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Open Textbook Library - Philosophy Textbooks
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <feed xml:lang="en-US" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> <id>tag:open.umn.edu,2005:/opentextbooks/subjects/philosophy</id> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu"/> <link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks"/> <title>Open Textbook Library - Philosophy Textbooks</title> <updated>2018-09-07T17:22:12Z</updated> <icon>https://open.umn.edu/assets/common/favicon/favicon-6666d4af5ecb597851b1bd6b4af4d8472feee5ef149656c053063f5c427c993c.ico</icon> <logo>https://open.umn.edu/assets/library/otl_logo-23d864367b91dd38b6ef8eeec20ee0ae733b8f3685c53f178fd4ea06f6a95100.webp</logo> <entry> <id>590</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:22:12Z</published> <updated>2024-08-19T13:21:42Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/an-introduction-to-ontology-engineering"/> <title>An Introduction to Ontology Engineering</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about An Introduction to Ontology Engineering" title="An Introduction to Ontology Engineering cover image" class="cover " width="340" height="446" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NTEzLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--d7ba4baec8d3bb6db540ac7324a6e18ccbb1d8d7/0000IntOntEng.png" />This first general textbook An introduction to ontology engineering has as main aim to provide the reader with a comprehensive introductory overview of ontology engineering. A secondary aim is to provide hands-on experience in ontology development that illustrate the theory. The book is divided into three blocks: Block I: logic foundations for ontologies both regarding the languages (mainly First Order predicate Logic, Description Logics, and OWL) and automated reasoning. Block II: developing good ontologies with methods and methodologies, the top-down approach with foundational ontologies, and the bottom-up approach to extract as much useful content as possible from legacy material. Block III: advanced topics with a selection of areas of specialisation, including Ontology-Based Data Access, the interaction between ontologies and natural languages (multilingual ontologies, controlled natural language), and advanced modelling with additional language features (fuzzy and temporal ontologies).</content> </entry> <entry> <id>54</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:21:40Z</published> <updated>2024-01-22T14:52:15Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/an-introduction-to-formal-logic"/> <title>An Introduction to Formal Logic</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about An Introduction to Formal Logic" title="An Introduction to Formal Logic cover image" class="cover " width="327" height="474" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NDQsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--93e42897412745980820318172bdfa5150ec9024/0000AnIntrodu.png" />forall x is an introduction to sentential logic and first-order predicate logic with identity, logical systems that significantly influenced twentieth-century analytic philosophy. After working through the material in this book, a student should be able to understand most quantified expressions that arise in their philosophical reading. This books treats symbolization, formal semantics, and proof theory for each language. The discussion of formal semantics is more direct than in many introductory texts. Although forall x does not contain proofs of soundness and completeness, it lays the groundwork for understanding why these are things that need to be proven. Throughout the book, I have tried to highlight the choices involved in developing sentential and predicate logic. Students should realize that these two are not the only possible formal languages. In translating to a formal language, we simplify and profit in clarity. The simplification comes at a cost, and different formal languages are suited to translating different parts of natural language. The book is designed to provide a semester&#39;s worth of material for an introductory college course. It would be possible to use the book only for sentential logic, by skipping chapters 4-5 and parts of chapter 6.</content> </entry> <entry> <id>266</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:21:51Z</published> <updated>2024-01-22T14:51:49Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-intelligent-troglodyte-s-guide-to-plato-s-republic"/> <title>The Intelligent Troglodyte’s Guide to Plato’s Republic</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about The Intelligent Troglodyte’s Guide to Plato’s Republic" title="The Intelligent Troglodyte’s Guide to Plato’s Republic cover image" class="cover " width="1087" height="1403" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MjE3LCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--ea8022c4a5cd371dc5713f42d504e6c58625b64c/0000IntTroGui.png" />The Republic of Plato is one of the classic gateway texts into the study and practice of philosophy, and it is just the sort of book that has been able to arrest and redirect lives. How it has been able to do this, and whether or not it will be able to do this in your own case, is something you can only discover for yourself. The present guidebook aims to help a person get fairly deep, fairly quickly, into the project. It divides the dialogue into 96 sections and provides commentary on each section as well as questions for reflection and exploration. It is organized with a table of contents and is stitched together with a system of navigating bookmarks. Links to external sites such as the Perseus Classical Library are used throughout. This book is suitable for college courses or independent study.</content> </entry> <entry> <id>291</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:21:53Z</published> <updated>2024-10-21T13:12:54Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/open-logic-project"/> <title>Open Logic Project</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about Open Logic Project" title="textbook cover placeholder image" class="cover fallback " width="247" height="326" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" />The Open Logic Text is an open-source, collaborative textbook of formal meta-logic and formal methods, starting at an intermediate level (i.e., after an introductory formal logic course). Though aimed at a non-mathematical audience (in particular, students of philosophy and computer science), it is rigorous. The Open Logic Text is a collaborative project and is under active development. Coverage of some topics currently included may not yet be complete, and many sections still require substantial revision. We plan to expand the text to cover more topics in the future. We also plan to add features to the text, such as a glossary, a list of further reading, historical notes, pictures, better explanations, sections explaining the relevance of results to philosophy, computer science, and mathematics, and more problems and examples. If you find an error, or have a suggestion, please let the project team know. The project operates in the spirit of open source. Not only is the text freely available, we provide the LaTeX source under the Creative Commons Attribution license, which gives anyone the right to download, use, modify, re-arrange, convert, and re-distribute our work, as long as they give appropriate credit.</content> </entry> <entry> <id>397</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:21:59Z</published> <updated>2024-01-22T14:52:10Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/modern-philosophy"/> <title>Modern Philosophy</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about Modern Philosophy" title="Modern Philosophy cover image" class="cover " width="762" height="959" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MzMwLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--09550d929471bc3514b1d5f1deef24cc51cf2ab1/0000ModernPhi.png" />This is a textbook in modern philosophy. It combines readings from primary sources with two pedagogical tools. Paragraphs in italics introduce figures and texts. Numbered study questions (also in italics) ask students to reconstruct an argument or position from the text, or draw connections among the readings. And I have added an introductory chapter (Chapter 0 – Minilogic and Glossary), designed to present the basic tools of philosophy and sketch some principles and positions. The immediate goal is to encourage students to grapple with the ideas rather than passing their eyes over the texts. This makes for a better classroom experience and permits higher-level discussions. Another goal is to encourage collaboration among instructors, as they revise and post their own versions of the book.</content> </entry> <entry> <id>405</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:22:00Z</published> <updated>2024-01-22T18:51:26Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/animals-ethics-101-thinking-critically-about-animal-rights"/> <title>Animals & Ethics 101: Thinking Critically About Animal Rights</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about Animals &amp; Ethics 101: Thinking Critically About Animal Rights" title="Animals &amp; Ethics 101: Thinking Critically About Animal Rights cover image" class="cover " width="426" height="640" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MzM2LCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--453fb386f8ccf49fbaa2f80dbba4fbc4f27de7ed/9780692471289.png" />This book provides an overview of the current debates about the nature and extent of our moral obligations to animals. Which, if any, uses of animals are morally wrong, which are morally permissible (i.e., not wrong) and why? What, if any, moral obligations do we, individually and as a society (and a global community), have towards animals and why? How should animals be treated? Why? We will explore the most influential and most developed answers to these questions – given by philosophers, scientists, and animal advocates and their critics – to try to determine which positions are supported by the best moral reasons.</content> </entry> <entry> <id>452</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:22:03Z</published> <updated>2024-08-19T13:22:52Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/a-concise-introduction-to-logic"/> <title>A Concise Introduction to Logic</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about A Concise Introduction to Logic" title="A Concise Introduction to Logic cover image" class="cover " width="173" height="173" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MzgxLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--c0558217c018e4111dbcf62a2b13f8452df1e7e5/9781942341420.png" />A Concise Introduction to Logic is an introduction to formal logic suitable for undergraduates taking a general education course in logic or critical thinking, and is accessible and useful to any interested in gaining a basic understanding of logic. This text takes the unique approach of teaching logic through intellectual history; the author uses examples from important and celebrated arguments in philosophy to illustrate logical principles. The text also includes a basic introduction to findings of advanced logic. As indicators of where the student could go next with logic, the book closes with an overview of advanced topics, such as the axiomatic method, set theory, Peano arithmetic, and modal logic. Throughout, the text uses brief, concise chapters that readers will find easy to read and to review.</content> </entry> <entry> <id>457</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:22:03Z</published> <updated>2024-09-16T13:06:54Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/introduction-to-logic-and-critical-thinking"/> <title>Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking" title="Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking cover image" class="cover " width="1225" height="1455" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6Mzg2LCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--60dba727602da9057158f0614d594f2b160b40e2/0000IntroLogi.png" />This is an introductory textbook in logic and critical thinking. The goal of the textbook is to provide the reader with a set of tools and skills that will enable them to identify and evaluate arguments. The book is intended for an introductory course that covers both formal and informal logic. As such, it is not a formal logic textbook, but is closer to what one would find marketed as a “critical thinking textbook.”</content> </entry> <entry> <id>475</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:22:04Z</published> <updated>2024-01-22T19:05:55Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/ethics-for-a-level"/> <title>Ethics for A-Level</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about Ethics for A-Level" title="Ethics for A-Level cover image" class="cover " width="901" height="1301" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NDAzLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--47e2dd0abd06138529b5f8e30ed33a83cf969460/9781783743902.png" />What does pleasure have to do with morality? What role, if any, should intuition have in the formation of moral theory? If something is ‘simulated&#39;, can it be immoral? This accessible and wide-ranging textbook explores these questions and many more. Key ideas in the fields of normative ethics, metaethics and applied ethics are explained rigorously and systematically, with a vivid writing style that enlivens the topics with energy and wit. Individual theories are discussed in detail in the first part of the book, before these positions are applied to a wide range of contemporary situations including business ethics, sexual ethics, and the acceptability of eating animals. A wealth of real-life examples, set out with depth and care, illuminate the complexities of different ethical approaches while conveying their modern-day relevance. This concise and highly engaging resource is tailored to the Ethics components of AQA Philosophy and OCR Religious Studies, with a clear and practical layout that includes end-of-chapter summaries, key terms, and common mistakes to avoid. It should also be of practical use for those teaching Philosophy as part of the International Baccalaureate. Ethics for A-Level is of particular value to students and teachers, but Fisher and Dimmock&#39;s precise and scholarly approach will appeal to anyone seeking a rigorous and lively introduction to the challenging subject of ethics.</content> </entry> <entry> <id>491</id> <published>2018-09-07T17:22:05Z</published> <updated>2025-03-10T13:08:48Z</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/fundamental-methods-of-logic"/> <title>Fundamental Methods of Logic</title> <content type="html"><img alt="Read more about Fundamental Methods of Logic" title="Fundamental Methods of Logic cover image" class="cover " width="837" height="1095" data-controller="common--cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-f8e123f91b7e13ad321132c609842fdd40121f691ee7db391b88763bc42be6a0.webp" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NDE5LCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--cf6f2891774fb1df22eaf8f408e490d7545dc8f4/9780996150224.png" />Fundamental Methods of Logic is suitable for a one-semester introduction to logic/critical reasoning course. It covers a variety of topics at an introductory level. Chapter One introduces basic notions, such as arguments and explanations, validity and soundness, deductive and inductive reasoning; it also covers basic analytical techniques, such as distinguishing premises from conclusions and diagramming arguments. Chapter Two discusses informal logical fallacies. Chapters Three and Four concern deductive logic, introducing the basics of Aristotelian and Sentential Logic, respectively. Chapter Five deals with analogical and causal reasoning, including a discussion of Mill&#39;s Methods. Chapter Six covers basic probability calculations, Bayesian inference, fundamental statistical concepts and techniques, and common statistical fallacies.</content> </entry> <link rel="next">https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/philosophy?page=2</link> </feed>