Philosophical Entrees: Classic and Contemporary Readings in Philosophy

The essays in this volume, selections from important classical and contemporary philosophical writings, are organized into six central topics in philosophy, the meaning of life, epistemology or theory of knowledge, the concept of mind and problem of free will and determinism, the existence and nature of God, ethical theory and moral decision making, and metaphilosophy or the philosophy of philosophy.

Entrées can be used as a stand-alone collection or as supplementary readings to accompany Jacquette’s introductory text, Six Philosophical Appetizers, also published by McGraw-Hill. The Appetizers and Entrées complement one another. The six sections of readings in the Entrées correspond to the six philosophical topics of the Appetizers.

The readings chosen are entrées in both senses of the word. They are main courses, philosophical food for thought, for which the appetizers in the companion text are table starters. They are also points of entry into the vast philosophical literature surrounding each of the six topics. By investigating the topics presented in these Entrées, it is possible to get a clear view of the issues that divide philosophers, and the variety of philosophical methods that have characterized philosophy’s remarkable history.