Background
SMART, John Jamieson Carswell was born on September 16, 1920 in Cambridge, England. Son of William M. Smart and Isabel M. Carswell.
( Originally published in 1963. In an introductory chapte...)
Originally published in 1963. In an introductory chapter the author argues that philosophy ought to be more than the art of clarifying thought and that it should concern itself with outlining a scientifically plausible world view. Early chapters deal with phenomenalism and the reality of theoretical entities, and with the relation between the physical and biological sciences. Free will, issues of time and space and man’s place in nature are covered in later chapters.
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(John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, CB (1883-1946) was...)
John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, CB (1883-1946) was a British economist whose ideas have profoundly affected the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics, as well as the economic policies of governments. He greatly refined earlier work on the causes of business cycles, and advocated the use of fiscal and monetary measures to mitigate the adverse effects of economic recessions and depressions. His ideas are the basis for the school of thought known as Keynesian economics, and its various offshoots. "A Treatise on Probability," originally published in 1921, launched the "logical-relationist" theory.
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(What is our place in the universe? This question, central...)
What is our place in the universe? This question, central to metaphysics, has been a perennial source of debate among philosophers. Jack Smart approaches the problem, examining the question according to three of the senses in which it can be taken. First, literally in terms of astronomy. Secondly, quasi-literally in terms of the "great chain of being" and thirdly, metaphorically in terms of the material and the spiritual. His conclusion is that, in all three senses, our place in the universe is a modest one. Based on the author's Gavin David Young Lectures at the University of Adelaide in 1987, this investigation of a crucial metaphysical question is also designed to be a readable introduction to the further philosophical problems of space and time or space-time, free-will, fatalism, predestination, idealism and the theoretical entities of biology, physics and psychology.
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(This historic book may have numerous typos and missing te...)
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1808 Excerpt: ... the tone of colours as that degradation of shades, occasioned by the interposition of the air, which has been so justly expressed by some modern painters. It is necessary that the paper have a circular form, for otherwise, when the center of it was in the focus of the glass, the two sides would be beyond it, and consequently the images would be confused: if the frame were contrived of a spherical figure, and the glass were in its center, the representation w ould be still more accurate. If the. object without be at the distance of twice the focal length of the glass, the image in the room will be of the same magnitude with the object. The lights, shades, and colours in the camera obscura appear not only just, but, by the images being reduced to a smaller compass, much stronger than in nature; add to this, that these pictures exceed all others by representing the motion of the several objects; thus we see the animals walk, run, or fly, the clouds float in the air, the leaves quiver, the waves roll, &c. and all in strict conformity to the laws of nature. The best situation for a dark chamber is directly North, and the best time of the day is noon. To shew the Spots on the Sun's Disk by its Image in the Camera Obscura. Put the object glass of a ten or twelve foot telescope into the scioptrk ball,and turn it about till it be directly opposite the sun:' wi&n the sun is directly opposite the hole, the lens vHi itself he sufficient; or by means of the mirror on the outside of the window, as in the last recreation, the lens will answer the purpose at any time: then place the pasteboard, mentioned in the last recreation, in the focus of the lens, and you will see a clear bright image of the sun, of about an inch diameter, in which the spots on the sun's sur...
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(The issue of whether or not there is a God is one of the ...)
The issue of whether or not there is a God is one of the oldest and most widely disputed philosophical questions. It is a debate that spreads far across the range of philosophical questions about the status of science, the nature of mind, the character of good and evil, the epistemology of experience and testimony, and so on. In this book two philosophers, each committed to unambiguous versions of belief and disbelief, debate the central issues of atheism and theism.Smart opens the debate by arguing that theism is philosophically untenable and seeks to explain metaphysical truth in the light of total science. Haldane continues the discussion by affirming that the existence of the world, and the possibility of our coming to have knowledge of it, depend upon the existence of a creating, sustaining, personal God. Concluding with their replies to each other, each philosopher has the chance to respond and to defend his position.
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(Two essays on utilitarianism, written from opposite point...)
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 offers a sustained and vigorous critique of utilitarian assumptions, arguments and ideals. He finds inadequate the theory of action implied by utilitarianism, and he argues that utilitarianism fails to engage at a serious level with the real problems of moral and political philosophy, and fails to make sense of notions such as integrity, or even human happiness itself. This book should be of interest to welfare economists, political scientists and decision-theorists.
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(Explores deep intimate personal relationships between men...)
Explores deep intimate personal relationships between men and women.
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(It is argued that our planet inhabits a special place in ...)
It is argued that our planet inhabits a special place in the cosmos; a region where an improbable convergence of factors create a safe habitat for advanced life. The chances of this happening by accident are so remote that a Designing God is implied.
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(Divine existence is wrought in the mind by an observation...)
Divine existence is wrought in the mind by an observation of nature, and is a necessary conclusion from a consideration of our own being. I am, and therefore thou must be, is a just inference from a settled fact, and one which commends itself to the judgment of every reflecting mind. I have not, therefore, entered into any elaborate argument to disprove the atheistic assumption, There is noG od, nor yet to prove the converse, that There is aG (Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.) About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology. Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org
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Materialist utilitarian philosopher
SMART, John Jamieson Carswell was born on September 16, 1920 in Cambridge, England. Son of William M. Smart and Isabel M. Carswell.
Master of Arts, Glasgow University, 1946. Bachelor of Philosophy, Oxford University, 1948. Doctor of Letters (honorary), St. Andrews University, 1983.
Doctor of Letters (honorary), La Trobe University, 1992.
Served Royal Signals 1940-1945. Jr. Research Fellow, Corpus Christi College Oxford 1948-1950. Hughes Professor, of Philosophy, University of Adelaide 72, Professor Emeritus since 1972.
Reader in Philosophy, La Trobe University 1972-1976. Professor, of Philosophy, Research School of Social Sciences, A.N.U. 1976-1985, Professor Emeritus since 1986. Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford 1979.
Visiting Professor Princeton 1957, Harvard 1963, Yale 1964, Stanford 1982, University of Ala. at Birmingham 1990. G.D. Young lecturer, University of Adelaide 1987. Honorary Doctor of Letters (St. Andrews) 1983.
(John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, CB (1883-1946) was...)
(It is argued that our planet inhabits a special place in ...)
(Divine existence is wrought in the mind by an observation...)
(What is our place in the universe? This question, central...)
(The issue of whether or not there is a God is one of the ...)
(Two essays on utilitarianism, written from opposite point...)
(Explores deep intimate personal relationships between men...)
(This historic book may have numerous typos and missing te...)
( Originally published in 1963. In an introductory chapte...)
( Originally published in 1963. In an introductory chapte...)
(Book by Smart, J. J. C.)
(1968 363 pages. Hardbound, xlib with usual signs, text in...)
Author: Philosophy and Scientific Realism, 1963, Between Science and Philosophy, 1968, Ethics, Persuasion & Truth, 1984, Our Place in the Universe, 1989, Essays Metaphysical and Moral, 1987. Co-author: Atheism and Theism, 1996, Utilitarianism, For and Against, 1973.
Reacting against the idealist ethos of his undergraduate studies of philosophy, ‘Jack’ Smart was first tempted by behaviourism and what he called ‘the second hand Wittgensteinianism’ of Oxford. He came to the materialist theory of mind partly through dissatisfaction with behaviourism and partly through the influence of Place, who was a colleague at Adelaide. Smart defines materialism as ‘the theory that there is nothing in the world over and above those entities which are postulated by physics’.
In accordance with that view he denied that there were ‘irreducible psychical entities’ and claimed that mental states were to be identified with states of the brain. This view has been developed also by others, such as D. M. Armstrong, and Smart has refined and modified his original claim in the light of criticism.
Smart came to abandon his earlier belief in philosophy as an autonomous a priori discipline and to admit considerations of ‘scientific plausibility’ as relevant to philosophical argumentation. This made him sympathetic to Quine's rejection of the analytic-synthetic distinction and made it possible for him to embrace materialism as a metaphysical position.
A non-cognitivist in his meta-ethics, Smart has sought to defend a form of hedonistic act-utilitarianism against modern critics.
Fellow Australian Academy Humanities.
Metaphysics; philosophy of mind.
Influences include C. A. Campbell. C. B. Martin, U. T. Place. Quine and Ryle.
Married Janet Paine (deceased 1967). Children: Helen, William. Married Elizabeth Margaret Warner.