The Empiricists A Guide for the Perplexed [Hardcover]

The Empiricists: A Guide for the Perplexedoffers a clear and thorough guide to the key thinkers responsible for developing this central concept in the history of philosophy. The book focuses on the canonical figures of the empiricist movement, Locke, Berkeley and Hume, but also explores the contributions made by other key figures such as Bacon, Hobbes, Boyle and Newton. Laurence Carlin presents the views of these hugely influential thinkers in the context of the Scientific revolution, the intellectual movement in which they emerged, and explores in detail the philosophical issues that were central to their work. Specifically designed to meet the needs of students seeking a thorough understanding of the topic, this book is the ideal guide to a key concept in the history of philosophy.

1. Introduction
i. Empiricism and the Empiricists ii. Intellectual Background to Early Modern Empiricism
2. Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
i. The Natural Realm: The Idols of the Mind
ii. Knowledge and Experience: Induction Introduced
iii. Conclusion: Bacon the Empiricist3. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
i. The Natural Realm: Hobbes's Materialistic Mechanism
ii. Knowledge and Experience: Definitions and the Euclidean Method
iii. Conclusion: Hobbes the Empiricist4. Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655)
i. The Natural Realm: Gassendi's Atomism
ii. Knowledge and Experience: The 'Middle Way' to Knowledge iii. Conclusion: Gassendi the Empiricist5. Robert Boyle (1627-1691)
i. The Natural Realm: Boyle's Mechanism ('Corpuscularianism')
ii. Knowledge and Experience: Mechanism and the Cautious Experimenter iii. Conclusion: Boyle the Empiricist
6. John Locke (1632-1704)
i. The Natural Realm: Locke's Mechanism
ii. Knowledge and Experience: Locke's Epistemology
iii. Conclusion: Locke the Empiricist
7. Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
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