An Introduction to Philosophical Methods

An Introduction to Philosophical Methods is the first book to survey the various methods that philosophers use to support their views. Rigorous yet accessible, the book introduces and illustrates the methodological considerations that are involved in current philosophical debates. Where there is controversy, the book presents the case for each side, but highlights where the key difficulties with them lie. While eminently student-friendly, the book makes an important contribution to the debate regarding the acceptability of the various philosophical methods, and so it will also be of interest to more experienced philosophers. Reviews for this book: "Philosophical Methods is a timely, comprehensive, and accessible introduction to 'metaphilosophy': the study of the nature of philosophy itself…The book is not only a valuable contribution to the literature on metaphilosophy; it will also be hugely useful to philosophers interested in first-order issues across the philosophical spectrum…Despite the somewhat abstract subject-matter, the book keeps its feet firmly on the ground by being permeated with a host of examples and case studies with which students will be familiar." - Helen Beebee, University of Birmingham. "Chris Daly's book on philosophical methodology would be hard to improve on as an advanced introduction to a wide range of topics in that area…Reading Daly's book has been a rewarding experience teaching me a good deal about subjects I thought I was well acquainted with." - Andre Gallois, Syracuse University. "While aimed at upper level undergraduates, this book can be profitably studied by graduate students and researchers in philosophy who will learn about their own perhaps unconscious methodological preferences. Case studies illustrating each method also serve as an overview of the latest trends in philosophy of mind, metaphysics, epistemology, and early analytic philosophy." - Bernard Linsky, University of Alberta.