More Precisely provides a rigorous and engaging introduction to the mathematics necessary to do philosophy. It is impossible to fully understand much of the most important work in contemporary philosophy without a basic grasp of set theory, functions, probability, modality and infinity. Until now, this knowledge was difficult to acquire. Professors had to provide custom handouts to their classes, while students struggled through math texts searching for insight. More Precisely fills this key gap. Eric Steinhart provides lucid explanations of the basic mathematical concepts and sets out most commonly used notational conventions. Furthermore, he demonstrates how mathematics applies to many fundamental issues in branches of philosophy such as metaphysics, philosophy of language, epistemology, and ethics.
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"[More Precisely] addresses a need by giving an elementary presentation of a number of technical concepts used in philosophy, which previously were not collected together. It should be especially useful for students preparing for graduate work whose undergraduate training is likely to have skipped over at least some of the concepts that the book covers. The material in each chapter is presented in a very clear and engaging way, without presupposing any background beyond basic high school mathematics." (Susan Vineberg )
"This is the book I wish I had when I was learning philosophy. It does an excellent job introducing students to the formal tools that philosophers use in an accessible yet rigorous way. From set theory to possible words semantics to probability theory to the mathematics of infinity, all the key concepts are taught in a way that will provide students the foundation for being solid philosophers. Moreover, the concepts are taught in an engaging way, and frequent examples are given to explain why these formal notions are philosophically relevant. I’m going to ask all my incoming graduate students to read this book. And there's enough material in here that most philosophy professors could learn something from the book as well." (Bradley Monton )
"This is a splendid and innovative book. It explains accurately and accessibly a wide range of technical topics frequently drawn upon in philosophy. Wonderfully informative and clear, this book is a lifeline for students at undergraduate or graduate level." (Chris Daly )
"This is a great resource! Philosophers have always used the tools of mathematics to make their claims clearer and more precise, even more so since the end of the nineteenth century. Until now we haven't had a systematic way to acquire those tools. Steinhart's book remedies the situation, presenting the fundamental ideas thoroughly and comprehensively. Highly recommended for anyone getting into the serious study of philosophy." (Anthony Dardis )
"This is the book I wish I had when I was learning philosophy. It does an excellent job introducing students to the formal tools that philosophers use in an accessible yet rigorous way. From set theory to possible words semantics to probability theory to the mathematics of infinity, all the key concepts are taught in a way that will provide students the foundation for being solid philosophers. Moreover, the concepts are taught in an engaging way, and frequent examples are given to explain why these formal notions are philosophically relevant. I’m going to ask all my incoming graduate students to read this book. And there's enough material in here that most philosophy professors could learn something from the book as well." (Bradley Monton )
"This is a splendid and innovative book. It explains accurately and accessibly a wide range of technical topics frequently drawn upon in philosophy. Wonderfully informative and clear, this book is a lifeline for students at undergraduate or graduate level." (Chris Daly )
"This is a great resource! Philosophers have always used the tools of mathematics to make their claims clearer and more precise, even more so since the end of the nineteenth century. Until now we haven't had a systematic way to acquire those tools. Steinhart's book remedies the situation, presenting the fundamental ideas thoroughly and comprehensively. Highly recommended for anyone getting into the serious study of philosophy." (Anthony Dardis )
From the Back Cover
More Precisely provides a rigorous and engaging introduction to the mathematics necessary to do philosophy. It is impossible to fully understand much of the most important work in contemporary philosophy without a basic grasp of set theory, functions, probability, modality and infinity. Until now, this knowledge was difficult to acquire. Professors had to provide custom handouts to their classes, while students struggled through math texts searching for insight. More Precisely fills this key gap. Eric Steinhart provides lucid explanations of the basic mathematical concepts and sets out most commonly used notational conventions. Furthermore, he demonstrates how mathematics applies to many fundamental issues in branches of philosophy such as metaphysics, philosophy of language, epistemology, and ethics.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Product Description,
By Eric Steinhart (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: More Precisely: The Math You Need to Do Philosophy (Paperback)
Strangely, Amazon can't seem to post the product description for More Precisely. So, as the author, I'll do it myself.
More Precisely is a mathematics book that's designed to meet the needs of philosophers. It's not a philosophy of math book and it's not a logic book - it's a math book for philosophers. More Precisely shows how to apply mathematical tools in various branches of philosophy. It gives you the foundations you need to read and write philosophical texts that use mathematical concepts and notations. The mathematical notations and concepts are introduced gradually. They are illustrated with examples taken from ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, and other branches of philosophy. The topics presented by More Precisely include: basic set theory; relations and functions; machines; probability; formal semantics; utilitarianism; and infinity. The chapters on sets, relations, and functions provide you with all you need to know to apply set theory in any branch of philosophy. The chapter of machines includes finite state machines, networks of machines, the game of life, and Turing machines. The chapter on formal semantics includes both extensional semantics, Kripkean possible worlds semantics, and Lewisian counterpart theory. The chapter on probability covers basic probability, conditional probability, Bayes theorem, and various applications of Bayes theorem in philosophy. The chapter on utilitarianism covers act utilitarianism, applications involving utility and probability (expected utility), and applications involving possible worlds and utility. The chapters on infinity cover recursive definitions, limits, countable infinity, Cantor's diagonal and power set arguments, uncountable infinities, the aleph and beth numbers, and definitions by transfinite recursion. More Precisely is designed both as a text book and reference book to meet the needs of upper level undergraduates and graduate students. It is also useful as a reference book for any philosopher working today.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth every penny,
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This review is from: More Precisely: The Math You Need to Do Philosophy (Paperback)
I love this book. As someone who is preparing for grad school, I really wanted to be sure that I was up to date on all of the logic and mathematics that are needed to do contemporary analytic philosophy. More Precisely is an excellent tool for reaching this goal. It is incredibly informative with great examples and is very easy to read. It painlessly teaches many essential concepts, such as set theory, Bayesian inference, and modal semantics. This book should be required for all serious philosophy students.
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