Philosophical Provocations: 55 Short Essays (The MIT Press)

Synopsis

In Philosophical Provocations, Colin Mcginn Offers A Series Of Short, Sharp Essays That Take On Philosophical Problems Ranging From The Concept Of Mind To Paradox, Altruism, And The Relation Between God And The Devil. Avoiding The Usual Scholarly Apparatus And Embracing A Blunt Pithiness, Mcginn Aims To Achieve As Much As Possible In As Short A Space As Possible While Covering As Many Topics As Possible. Much Academic Philosophical Writing Today Is Long, Leaden, Citation Heavy, Dense With Qualifications, And Painful To Read. The Essays In Philosophical Provocations Are Short, Direct, And Engaging, Often Challenging Philosophical Orthodoxy As They Consider Issues In Mind, Language, Knowledge, Metaphysics, Biology, Ethics, And Religion. Mcginn Is Looking For New Ways To Think About Old Problems. Thus He Writes, About Consciousness, “i Think We Have Been All Wrong,” And Goes On To Suggest That Both Consciousness And The Unconscious Are Mysteries. Summing Up His Proposal On Altruism, He Remarks, “my Suggestion Can Now Be Stated, Somewhat Brutally, As Follows: Human Altruism Is The Result Of Parasitic Manipulation.” He Takes A Moment To Reflect: “i Really Don’t Know Why It Is Good To Be Alive, Though I Am Convinced That The Standard Suggestions Don’t Work.” Mcginn Gets Straight To The Point And States His Position With Maximum Clarity. These Essays Offer Provocative Invitations To Think Again.-- I. Mind. The Mystery Of The Unconscious -- Concepts Of Mind -- Knowledge And Emotion : An Untenable Dualism -- The Second Mind -- Awareness Of Time -- Mind -- Brain Identity Theories -- Are There Actions? -- Actions And Reasons -- Consciousness And Light -- Have We Already Solved The Mind -- Body Problem? -- The Reality Of The Inner -- The Thought Of Language -- Ii. Language. Meaning Monism -- Against Language-games -- Meaning Without Language -- For Privacy -- On The Impossibility Of A (wholly) Public Language -- Deciding To Mean -- Truth, Verification, And Meaning -- Meaning And Argument -- Iii. Knowledge. Knowledge And Truth -- Proof Of An External World -- The Simulation Came -- The Riddle Of Knowledge -- Does Knowledge Imply Truth? -- Everything Is Hidden -- Light And Our Knowledge Of Matter -- Seeing The Light -- Iv. Metaphysics. Knowing And Necessity -- Antirealism Refuted -- The Puzzle Of Paradox -- The Secret Cement -- Analysis And Mystery -- Explanation And Necessity -- Against Possible Worlds -- The Concept Of A Person -- The Question Of Being -- Science As Metaphysics -- Logic Without Propositions (or Sentences) -- V. Biology. Selfish Genes And Moral Parasites -- The Evolution Of Color -- The Language Of Evolution -- Immaterial Darwinism -- Trait Selection -- Vi. Ethics. The Trouble With Consequentialism -- Absurd Utilitarianism -- Why Is It Good To Be Alive? -- Physical Noncognitivism -- Child Liberation -- Modesty And Self-knowledge -- Is Romantic Self-love Possible? -- Against Laughter -- Vii. Religion. A Deontological Theodicy -- God And The Devil -- A Religion Of Hate. Colin Mcginn. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.