Routledge Current Controversies in Experimental Philosophy (Current Controversies in Philosophy)

Experimental philosophy is one of the most active and exciting areas in philosophy today. In Current Controversies in Experimental Philosophy, Elizabeth O’Neill and Edouard Machery have brought together twelve leading philosophers to debate four topics central to recent research in experimental philosophy. The result is an important and enticing contribution to contemporary philosophy which thoroughly reframes traditional philosophical questions in light of experimental philosophers’ use of empirical research methods, and brings to light the lively debates within experimental philosophers’ intellectual community. Two papers are dedicated to the following four topics: Language (Edouard Machery & Genoveva Martí) Consciousness (Brian Fiala, Adam Arico, and Shaun Nichols & Justin Sytsma) Free Will and Responsibility (Joshua Knobe & Eddy Nahmias and Morgan Thompson) Epistemology and the Reliability of Intuitions (Kenneth Boyd and Jennifer Nagel & Joshua Alexander and Jonathan Weinberg). Preliminary descriptions of each chapter, annotated bibliographies for each controversy, and a supplemental guide to further controversies in experimental philosophy (with bibliographies) help provide clearer and richer views of these live controversies for all readers. Review "Experimental philosophy is playing an increasingly important role in contemporary philosophical debates. This volume assembles new papers surveying and advancing these debates on four central philosophical topics – semantics, consciousness, epistemology and free will. It is an extremely valuable text for courses that deal with any of these topics, as well as for courses focused on experimental philosophy. It is also a book that philosophers, and anyone interested in philosophy, should read, if they want to see the direction in which philosophy is heading." Stephen Stich, Rutgers University, USA "This book provides an excellent account of the current state of experimental philosophy, written by some of the most prominent defenders and critics of various approaches. It provides a useful introduction as well as a significant contribution. Highly recommended!" Gilbert Harman, Princeton University, USA "This collection is an excellent addition to Routledge's Current Controversies in Philosophy series. Together the different entries compose a snappy and accessible introduction to experimental philosophy for those who are new to the subject whilst still providing plenty of material that will interest specialists. The introduction by Edouard Machery and Elizabeth O'Neill also gives a helpful overview of some of the big picture questions about experimental philosophy and its relationship to more traditional forms of philosophy . . . . If you're at all interested in experimental philosophy you will want to get your hands on a copy." Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews About the Author Edouard Machery is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Elizabeth O'Neill is a graduate student in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh.