The SCM Briefly series is a series of summarized texts that are commonly used on the philosophy and philosophy of religion A level syllabus and on level 1, philosophy of religion and philosophy university courses in UK institutions. The texts have been chosen because they appear on the syllabus at both levels, but also because they are generally found to be difficult for students to comprehend without guidance. Briefly: Hume's Dialogues is a summarized version of David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, which is designed to assist university and sixth-form students in acquiring...

Briefly: Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is a summarized version of Immanual Kant's original treatsie, which is designed to assist university and sixth-form students in acquiring knowledge and understanding of this key text. Based on, and page referenced to, Mary Gregor's edition of the Groundwork, CUP an important feature of the book is its close adherence to Kant's text, enabling the reader to follow each development in the argument as it occurs. It will be of particular value in helping students to revise for university examinations in Philosophy and Theology and for A-level...

Briefly: Mill's Utilitarianism is a summarized version of John Stuart Mill's original treatise, which is designed to assist university and sixth-form students in acquiring knowledge and understanding of this key text Based on, and page referenced to, George Sher's Hackett edition an important feature of the book is its close adherence to Mill's text, enabling the reader to follow each development in the argument as it occurs. It will be of particular value in helping students to revise for university examinations in Philosophy and Theology and for A-level examinations in Religious Studies....

The Republic is arguably Plato's most important work and was written in his middle period, around 370-5 BC. It is a philosophical masterpiece containing acute political theory as well as being great literature, and as such is not easily understood on first acquaintance. It has as its central problem the nature of justice. In a word, what is justice? The central character is said to be Socrates, Plato's own teacher as a young man, whom he had seen tried and executed for his politics and religion. The Republic is an examination of the figure of the philosopher, an examination of metaphysics,...

Aquinas' "Summa Theologica" is his most famous work. It was intended as a manual for beginners as a compilation of all of the main theological teachings of that time and consists of a summary of the reasonings for almost all points of the Catholic faith. It is the fullest presentation of his views and covers the widest range of subjects - reason, sin, just war to name but a few - in detailed philosophical language. He worked on it from 1265 until the end of his life in March 1274. When he died, he had reached Question ninety of Part III, on the subject of penance. The work is in three parts,...

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) wrote his most controversial work, "On Liberty" in 1859, the year in which Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" was also published. "On Liberty" contains a rational justification of the freedom of the individual in opposition to the claims of the state to impose unlimited control, and has become a classic of libertarian philosophy. Warning against the tyranny of the majority, this treatise argues that in the past the danger had been that monarchs held power at the expense of the common people and the struggle was one of gaining liberty by limiting such...

St Anselm (1033-1109) was an Italian theologian and philosopher and the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093-1097. He is best known for his work, Proslogion, in which he defends the Church and sets out his philosophy and argument for the existence of God, now known as the Ontological Argument. OA is now a commonly studied subject at schools and universities, yet this critical, original treatise outlining the OA is often misunderstood by readers. Here in the Briefly text, the author guides the reader through Anselm's argument concerning existence and whether it is an attribute of God in the same...

Kant's Religion Within The Bounds of Mere Reason was written late in his life, following his most famous works including Critique of Pure Reason and Groundwork of Metaphysics of Morals. In it he considers the consequences of transcendental criticism for theology. Kant identifies a moral core to the Christian faith and asserts that because of that core and because the faith contains a principle for dispensing with the morally extraneous statutes and history associated with it, this faith can count as a moral, world religion. Seen by most philosophers and theologians as one of the most...

George Edward Moore's Principia Ethica was published by Cambridge University Press in 1903 and this was the birth of the science of ethics. So groundbreaking was this book at the time, that practically overnight, ethicists became meta-ethicists and the book ever since has been recognised as the definitive starting point for 20th century ethical theory. In it Moore is concerned with applying logic to ethics, and with demonstrating that logic can give ethics a better foundation. Moore defines ethics as an inquiry into what is good, including what is good in human conduct. Moore supposed that...

The first part of the Summa Theologica by Aquinas was dealt with in an SCM Briefly guide that published in May 06. The second part of the Summa Theologica is dealt with in this book. Aquinas' Summa Theologica is his most famous work. It was intended as a manual for beginners as a compilation of all of the main theological teachings of that time and consists of a summary of the reasonings for almost all points of the Catholic faith. It is the fullest presentation of his views and covers the widest range of subjects - reason, sin, just war to name but a few - in detailed philosophical language....