Abstract

During the past few years, Smart has published a series of provocative articles in which he has argued for a "tough-Minded" scientific materialism. In this book, Which makes use of the articles and combines them with new material, He boldly defends the possibility of a synthetic philosophy which attempts to think clearly and comprehensively about the nature of the universe and the principles of conduct. Starting with a critique of phenomenalism, He argues that the physicist's picture of the world is truer than that of the language of ordinary common sense. Continuing with a discussion of biology, Secondary qualities, And consciousness, He stoutly maintains that man can be understood as a physical mechanism in a nonanthropocentric space-Time world. (rm)