Philosophical Devices: Proofs, Probabilities, Possibilities, and Sets

This book is designed to explain the technical ideas that are taken for granted in much contemporary philosophical writing. By offering simple explanations that by-pass much irrelevant and boring detail, Philosophical Devices is able to cover a wealth of material that is normally only available to specialists. The book’s four sections deal with sets and numbers; analyticity, a prioricity, and necessity; probability; and metalogic. Philosophical Devices will be useful for university students who have got past the foothills of philosophy and are starting to read more widely, but it does not assume any prior expertise. All the issues discussed are intrinsically interesting, and often downright fascinating. It can be read with pleasure and profit by anybody who is curious about the technical infrastructure of contemporary philosophy.