9. Experience, knowledge, and wisdom
David F. Ford
in Theology: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘Experience, knowledge, and wisdom’ asks: What sorts of understanding and knowing go on in theology? Theology as wisdom resonates deeply with major religious and philosophical traditions. ...
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5. Does agnosticism rest on a mistake?
Robin Le Poidevin
in Agnosticism: A Very Short Introduction
‘Does agnosticism rest on a mistake?’ examines knowledge and belief and asks whether assumptions made by agnostics are defensible. The work of A. J. Ayer and the influence of logical ...
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1. Why the mystery?
Susan Blackmore
in Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
What is consciousness? What does it do? Could we have evolved without it? ‘Why the mystery?’ considers the definition of consciousness and how psychologists, neuroscientists, and ...
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5. Dimension
Timothy Gowers
in Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction
A notable feature of advanced mathematics is that much of it is concerned with geometry in more than three dimensions. ‘Dimension’ looks at high-dimensional geometry, which is best ...
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2. Playing philosophically
Rob Iliffe
in Newton: A Very Short Introduction
‘Playing philosophically’ considers Newton's early life, describing how his immersion in worlds of practical ingenuity not only offered portents of his great future, but led directly to it. ...
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5. A true hermetic philosopher
Rob Iliffe
in Newton: A Very Short Introduction
‘A true hermetic philosopher’ explains how alchemy enjoyed a chequered reputation by the middle of the seventeenth century. It was part of a larger practice that was termed ‘chymistry’. In ...
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1. A national man
Rob Iliffe
in Newton: A Very Short Introduction
‘A national man’ reviews the various biographies of Newton which appeared after his death on 20 March 1727. John Conduitt supervised the collection of virtually all the significant ...
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7. The divine book
Rob Iliffe
in Newton: A Very Short Introduction
‘The divine book’ examines the development of Newton's thinking about celestial motions. By November 1685 he had completed a draft of the Principia. In the first book — the ‘Lectiones’ — he ...
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1. Mathematics: myth and history
Jacqueline Stedall
in The History of Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction
‘Mathematics: myth and history’ considers some well-known names in the field of mathematics: Pythagoras, Euclid, Diophantus, Pierre de Fermat, Leonhard Euler, and Andrew Wiles, the man you ...
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4. Learning mathematics
Jacqueline Stedall
in The History of Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction
Why learn mathematics? A study of what has been taught, and how, reveals a good deal about what aspects of mathematics have been regarded as relevant, and for what purposes. ‘Learning ...
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3. The inner sanctum
Tim Bayne
in Thought: A Very Short Introduction
Thinking is a private activity. Thought can't be accessed by anyone else. This concept of thoughts is described as Cartesian after René Descartes. ‘The inner sanctum’ focuses on the ...
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3. Are persons real?
Jan Westerhoff
in Reality: A Very Short Introduction
What does it feel like to doubt the self? Some psychological conditions, lead a person to assume that they are dead or deny bodily existence. There is a paradox: how can someone be ...
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3. Pain and the machine
Rob Boddice
in Pain: A Very Short Introduction
Mind-body dualism dominated Western medicine from the Enlightenment due, in part, to the philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650) who famously reduced the body’s functioning to mechanics. ...
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3. Does God act in nature?
Thomas Dixon
in Science and Religion: A Very Short Introduction
Believers as well as sceptics ask themselves whether stories of the miraculous and the supernatural are really credible in a scientific age. ‘Does God act in nature?’ asks: Does the success ...
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3. Being
Michael Inwood
in Heidegger: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘Being’ describes the importance that Heidegger ascribed to considering the nature of an object, or its Being, before addressing knowledge of it. Whereas other philosophers, including ...
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5. The world
Michael Inwood
in Heidegger: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘The world’ examines how Dasein understands the world. Dasein needs a world populated with entities for it to engage with; it sees these entities primarily as objects of use. Different ...
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Applied Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction
Alain Goriely
Mathematics is playing an increasingly important role in society and the sciences, enhancing our ability to use models and handle data. Applied Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction ...
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7. Fantasy
Malcolm Gaskill
in Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction
Most Westerners have inherited a basic Enlightenment epistemology, which is why writing about witches is so tricky. Anthropology reminds us that not everyone made the same intellectual ...
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6. Against religion?
Julian Baggini
in Atheism: A Very Short Introduction
Atheist opposition to religion is essentially an opposition to its truth. So it is necessary for any defence of atheism to address the challenge posed by religious belief. ‘Against ...
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3. One Science, One Method
Tom Sorell
in Descartes: A Very Short Introduction
‘One Science, One Method’ recounts Descartes' growing awareness of the unity under mathematics of many sciences that had previously been regarded as distinct. He became increasingly ...
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