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65Introduction to philosophy: classical and contemporary readings (edited book)Oxford University Press. 2008.Now in a third edition, Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings is a highly acclaimed, topically organized collection that covers five major areas of philosophy--theory of knowledge, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, freedom and determinism, and moral philosophy. Editor Louis P. Pojman enhances the text's topical organization by arranging the selections into a pro/con format to help students better understand opposing arguments. He also includes accessible intro…Read more
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64Kierkegaard on justification of beliefInternational Journal for Philosophy of Religion 8 (2). 1977.
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60Straw Man or Straw Theory?International Journal of Applied Philosophy 12 (2): 169-180. 1998.I respond to Albert Mosley’s critique that I only attack straw men arguments against affirmative action by showing both that his own argument is a version of one of these “straw men” and that his objections to my arguments can be rebutted.
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59EqualityJournal of Philosophical Research 24 193-245. 1999.The dominant contemporary political theory is egalitarianism, yet egalitarians seldom give a clear justification of their position. In this paper I examine such questions as, What is egalitarianism all about? What is so attractive about equality? And what is the proper criterion? What do egalitarians want to equalize and why? My primary hypothesis is that current egalitarian theories either illicitly attempt to derive substantive conclusions from formal notions or, if they are substantive, are b…Read more
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56Classics of Philosophy: Volume 1: Ancient and Medieval (edited book)Oxford University Press USA. 1997.Classics of Philosophy: Volume I, Ancient and Medieval covers the works of philosophers from Thales to William of Ockham. Ideal for courses in ancient or ancient and medieval philosophy, it includes twenty-nine works--seven of them complete--by thirteen philosophers as well as fragments from the Pre-Socratics. A lucid introduction, including a brief biographical sketch, accompanies each of the featured philosophers. Also look for Classics of Philosophy: Volume II, Modern and Contemporary, which …Read more
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55The Moral Case for Institutional CosmopolitanismCroatian Journal of Philosophy 4 (1): 3-28. 2004.In this paper I consider both moral and non-moral reasons for world government, what has been called ‘institutional cosmopolitanism’. I first describe several non-moral forces leading to the need for a central international governing body, and then I offer three Moral Arguments for Cosmopolitanism. The main arguments are The Moral Point of View: The Principle of Humanity and the Moral Equality of Persons. I then argue that the case for moral cosmopolitanism together with the non-moral forces lea…Read more
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54In 1941 Father Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish friar from Warsaw was arrested for publishing anti-Nazi pamphlets and sentenced to Auschwitz. There he was beaten, kicked by shiny leather boots, and whipped by his prison guards. After one prisoner successfully escaped, the prescribed punishment was to select ten other prisoners who were to die by starvation. As ten prisoners were pulled out of line one by one, Fr. Kolbe broke out from the ranks, pleading with he Commandant to be allowed to take the pla…Read more
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51The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature (edited book)Oup Usa. 2000.Ideal for introductory ethics courses, The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature, Fifth Edition, brings together an extensive and varied collection of ninety-one classical and contemporary readings on ethical theory and practice. Integrating literature with philosophy in an innovative way, this unique anthology uses literary works to enliven and make concrete the ethical theory or applied issues addressed. It also emphasizes the personal dimension of ethics, which is often …Read more
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49Race and crime a response to Michael Levin and Laurence ThomasJournal of Social Philosophy 24 (1): 152-154. 1993.
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46Kierkegaard, subjectivity and paradox: A response to Gregory Schufreider (review)International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 12 (3). 1981.
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43Terrorism, Human Rights, and the Case for World GovernmentRowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2006.One of the nation's leading military ethicists, Louis P. Pojman argues that globalism and cosmopolitanism motivate the need for greater international cooperation based on enforceable international law. The best way to realize the promises of globalism and cogent moral arguments for cosmopolitanism, Pojman contends, is through the establishment of a World Government
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43Life and Death: A Reader in Moral Problems (edited book)Wadsworth Publishing Company. 1999.This anthology examines 11 key issues dealing with the beginning and end of life, and presents a balanced set of 67 classic and contemporary readings on each of them. It is unique in its coverage of applied ethics, medical topics, and broad theoretical considerations of issues of life and death-the sanctity of life versus the quality of life, and the meaning of life and death. The section on Ethical Theory covers the classic theories as well as ethical relativism to orient students to the nature…Read more
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42Review of James Kellenberger, Moral Relativism, Moral Diversity, and Human Relations (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2002 (4). 2002.
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41Philosophy: The Quest for Truth: The Quest for Truth (edited book)Oxford University Press USA. 2013.
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34Classics of philosophy (edited book)Oxford University Press. 1998.Classics of Philosophy, 2/e, is the most comprehensive anthology of writings in Western philosophy in print. Spanning 2500 years of thought, it is ideal for introduction to philosophy and history of philosophy courses that are structured chronologically. More than seventy works by forty-two philosophers as well as fragments from the Pre-Socratics are included, offering students and general readers alike an extensive and economical collection of the major works of the Western tradition. This anth…Read more
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29Moral Philosophy: A Reader (edited book)Hackett Publishing Company. 2009.This collection of classic and contemporary readings in ethics presents sharp, competing views on a wide range of fundamentally important topics: moral relativism and objectivism, ethical egoism, value theory, utilitarianism, deontological ethics, virtue ethics, ethics and religion, and applied ethics. The Fourth Edition dramatically increases the volume’s utility by expanding and updating the selections and introductions while retaining the structure that has made previous editions so successfu…Read more
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27The Case for World GovernmentJournal of Philosophical Research 31 59-80. 2006.The world is becoming an ever-shrinking global village in which the events of one neighborhood tend to reverberate through the whole. In this essay I examine the best arguments available for both nationalist commitments and for moral cosmopolitanism and then try to reconcile them within a larger framework of institutional cosmopolitanism or World Government. My thesis is that in an international Hobbesian world like ours, increasingly threatened by global problems related to the environment, tra…Read more
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26Rationality and Religious Belief: LOUIS P. POJMANReligious Studies 15 (2): 159-172. 1979.In debate on faith and reason two opposing positions have dominated the field. The first position asserts that faith and reason are commensurable and the second position denies that assertion. Those holding to the first position differ among themselves as to the extent of the compatibility between faith and reason, most adherents relegating the compatibility to the ‘preambles of faith’ over against the ‘articles of faith’ . Few have maintained complete harmony between reason and faith, i.e. a re…Read more
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26Belief and Will: LOUIS P. POJMANReligious Studies 14 (1): 1-14. 1978.It is a widely held belief that one can will to believe, disbelieve, and withhold belief concerning propositions. It is sometimes said that we have a duty to believe certain propositions. These theses have had a long and respected history. In one form or another they receive the support of a large number of philosophers and theologians who have written on the relationship of the will to believing. In the New Testament Jesus holds his disciples responsible for their beliefs, reprimands them for d…Read more
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25Global Environmental EthicsMayfield. 2000.With its thematic focus on âecolacy,â the understanding of the natural environment and our relationship to it, Pojmanâs text strikes a balance between theoretical and applied issues in environmental ethics.
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25Ethics: Religious and SecularModern Schoolman 70 1-30. 1992.[Christianity] has enriched philosophy with far more definite and purer concepts than it had been able to furnish before; but which, once they are there, are freely assented to by Reason and are assumed as concepts to which it could well have come of itself and which it could ...
Louis P. Pojman
(1935 - 2005)
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics |
Philosophy of Religion |
Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
Applied Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |