# Philosophy Book Reading Thread



## Reformed Thomist (Jul 20, 2009)

Are you currently reading any philosophy books? If so, tell us here what you have on the go.

At the moment, I am working my way through...

_The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World_ by R.C. Sproul (Crossway, 2009). [An excellent brief overview of the thought of key figures in the history of Western philosophy, geared primarily toward the lay evangelical reader. Much needed.]

_On Being and Essence_ by Thomas Aquinas (Armand Maurer, trans., intro., notes; Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies [University of Toronto Press], 1968). [A young Aquinas defining the basic concepts of Aristotelico-Avicennian metaphysics; very strong, helpful intro. essay and notes from the late Professor Maurer.]


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## steven-nemes (Jul 20, 2009)

I recently finished Plantinga's _Warranted Christian Belief_. I wish I could buy his other two in his "Warrant" trilogy but I don't have any money. I also read Searle's _Mind: A Brief Introduction_ and finished it a few weeks ago.


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 20, 2009)

steven-nemes said:


> I also read Searle's _Mind: A Brief Introduction_ and finished it a few weeks ago.



I've read bits and pieces of that text for a course. I'm fixing to read Searle's _Speech Acts_ very soon.


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## CharlieJ (Jul 20, 2009)

Great stuff on this thread. I've been reading mostly older stuff recently. Since January I've made it through Plato's Republic (must-read) and some of Aristotle's shorter stuff - Categories, Interpretation, Prior Analytics - and have stalled out on Politics. 

Also, I did a paper on the metaphysical foundations of John Wyclif's theology and found Robson's _Wyclif and the Oxford School_ and Ian Christopher Levy's _John Wyclif: Scriptural Logic, Real Presence, and the Parameters of Orthodoxy_ to be very helpful in placing Wyclif within the scope of 14th century analytical philosophy.

Read on, brothers!


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 20, 2009)

CharlieJ said:


> Since January I've made it through Plato's Republic (must-read)...



Which translation did you read?


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## steven-nemes (Jul 20, 2009)

Reformed Thomist said:


> steven-nemes said:
> 
> 
> > I also read Searle's _Mind: A Brief Introduction_ and finished it a few weeks ago.
> ...



I'm interested in philosophy of language, among other subjects.

Are there any good "A Brief Introduction to..."-style books to philosophy of language, as well as metaphysics and other subjects that you know of?


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 20, 2009)

steven-nemes said:


> Are there any good "A Brief Introduction to..."-style books to philosophy of language, as well as metaphysics and other subjects that you know of?



The best brief introduction to the philosophy of language that I've seen to date...

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Language-Routledge-Contemporary-Introductions/dp/0415957524/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b#]Amazon.com: Philosophy of Language (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy): William Lycan: Books[/ame]

FYI, be sure to check out Routledge's 'Philosophy Guidebook' series of paperbacks. The volume on Kant's _Critique of Pure Reason_, by leading Kant scholar Sebastian Gardner, got me through my course on the _Critique_ last year. (Whoever is editing this series is doing his or her job _well_.)


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## steven-nemes (Jul 20, 2009)

Thanks! I saw they have a series of books with similar covers on various topics... I'll have to start saving some cash$$$


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## The Deeps (Jul 20, 2009)

*The History of Western Philosophy* Bertrand Russell
Pythagoras was a nut!


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## cih1355 (Jul 21, 2009)

I'm reading the book, The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy by Steve Cowan and James Spiegel. I have been enjoying it so far. It is not as in-depth as Moreland and Craig's book, but it covers some material that their book does not cover- political philosophy and aesthetics. Below is the link:
The Love of Wisdom - A Christian Introduction to Philosophy by Steven Cowan, James Spiegel  || B&H Academic


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## christianyouth (Jul 21, 2009)

Nathan, on another thread you said something that interested me, something about free will, and about how you are controlled by subconscious psychological drives or something like that. I was thinking I would like to read a little bit on that topic sometime, the free will topic. Do you have any book suggestions for that subject?


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 21, 2009)

christianyouth said:


> Nathan, on another thread you said something that interested me, something about free will, and about how you are controlled by subconscious psychological drives or something like that. I was thinking I would like to read a little bit on that topic sometime, the free will topic. Do you have any book suggestions for that subject?



On the topic of free will (free will as far as _philosophy_ is concerned), there is no better place to begin than Derk Pereboom's reader _Free Will_, in the 'Hackett Readings in Philosophy' series (Hackett Publishing Co.). 

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Free-Will-Hackett-Readings-Philosophy/dp/0872203727]Amazon.com: Free Will (Hackett Readings in Philosophy): Derk Pereboom: Books[/ame]

To clarify (regarding the other thread), my own position is that of a form of _compatibilism_. I accept causal determinism as a fact of nature, but I also believe that this fact is consistent with (does not contradict) a few different forms of human freedom, necessary for moral responsibility. I reject what is commonly called 'libertarian free will' -- because of my causal determinism -- and I also reject the popular notion that _libertarian_ freedom is the only kind of freedom consistent with (genuine, realist) moral responsibility.

In other words, though the idea of human freedom, and moral responsibility, are inextricably linked, causal determinism does not deprive human beings of the freedom necessary for moral responsibility. While libertarian free will gets the axe, several 'workable' -- and altogether traditional -- senses of freedom, in fact, are to be had within the deterministic framework. For instance,

1. _Voluntarist_. Freedom is personally desiring the object of whatever choice we make and never being forced to choose what we do not personally desire. (Aristotle, Aquinas, Hobbes)

2. _Non-Necessitarian_. Freedom is the fact that while our choices are determined, they are not _necessitated_: that we do this or that is not a universal truth ("1+1=2") but is merely a singular contingent truth ("David ate the cookie at 2pm"). Singular contingents, though causally determined, always _could have been otherwise_ insofar as they are not universal truths. Lack of necessity equals freedom. (Aquinas, Leibniz)

3. _Transcendental_. Freedom is the state of having _realized_ or understood that causal determinism is the reality of nature and everything in it. This awakening 'act' allows us to _rise above_, as it were, the immature ethical-epistemological state of the average person (who falsely assumes that he has libertarian free will just because it _seems_ to him that he does). Having been 'freed' in this way, persons may actually be able 'redirect' the causal chain of their destiny in certain ways. (Spinoza, Hegel)

4. _Biblical_. Freedom is the Divine gift of rectitude of will, the state of willing what God wills (as opposed to slavery -- to sin -- the state of willing what fallen man wills). (Augustine, Anselm, Calvin)


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## Confessor (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks for making this.

I've read _Faith and Rationality_, eds. Plantinga and Wolterstorff, and I want to master Aquinas at some point in the future (I've got his _Shorter Summa_). I also have downloaded R.C. Sproul's whole mp3 series on The Consequences of Ideas.

I am planning on reading Jonathan Edwards's _The Freedom of the Will_, sometime in the future (even though I think I've already got a firm grasp on its main topic), and I've also read his _The End for Which God Created the World_, if that counts as philosophy. I also plan on getting Gordon Clark's _Thales to Dewey_.

Philosophy rules.

-----Added 7/21/2009 at 12:40:49 EST-----

This thread might help.


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## steven-nemes (Jul 21, 2009)

How do you like _Faith and Rationality_ Ben?


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## Confessor (Jul 21, 2009)

steven-nemes said:


> How do you like _Faith and Rationality_ Ben?



It was really good. The authors are very clear in the points they get across (Van Til isn't one of the contributors ), although sometimes I think they repeat themselves more than is necessary.

Most importantly, though, I thought that book strengthened and confirmed my presuppositionalism (even though it didn't even mention presuppositionalism once!). It raised objections both to evidential apologetics and to Abraham Kuyper's antithesis between believing and unbelieving thought that I thought only presuppositionalism could answer. Anyway, I don't want to discuss that aspect too much, as it would derail the whole thread.

I also hope to be able to incorporate the notion of "warrant" into my apologetic whenever I get around to reading Plantinga's trilogy.

All in all, highly recommended.  It's not too long a read, either.


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## steven-nemes (Jul 21, 2009)

Yeah, I liked it. 

I think Plantinga's epistemology acts also as a pretty good theistic argument: the best theory of knowledge that accounts for warrant involves proper function, and proper function of cognitive faculties makes more sense in a theistic framework than not; if you find "proper functionalism" appealing, you ought to also accept theism.


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## CatechumenPatrick (Jul 21, 2009)

> Are there any good "A Brief Introduction to..."-style books to philosophy of
> language, as well as metaphysics and other subjects that you know of?



Ditto on Lycan's book posted above. I think it would sufficiently prepare you to read
primary texts, of which this Readings in the philosophy of language [WorldCat.org]
is one of the best collections. You can get its table of contents on googlebooks and find the articles online.



> At the moment, I am working my way through...
> The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World by R.C.
> Sproul



That's a helpful introduction. Sproul has a complete audio version on sermonaudio here: SermonAudio.com - Ligonier Ministries

Right now I am reading
1) _The Evolution of Morality_, by Richard Joyce, along with _Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection_ by Peter Godfrey-Smith (et al books) in part for a seminar paper on Sharon Street's article "A Darwinian Dilemma for Realist Theories of Value." If you are interested in Plantinga's EAAN, you'd also be interested in reading Street's essay: http://philosophy.fas.nyu.edu/docs/IO/1177/DarwinianDilemma.pdf I am also trying to finish the last three-fourths of T.M. Scanlon's _What We Owe to Each Other_ after reading the first 100 pages about three times now...
2) In epistemology, _Skepticism: a Contemporary Reader_, edited by Keith DeRose, along with Ernest Sosa's new work, _Reflective Knowledge_. Trying to finish my summer readings before the semester starts--mostly spinning my wheels in mud, though 

Also, on the topic of books, I (somewhat) work with the googlebooks project at the University of Michigan, and the majority of philosophy and theology books there have been scanned over the past month and should be online soon--keep your eye out on googlebooks for new works in Reformed theology. I just unloaded the Puritanism and Calvinism section today


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## py3ak (Jul 21, 2009)

I recently read Boethius, _The Consolation of Philosophy_.


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 21, 2009)

py3ak said:


> I recently read Boethius, _The Consolation of Philosophy_.



One of my favorite books of all-time.

-----Added 7/21/2009 at 07:16:27 EST-----



Confessor said:


> ... and I want to master Aquinas at some point in the future (I've got his _Shorter Summa_).



Is that the Peter Kreeft-edited '_A_ Shorter Summa' or Sophia Institute Press' '_Aquinas's_ Shorter Summa'? (The first is comprised of selections from the _Summa theologiae_; the latter is a complete translation of a separate work by Aquinas, traditionally known as the _Compendium theologiae_.)

Also, keep in mind the following Hackett Publishing Co. editions, if you are not already familiar with them. They're more in-depth, and the prices are right.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Summary-Philosophy-Thomas-Aquinas/dp/0872206572"]Amazon.com: A Summary of Philosophy: Thomas Aquinas, Richard J. Regan: Books[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Human-Nature-Saint-Thomas-Aquinas/dp/0872204545/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248218353&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: On Human Nature: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Thomas S. Hibbs: Books[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Treatise-Human-Nature-Theologiae-Hackett/dp/0872206130/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248218353&sr=1-3"]Amazon.com: Treatise on Human Nature: Summa Theologiae 1A 75-89 (The Hackett Aquinas Project): Saint Thomas Aquinas, Robert Pasnau: Books[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Treatise-Divine-Nature-Summa-Theologiae/dp/0872208052/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248218529&sr=1-2"]Amazon.com: The Treatise On The Divine Nature: Summa Theologiae I 1-13 (v. 1a, 1-13): Aquinas, Saint Thomas, Thomas, Brian J. Shanley, Robert Pasnau: Books[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Commentary-Aristotles-Politics-Aquinas-Thomas/dp/0872208699/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248218353&sr=1-5"]Amazon.com: Commentary on Aristotle's Politics: Aquinas, Saint Thomas, Richard J. Regan: Books[/ame]


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## Confessor (Jul 21, 2009)

Reformed Thomist said:


> Confessor said:
> 
> 
> > ... and I want to master Aquinas at some point in the future (I've got his _Shorter Summa_).
> ...



It's the latter, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Aquinass-Shorter-Summa-Thomass-Theologica/dp/1928832431"]this one[/ame].

EDIT - Haha, I was unaware it would do that.


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 22, 2009)

Started dipping into _The Epicurus Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia_ (Brad Inwood & Lloyd P. Gerson, Eds., trans.; D.S. Hutchinson, intro.; Hackett Publishing Co., 1994) last night and ended up burning the midnight oil. This is a well-presented, fascinating read. The introductory essay by Doug Hutchinson -- my favorite professor (I've studied under him in three courses in ancient phil. and counting)! -- alone is worth the price of the book.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Epicurus-Reader-Selected-Writings-Testimonia/dp/0872202410/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top#]Amazon.com: The Epicurus Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia (HPC Classics): Epicurus, Brad Inwood, Lloyd P. Gerson: Books[/ame]

Other great Gerson/Inwood-edited Hackett readers in ancient philosophy...

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Neoplatonic-Philosophy-Introductory-John-Dillon/dp/0872207072/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248277417&sr=1-8]Amazon.com: Neoplatonic Philosophy: Introductory Readings: John M. Dillon, Lloyd P. Gerson: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Stoics-Reader-Selected-Writings-Testimonia/dp/0872209520/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248277417&sr=1-1]Amazon.com: The Stoics Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia: Brad Inwood, Lloyd P. Gerson: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Hellenistic-Philosophy-Introductory-Brad-Inwood/dp/0872203786/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248277417&sr=1-2]Amazon.com: Hellenistic Philosophy: Introductory Readings: Brad Inwood, Lloyd P. Gerson: Books[/ame]

(No, Hackett is not paying me... quite the other way around! )


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## CatechumenPatrick (Jul 22, 2009)

This, from the same editor, looks like a good read as well: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Epistemology-Key-Themes-Philosophy/dp/0521871395/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248279489&sr=1-10]Amazon.com: Ancient Epistemology (Key Themes in Ancient Philosophy): Lloyd P. Gerson: Books[/ame]


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 22, 2009)

Pretty much all of Gerson's books are top-notch and worth the purchase. He's an awesome scholar (and an outstanding, if tough as nails, teacher). 

I took his Intro. to Ancient Phil. course in my second year at Toronto. A Jew, Gerson would often pepper his lectures with examples from the Old Testament, which seemed to be lost on most students in the auditorium. He would express mild dismay at this, and tell us to "Start reading the Bible. It's important."


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## a mere housewife (Jul 22, 2009)

I've been reading a slim volume of Sartre _(Existentialism and Human Emotions) _since last summer (it's possible because I read like a conscientious turtle, and have been reading twenty or thirty other books since last summer). I think he's a very interactive author -- I usually don't find that I have shouted 'but that makes no sense!' aloud when wrapped in bookish solitude.


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## davidsuggs (Jul 23, 2009)

I am currently plowing my way through Douglas Hofsteader's Metamagical Themas. I know that some sections of the book are not philosophical but many of them are. He may not be a Christian but some of the studies in this book are just brilliant in many ways and quite enjoyable and entertaining to read.


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## steven-nemes (Jul 23, 2009)

I bought the _Philosophy of Language_ book from the Routledge series, as well as one on _Epistemology_. I got the _Philosophy of Language_ today and read about 50 pages or so of it; I like it a lot. It is very clear and not overly technical.


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 23, 2009)

I'm glad you are profiting from it, Steven.


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## steven-nemes (Jul 26, 2009)

What theory of meaning do you subscribe to?

I think there is something interesting about "use" theories of meaning, but there is a problem with them that I cannot think of a way to overcome, namely, when I use the word "God" I should think there is some being that I am speaking about, rather than just some sort of ends I am trying to accomplish by uttering the word. "God exists" I should think should be a statement about the state of some being with certain properties, not just an act I am committing to try and achieve something with.


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## Confessor (Jul 26, 2009)

steven-nemes said:


> What theory of meaning do you subscribe to?
> 
> I think there is something interesting about "use" theories of meaning, but there is a problem with them that I cannot think of a way to overcome, namely, when I use the word "God" I should think there is some being that I am speaking about, rather than just some sort of ends I am trying to accomplish by uttering the word. "God exists" I should think should be a statement about the state of some being with certain properties, not just an act I am committing to try and achieve something with.



Are theories of meaning subsets of the philosophy of language?


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## CharlieJ (Jul 27, 2009)

*Worldview Stuff*

I've been reading through some "worldview" materials lately, since I had considered doing a thesis on it. So far,

Creation Regained by Al Wolters (excellent intro, good framework for evaluating worldview theologically)

Lectures on Calvinism by Abraham Kuyper (best overall, fantastic rhetorical style, great outline)

The Christian View of God and the World by James Orr (like Kuyper, but more detailed interaction with names and -isms)

Worldview: The History of a Concept by David Naugle (very thorough historical treatment of the development of "worldview"; interaction with Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Kuyper, etc.)

I have to say I like Kuyper the best for putting things so clearly and concisely. Anyone could read him and anyone could benefit from him. By not getting bogged down with individual systems, his analysis is in some ways less dated that Orr's.


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## steven-nemes (Jul 28, 2009)

Ben: that's one thing of interest in philosophy of language, yes.


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