Why do we interpret the past as we do, rather than in some other way or not at all? What is the significance of the fact that we interpret the past? What are historical interpretations? Raymond Martin's approach to these questions transcends both the positivist and humanistic perspectives that have polarized Anglo-American philosophy of history. Martin goes to the source of this polarization by diagnosing a deep-seated flaw in the dominant analytic approach during the period from 1935 to 1975, namely, the emphasis on conceptual analysis rather than the examination of actual historical controversies. As an alternative, Martin proposes an empirical approach that examines what makes one historical interpretation better than its competitors.In addressing how historians should decide which explanations are better, Martin opts for a case-by-case analysis of historiographical practice as opposed to establishing general criteria. His book offers several detailed case studies, involving such topics as the collapse of Lowland Maya civilization in the ninth century A.D., the fall of Rome, and the alleged historical priority of St. Mark's gospel over the other synoptic gospels.Originally published in 1989.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Product Description: Raymond Martin's book is a major contribution to the philosophical literature on the nature of the self, personal identity, and survival. Its distinctive methodology is one that is phenomenologically descriptive rather than metaphysical and normative...read more

Personal Identity brings together the most important readings on personal identity theory. Brings together 13 of the most important readings on personal identity theory. Includes a detailed introductory historical essay, tracing the origins of personal identity theory. Features essays by David Lewis, Bernard Williams, Derek Parfit, and Robert Nozick. Describes the revolutionary shift from the "internal relations" view of personal identity to the "external relations" view. Includes a discussion on the controversial topic of animalism. Collectively offers a comprehensive introduction to the field. (view table of contents)

Product Description: ON KRISHNAMURTI, like other titles in the Wadsworth Philosopher's Series, offers a concise, yet comprehensive, introduction to this philosopher's most important ideas. Presenting the most important insights of well over a hundred seminal philosophers in both the Eastern and Western traditions, the Wadsworth Philosophers Series contains volumes written by scholars noted for their excellence in teaching and for their well-versed comprehension of each featured philosopher's major works and contributions...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: God Matters is a state-of-the-art, accessible anthology of the major issues in philosophy of religion.   Its accessibility is due to its mix of classic readings and brand new readings about contemporary issues, commissioned specifically with an undergraduate student in mind...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Naturalization of the Soul charts the development of the concepts of soul and self in Western thought, from Plato to the present. It fills an important gap in intellectual history by being the first book to emphasize the enormous intellectual transformation in the eighteenth century, when the religious 'soul' was replaced first by a philosophical 'self' and then by a scientific 'mind'...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: By speaking directly to the students in a personal tone, this text invites students to get excited about philosophy and to explore how philosophy affects them. Fourteen lively chapters take students deep into the world of philosophical thinking and challenge them to ponder life's big questions...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: What might the findings of researchers engaged in the quest for the historical Jesus mean to Christians? In posing this question and others, The Elusive Messiah opens a window for looking anew at the age old problem of faith vs. reason...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Described by the Dalai Lama as one of the greatest thinkers of the age, Jiddu Krishnamurti has influenced millions throughout the 20th century, including Aldous Huxley, Bertrand Russell, Henry Miller and Joseph Campbell. Born of middle-class Brahmin parents in 1895, Krishnamurti was recognised at age fourteen by theosophists Annie Besant and C W Leadbetter as an anticipated world teacher and proclaimed to be the vehicle for the reincarnation of Christ in the West and of Buddha in the East...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Philosophy arises from the attempt to understand and answer questions of ultimate concern: Who am I? Where do I-and everything else-come from? What, if anything is the meaning of my life? Initial answers to such questions tend to be handed down from religious and cultural authorities...read more

Product Description: This anthology gathers the most philosophically interesting contemporary writing on core issues about the self, identity, and the nature of mind.

Product Description: This book should be of interest to inroductory coures in philosophy.

Product Description: This text is part of The Computer-Generated Bible, a series of open-ended computer-generated critical concordance of biblical and related material in the original languages.