-
142Metaphysical illusionsAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 84 (2). 2006.The paper begins by considering David Armstrong's beautiful paper 'The Headless Woman Illusion and the Defence of Materialism', which conjectures how we get the illusion that there are non-physical qualia. There are discussions of other metaphysical illusions, that there is a passage of time, that we have libertarian free will, and that consciousness is ineffable (which last also relates to Armstrong), and of their possible explanations. Moral: avoid appeal to so called intuition or phenomenolog…Read more
-
42Ethics and SciencePhilosophy 56 (218): 449-465. 1981.It has frequently been lamented that while the human species has made immense progress in science it is nevertheless ethically backward. This ethical backwardness is all the more dangerous because the advanced state of scientific knowledge has made available a technology with which we are able to destroy ourselves—indeed a technology which may have got so much out of hand that we may not even have the capacity to prevent it from destroying us.
-
22Cortical localization and the mind-brain identity theoryBehavioral and Brain Sciences 1 (3): 365-365. 1978.
-
6Ethics, Persuasion and TruthRoutledge. 1984.Originally published in 1984, deals with meta-ethics - that is the semantics and pragmatics of ethical language. This book eschews the notions of meaning and analyticity on which meta-ethics normally depends. It discusses questions of free will and responsibility and the relations between ethics on the one hand and science and metaphysics on the other. The author regards ethics as concerned with deciding what to do and with persuading others - not with exploring a supposed realm of ethical fact.
-
70Is Occam's Razor a Physical Thing?Philosophy 53 (205). 1978.In his discussion note ‘J. J. C. Smart, Materialism and Occam's Razor’ Peter Glassen argues that it was inconsistent of me both to assert that realism is true and that Occam's razor is a reason for the materialist thesis. Glassen says that Occam's razor ‘ is not a physical thing, state or process at all ’. A little further down on the same page he uses the phrase ‘material or physical thing, state, or process’. It is possible, therefore, that Glassen regards the distinction between ‘material’ an…Read more
-
1135Utilitarianism: For and AgainstCambridge University Press. 1973.Two essays on utilitarianism, written from opposite points of view, by J. J. C. Smart and Bernard Williams. In the first part of the book Professor Smart advocates a modern and sophisticated version of classical utilitarianism; he tries to formulate a consistent and persuasive elaboration of the doctrine that the rightness and wrongness of actions is determined solely by their consequences, and in particular their consequences for the sum total of human happiness. In Part II Bernard Williams off…Read more
-
1Extreme and Restricted UtilitarianismIn James Rachels (ed.), Ethical Theory 2: Theories About How We Should Live, Oxford University Press Uk. 1998.
-
29‘Looks Red’ and Dangerous TalkPhilosophy 70 (274): 545-554. 1995.This paper is partly to get rid of some irritation which I have felt at the quite common tendency of philosophers to elucidate (for example) ‘is red’ in terms of ‘looks red’. For a relatively recent example see, for example, Frank Jackson and Robert Pargetter, ‘An Objectivist′s Guide to Subjectivism about Colour’. However rather than try to make a long list of references, I would rather say ‘No names, no pack drill’. I have even been disturbed to find the use of the words ‘looks red’ that I am o…Read more
-
66Atheism and TheismPhilosophical Review 107 (3): 462. 1998.In this volume, the sixth in Blackwell's Great Debates in Philosophy series, Smart and Haldane discuss the case for and against religious belief. The debate is unusual in beginning with the negative side. After a short jointly authored introduction, there is a fairly extended presentation of the atheist position by Smart. Haldane then offers an equally extended defense of theism. The authors respond to one another in the same order, and the book concludes with a brief co-authored treatment of an…Read more
-
72Why Philosophers DisagreeCanadian Journal of Philosophy 23 (sup1): 67-82. 1993.Why is it that philosophers find it so hard to come to agreement? Many disputes that have gone on for centuries or even millennia are still unresolved, even though there has been increased conceptual sophistication on the part of the contending parties. Consider, for example, the question of free will, where libertarians still contest the field with determinists and compatibilists.
-
15Atheism and Theism (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 1996.In this book two philosophers, each committed to unambiguous versions of belief and disbelief, debate the central issues of atheism and theism. Considers one of the oldest and most widely disputed philosophical questions: is there a God? Presents the atheism/theism issue in the form of philosophical debate between two highly regarded scholars, widely praised for the clarity and verve of their work. This second edition contains new essays by each philosopher, responding to criticisms and building…Read more
-
9Reviews (review)Metaphilosophy 11 (3‐4): 281-306. 2007.THOMASS. KUHN. The essential tension: selected studies in scientific tradition and change. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1977. DAVID L. NORTON, Personal destinies: a philosophy of ethical individualism. Princeton, N. J.: Princeton University Press. 1976. ELIZABETHH ANKINSW OLGAST. Paradoxes of knowledge. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1977. 214 pages. ISBN: 0‐8014‐1090‐8; BD215. W63. LAWRENCEH AWORTH.D ecadence and objectivity. Toronto and Buffalo: University of Toronto…Read more
-
79Explanation—Opening AddressRoyal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 27 1-19. 1990.It is a pleasure for me to give this opening address to the Royal Institute of Philosophy Conference on ‘Explanation’ for two reasons. The first is that it is succeeded by exciting symposia and other papers concerned with various special aspects of the topic of explanation. The second is that the conference is being held in my old alma mater, the University of Glasgow, where I did my first degree. Especially due to C. A. Campbell and George Brown there was in the Logic Department a big emphasis …Read more
-
1CHRUCHLAND, P. M., "Scientific Realism and the Plasticity of Mind" (review)Australasian Journal of Philosophy 58 (n/a): 316. 1980.
-
HARRÉ, ROM Varieties of Realism: A Rationale for the Natural Sciences (review)Philosophy 62 (n/a): 541. 1987.