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Zusatztext "Grayling (philosophy, Birkbeck Coll., Univ. of London) sets himself the goal of refuting—or at least of attempting to refute—the philosophical doctrine that absolute knowledge is impossible. To do so, he considers two sets of arguments from major antiskeptical philosophers—Berkeley and Russell in one tradition and Quine and Wittgenstein in another—and argues that the strategies the aforementioned philosophers used to accomplish their goals are "not so much incorrect as incomplete." He thereupon argues in extensive, closely reasoned, if often turgid detail, his own stratagem—which, he believes, "is the right one overall." Because of the fecundity of the argument, readers will have a difficult time deciding if he has succeeded. This is not a book for beginners in philosophy: it deals with an issue most philosophers consider the central one in philosophy and requires extensive familiarity with the discipline, both current and historical. Recommended for academic collections."—Leon H. Brody, Falls Church, VA Library Journal Informationen zum Autor A. C. Grayling is Master of the New College of the Humanities, UK. He has written and edited numerous works of philosophy and is the author of biographies of Descartes and William Hazlitt. He believes that philosophy should take an active, useful role in society. He has been a regular contributor to The Times , Financial Times , Observer , Independent on Sunday , Economist , Literary Review , New Statesman and Prospect , and is a frequent and popular contributor to radio and television programmes, including Newsnight , Today , In Our Time , Start the Week and CNN news . He is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum at Davos, and advises on many committees ranging from Drug Testing at Work to human rights groups. Klappentext Complex philosophical theories on belief! religious or otherwise! are brought to life by the eminent philosopher. Vorwort A subject of particular resonance today when belief - religious and otherwise - can shape the modern world. Complex theories are brought to life by Grayling's skill and accessible style. Zusammenfassung In seeking understanding of the human condition we need more than just a set of beliefs about it: all belief is irrational. We want to know or garner some kind of proof about the fundamental truths of human existence. This book illuminates this dilemma. Inhaltsverzeichnis IntroductionAcnowledgementsPart I CARTESIAN RESPONSESi. Berkeley's Immaterialismii Russell, Experience, and the Roots of Science.iii Russell's Transcendental Argument in An Essay on the Foundations of Geometry Part II VARIETIES OF NATURALISMi. Wittgenstein On Certaintyii. Quine's Naturalistic AssumptionsPart III SCEPTICISM AND JUSTIFICATION...
