A Brief History of the Philosophy of Time

Adrian Bardon author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:15th Aug '13

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

A Brief History of the Philosophy of Time cover

Adrian Bardon's A Brief History of the Philosophy of Time is a short yet thorough introduction to the history, philosophy, and science of the study of time-from the pre-Socratic philosophers through Einstein and beyond. Its treatment is roughly chronological, starting with the ancient Greek philosophers Heraclitus and Parmenides and proceeding through the history of Western philosophy and science up to the present. Using illustrations and keeping technical language to a minimum, A Brief History of the Philosophy of Time covers subjects such as time and change, the experience of time, physical and metaphysical approaches to the nature of time, the direction of time, time-travel, time and freedom of the will, and scientific and philosophical approaches to eternity and the beginning of time. Bardon brings the resources of over 2500 years of philosophy and science to bear on some of humanity's most fundamental and enduring questions.

Adrian Bardon's A Brief History of the Philosophy of Time provides a quick and clear introduction to the philosophy of time, along with accessible outlines of relevant topics from general philosophy, the philosophy of physics, and the philosophy of mind, each chapters preceded by a well-designed summary ... the comprehensiveness, clarity, and agility of this book are remarkable. Adrian Bardon, who specializes on the philosophy of space and time, has produced a valuable resource for students of time and science teachers. * Alberto Cordero, Science and Education *
In A Brief History of the Philosophy of Time, Bardon consistently presents conceptually difficult ideas within philosophy and physics in a way that is accessible to undergraduate students. A particularly nice feature of Bardons text is its integration of history with contemporary debates ... I highly recommend this book as a text to introduce students to the central issues in the philosophy of time. * Dana Goswick, The University of Melbourne, Australia, The Philosophical Quarterly *
Adrian Bardon manages to cover a truly impressive array of issues in the philosophy of time ranging from an overview of some of the historical precursors of current ideas to a discussion of the most recent developments in the area. Bardon does an excellent job of making the issues thoroughly accessible whilst at the same time not shying away from the interesting and more difficult questions. Because he manages to walk this tightrope so well, the book would make an excellent resource for undergraduates, but would be equally at home in the bag of a graduate student. * Kristie Miller, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
This is a great introduction to the history of the philosophy of time, and a book that I personally thoroughly enjoyed reading. It is of wide scope, so from a teaching perspective it allowed me to introduce the students to lots of different issues, and for the most part the students were very receptive to it. I used the text for first year undergraduates, and I think, in retrospect, it was a little to challenging for them - particularly those with no background in science (physics, in particular). If I use the text next year it's more likely that it will be part of a second year metaphysics course. * Dr Benjamin Smart, University of Birmingham *

ISBN: 9780199976454

Dimensions: 145mm x 218mm x 13mm

Weight: 352g

200 pages