Understanding Phenomenology

Robert Meyers begins by distinguishing between the epistemological and psychological/causal versions of empiricism, showing that it is the former that is of primary interest to philosophers. Chapters on Locke, Berkeley, and Hume provide clear introductions to the main protagonists in the British empiricist tradition, avoiding excessive details about disputes surrounding particular philosophers. Meyers then examines more contemporary material, including the ideas of Sellars; foundations and coherence theories; the rejection of the a priori by Mill, Peirce, and Quine; scepticism; and the status of religious belief within empiricism, paying particular attention to criticisms of empiricism, such as Leibniz's criticisms of Locke on innatism and Frege's objections to Mill on mathematics. His discussions throughout are at a level that will help introductory students understand the principles of empiricism in relation to modern philosophy.Meyers, Robert G. is the author of 'Understanding Phenomenology ', published 2006 under ISBN 9781844650583 and ISBN 1844650588.