusch, Eduard Bernstein, and Beatrice and Sidney Webb, and social theorists such as John Dewey and Max Weber--as he establishes the connection between the philosophers' challenges to the traditions of empiricism and idealism and the activists' opposition to the traditions of laissez-faire liberalism and revolutionary socialism. By demonstrating a link between a philosophy of self-conscious uncertainty and a politics of continuing democratic experimentation, and by highlighting previously unrecognized similarities among a number of prominent 19th- and 20th-century thinkers, Uncertain Victory is sure to spur a reassessment of the relationship between ideas and politics on both sides of the Atlantic.


Book Synopsis Uncertain Victory by : James T. Kloppenberg

Download or read book Uncertain Victory written by James T. Kloppenberg and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1988-03-24 with total page 557 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between 1870 and 1920, two generations of European and American intellectuals created a transatlantic community of philosophical and political discourse. Uncertain Victory, the first comparative study of ideas and politics in France, Germany, the U.S., and Great Britain during these fifty years, demonstrates how a number of thinkers from different traditions converged to create the theoretical foundations for new programs of social democracy and progressivism. Kloppenberg studies a wide range of pivotal theorists and activists--including philosophers such as William James, Wilhelm Dilthey, and T. H. Green, democratic socialists such as Jean Jaurès, Walter Rauschenbusch, Eduard Bernstein, and Beatrice and Sidney Webb, and social theorists such as John Dewey and Max Weber--as he establishes the connection between the philosophers' challenges to the traditions of empiricism and idealism and the activists' opposition to the traditions of laissez-faire liberalism and revolutionary socialism. By demonstrating a link between a philosophy of self-conscious uncertainty and a politics of continuing democratic experimentation, and by highlighting previously unrecognized similarities among a number of prominent 19th- and 20th-century thinkers, Uncertain Victory is sure to spur a reassessment of the relationship between ideas and politics on both sides of the Atlantic.


The Rediscovery of Common Sense Philosophy

The Rediscovery of Common Sense Philosophy

Author: S. Boulter

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2007-06-27

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 0230223133

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This book is a defence of the philosophy of common sense in the spirit of Thomas Reid and G.E. Moore, drawing on the work of Aristotle, evolutionary biology and psychology, and historical studies on the origins of early modern philosophy. It defines and explores common sense beliefs, and defends them from challenges from prominent philosophers.


Book Synopsis The Rediscovery of Common Sense Philosophy by : S. Boulter

Download or read book The Rediscovery of Common Sense Philosophy written by S. Boulter and published by Springer. This book was released on 2007-06-27 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a defence of the philosophy of common sense in the spirit of Thomas Reid and G.E. Moore, drawing on the work of Aristotle, evolutionary biology and psychology, and historical studies on the origins of early modern philosophy. It defines and explores common sense beliefs, and defends them from challenges from prominent philosophers.


Scottish Common Sense in Germany, 1768-1800

Scottish Common Sense in Germany, 1768-1800

Author: Manfred Kuehn

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2004-03-15

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 0773564047

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Proponents of Scottish common-sense philosophy, especially Thomas Reid, James Oswald, and James Beattie, had substantial influence on late enlightenment German philosophy. Kuehn explores the nature and extent of that influence.


Book Synopsis Scottish Common Sense in Germany, 1768-1800 by : Manfred Kuehn

Download or read book Scottish Common Sense in Germany, 1768-1800 written by Manfred Kuehn and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 2004-03-15 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proponents of Scottish common-sense philosophy, especially Thomas Reid, James Oswald, and James Beattie, had substantial influence on late enlightenment German philosophy. Kuehn explores the nature and extent of that influence.