Exotic Journeys: A Tourist's Guide to Philosophy
brought to you by Ron Yezzi
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy
Minnesota State University, Mankato
© Copyright 2015, 2020 by Ron Yezzi
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1. Medical Ethics: Thinking About Unavoidable Questions (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980).
This was my first publication. It is an elementary medical ethics textbook that tries to lay out issues and positions in a clear, straightforward way so students are quickly able to get to discussion and evaluation. Issues: abortion, sterilization, genetic control, allocation of scarce medical resources, death and dying, experiments on human beings and behavior control, patient relationships, health care delivery. Special thanks to David Boynton, the philosophy editor at HRW.
2. Directing Human Actions: Perspectives on Basic Ethical Issues (Lanham: University Press of America, 1986).
This is an elementary ethics text that lays out classical and contemporary positions with respect to the good life, human nature, individuals and society, free will and moral responsibility, knowing the good life. Publishers reacted very well to the first chapter, The Good Life, but concluded that the rest of the text departed too much from the standard content of introductory ethics textbooks. So it was not likely to do well commercially. They understood the market. I did get a small run published through University Press of America. Nearly all the content of text (with some modifications) is available on this website. Go to the Start Page and click on Philosophical Issues or just click on the link here
3. William James: Selected Writings, edited with an Introduction and Study Guides by Ron Yezzi (Mankato: G. Bruno & Co., 1991).
I wasn't completely satisfied with selections in other William James anthologies; so I published my own anthology. Selections: The Present Dilemma in Philosophy, What Pragmatism Means, Does Consciousness Exist?, The Will to Believe, Is Life Worth Living?, The Dilemma of Determinism, and The Moral Equivalent of War
This is an elementary logic text with several innovations: use of assumptions that establish validity for standard inductive arguments, an expanded treatment of soundness as "the practical reliability of arguments," a probability scale applied to truth and falsity, a schema for logical analysis of positions taken in ordinary language, application of the schema to letters to the editor on various topics, some philosophical topics in logic . 85 - 90 % of the text's content overlaps with standard material in introductory logic courses. But innovations do introduce some significant differences and exemplify my own approach to logic. For general understanding, I would especially recommend Enrichment Study 12: Defining Deduction and Induction, which provides important philosophical background for reading Chs. 1 & 2.; also, Ch. 4, Construction and Refutation, is especially well worth reading in increasing critical thinking.
The text content follows below, along with the link to the text.
Text:
Front: front.pdf
Part I: Practical Logic
Introduction: The Nature of Arguments
Ch. 1, Validity
Ch.2, Soundness
Ch. 3, Arguments in Ordinary Language
Ch. 4, Construction and Refutation
Ch. 5, Applications I: Abortion
Ch. 6, Applications II: National Issues
Ch. 7, Applications III: Religious Issues
Part II: Enrichment Studies
Study 1, The Uses of Language
Study 2, Definitions
Study 3, Categorical Propositions
Study 4, Categorical Syllogisms
Study 5, Causes
Study 6, Symbolic Logic I: Uninterpreted Symbols
Study 7, Symbolic Logic II: Truth-Tables
Study 8, Symbolic Logic III: Formal Proofs of Validity
Study 9, Symbolic Logic IV: Predicate Calculus
Study 10, Traditional and Symbolic Logic I: An Overview
Study 11, Traditional and Symbolic Logic II: Two Special Problems
Study 12, Defining Deduction and Induction
Study 13, Non-Rational Expression
5. Philosophical Problems: God, Free Will, and Determinism (Mankato: G. Bruno and Co., 1993).
This is an elementary text that first surveys philosophical positions on two issues, God and Free Will vs. Determinism, and then presents my own critique of other positions along with my stand on the issues. I argue for God's existence being, at best, only plausible and for soft determinism. The book is available on this website. For the survey of the two philosophical issues, Go to the Start Page and click on Philosophical Issues or just click on the link here. For my thoughts on the two issues: Go to the top of this page to click on In a Broader View 1 and then click on the links for God and Religion and for Free Will and Determinism.
6. Practical Ethics (Mankato: G. Bruno and Co., 1993).
This elementary ethics text is laid out somewhat like a logic text--with solutions to selected exercises at the end. This is not a typical introductory ethics text. I present in some detail my own position on the foundations of ethics. It requires no special philosophical background. The text begins with an account of values and disvalues and then tries to introduce elements of objectivity into the consideration of values--primarily through the relating of facts to values. I offer as the fundamental principle of morality: We ought to act so as to maximize the totality of power, satisfaction, and reality. The second half of the text consists of various projects suitable for students--including value inventories, movie study guides, a search-and-test method for resolving issues (using affirmative action as an example), procedures for a cost-benefit analysis (using obligations toward starving people as an example. Most of the text's content can be found at In a Broader View 2. I may do some reorganizing to put the entire text together at a later date.
7. Philosophical Problems: The Good Life (Mankato: G. Bruno and Co., 1994).
This elementary text first surveys philosophical positions on two issues, The Good Life and Knowing the Good Life, and then presents my own critique of other positions along with my stand on the issues. I argue for associating moral persons with sensitivity, knowledge, character, and cooperativeness. With respect to knowing the good life, I argue for a rational-empirical mode rather than openness to life experience, faith, the sales mode, the legal system mode, or cooperative consciousness-raising. The book is available on this website. For the survey of the two philosophical issues, Go to the Start Page and click on Philosophical Issues or just click on the link here. For my thoughts on the two issues: Go to the top of this page to click on In a Broader View 1 and then click on the links for The Good Life and for Knowing the Good Life.
8. Philosophy First: Business Ethics, an internet course (Minnesota State University, Mankato, 1999).
The course should be available for viewing online as long as MSU, Mankato supports its "krypton" websites. On the second page (the Basic Information Page), click on the calendar icon to get to the course schedule and course content. (Ignore the Getting Started instruction at the bottom of the page.)
Link: Business Ethics.
This text, with accumulated revisions, has developed over a good many years of teaching a course in the logic of scientific method. It is incomplete in terms of my original plan. It provides a good, introductory overview of the nature of science. But I wanted to include more enrichment studies dealing both with reputable scientific work and questionable work related to the occult. If you're not planning to work through the whole text but just want some broader understanding of issues, I would recommend the Introduction; Chapter 4, Special Problems of the Social and Behavioral Sciences; Chapter 5, Challenges to Standard Scientific Explanation; and Enrichment Study 6, Creationism and Evolution.
Text:
Front: ssefront.pdf
Table of Contents: ssetableofcontents.pdf
Introduction: sseintroduction.pdf
Ch. 1, A Scientific Attitude: ssech1scientificattitude.pdf
Ch. 2, Techniques of Scientific Investigation: ssech2techniquesofscientificinvestigation.pdf
Ch. 3, The Nature of Scientific Explanation: ssech3natureofstandardscientificexplanation.pdf
Ch. 4, Special Problems of the Social and Behavioral Sciences: ssech4social&behavioralsciences.pdf
Ch. 5, Challenges to Standard Scientific Explanation: ssech5challengestostandardscientificexplanation.pdf
Science Without Laws
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Social Constructivism
A Feminist Critique
Science in a Free Society
Betrayers of the Truth
The Morning of the Magicians
Enrichment Studies
Study 1, The Nature of Arguments: ssees1natureofarguments.pdf
Study 2, Deduction: ssees2deduction.pdf
Study 3, Induction: ssees3induction.pdf
Study 4, Calculating Probabilities: ssees4calculatingprobabilities.pdf
Study 5, A Scientific Document: Newton's New Theory About Light and Color: ssees5newtonsnewtheoryaboutlight.pdf
Study 6, Creationism and Evolution: ssees6creationismandevolution.pdf
Some Data
Some Terms
Religion, Science, Evolution, and Creationism
The Creationist Movement: Three Phases
Scientific Creationism
The Positive Case for Creationism
The Case Against Evolution
Evolution
The Scientific Status of Evolution
Rejection of Creationist Evidence
Response to Creationist Objections
Evaluation
Fact and Theory
Common Sense
Techniques of Investigation
Criteria of Adequacy
Commentary
Study 7, Astrology and Science: ssees7astrology&science.pdf
1. A Debate: Does God Exist?
I debated, at the MSU Student Union with Cliff Knechtle, from the national staff of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. May, 1995. I took an agnostic position, maintaining that God's existence in terms of reasoning and evidence is merely plausible at best. Here are my detailed notes prepared for the Debate: GOD1a.pdf
2. Absolutism and Relativism in Religion
This paper was presented to the Indian Society for Philosophy and Religion, July 27, 2006, in Calcutta, India: Religrelativism2a.pdf