An introduction to the topics and issues in political philosophy, from the Enlightenment to Postmodernism. The author presents both the historical background of, and a systematic discussion of contemporary issues relating to the major traditions within political philosophy.

An introduction to the topics and issues in political philosophy, from the Enlightenment to Postmodernism. The author presents both the historical background of, and a systematic discussion of contemporary issues relating to the major traditions within political philosophy.

This short and accessible introductory text discusses how people in a pluralistic society such as ours can accept a common social ethic -- a publicly justified morality. It presents clear analyses of the basic concepts, including justifications of liberty, harm to others, private property rights, distributive justice, environmental harms, help to others and offensive behavior. Gaus acquaints the reader with the major figures in social philosophy -- John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, John Rawls, David Gauthier, and Joel Feinberg -- as well as recent...

This short and accessible introductory text discusses how people in a pluralistic society such as ours can accept a common social ethic -- a publicly justified morality. It presents clear analyses of the basic concepts, including justifications of liberty, harm to others, private property rights, distributive justice, environmental harms, help to others and offensive behavior. Gaus acquaints the reader with the major figures in social philosophy -- John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, John Rawls, David Gauthier, and Joel Feinberg -- as well as recent...

James Manns presents a readable and entertaining examination of the most serious questions posed by the arts and our relation to them. In a clear and engaging fashion, he explores the central issues in aesthetics: aesthetic judgment, the nature and role of criticism, the elusiveness of the concept of art, and communication through art, and he critically (but sympathetically) considers that principal theories of art that focus on expression, form, and representation. Through the use of extensive, entertaining, and current examples (including film), Manns conveys the solid basics relating to...

This text provides the basics of the history and development of aesthetic theories, including literature, music and visual arts. The author outlines his own theories, centred around the artist's intention and the act of communication, then applies the theories to the art of the last 50 years.

Colburn (computer science, U. of Minnesota-Duluth) has a doctorate in philosophy and an advanced degree in computer science; he's worked as a philosophy professor, a computer programmer, and a research scientist in artificial intelligence. Here he discusses the philosophical foundations of artificial intelligence; the new encounter of science and philosophy (logic, models of the mind and of reasoning, epistemology); and the philosophy of computer science (touching on math, abstraction, software, and ontology).