Ethics and moral philosophy Books

Book SynopsisMaria Duffy describes Paul Ricoeur's narrative theory of memory and addresses central conceptual and methodological issues in his theory of forgiveness and reconciliation. As the many Truth Commissions around the world illustrate, revisiting the past has a positive benefit in steering history in a new direction after protracted violence. A second deeper strand in the book is the connection between Ricoeur and John Paul II. Both lived through the worst period of modern European history (Ricoeur a prisoner of war during WWII and John Paul, who suffered under the communist regime). Both have written on themes of memory and identity and share a mutual concern for the future of Europe and the preservation of the 'Christian' identity of the Continent as well as the promotion of peace and a civilization of love. The book brings together their shared vision, culminating in the award to Ricoeur by John Paul II of the Paul VI medal for theology.Trade Review'I find Duffy's conception of Ricoeur's 'narrative pedagogy of pardon' - complete with a narrative arc of memory - brilliant in capturing but also applying Ricoeur's enduring contribution to a world broken by war and violence." -Dr Pamela Sue Anderson, Reader in Philosophy of Religion, University of Oxford, UKTable of ContentsForeword; 1. Introduction; 2. Situating Narrative: Philosophical and Theological Context; 3. Ethical Being: The Storied Self as Moral Agent; 4. Pedagogies of Pardon in Praxis; 5. Towards a Narratives Pedagogy of Reconciliation; 6. Riceour's Legacy: A Praxis of Peace; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisPresents a comprehensive examination of the philosophical questions facing activists, policy makers and educators fighting the causes of climate change. This book is suitable for students of environmental ethics in multiple disciplines.Trade Review"How should we think the future? This is the vital climate change question posed by this compelling collection of essays. Confronting the idea of apocalypse head on, contributors ask what imaginings are required to lever the changes we need. Does the idea of catastrophe free us to think anew, or freeze us into inaction? In the wake of Copenhagen, fresh thinking is needed - the kind of thinking you'll find in this book." - Andy Dobson, Keele University, UK'Intellectual titillation' - Morning Star"The climate revolution is being televised- not only in fantasy-disaster flicks like The Day After Tomorrow but on the morning weather report. The future is here, and it needs an ethics." - HarpersTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; Contributors; Foreword Alastair Macintosh; Introduction: How should we think about the future? Stefan Skrimshire; Part I: History; 1. Environmental Apocalypse: History and Prospects Frederick Buell; 2. Four Meanings of Climate Change Mike Hulme; 3. The Apocalyptic as Contemporary Dialectic: From thanatos (violence) to eros (transformation) Mark Levene; Part II: Ethics; 4. Saved By Disaster? Abrupt Climate Change, Political Inertia and the Possibility of an Intergenerational Arms Race Stephen Gardiner; 5. Living with Uncertainty: the Limits of 'Risk Thinking', Chris Groves; Part III: Action/Inaction; 6. Bringing Hope to Crisis: Crisis Thinking, Ethical Action and Social Change Sarah Amsler; 7. Empathy and Climate Change: Proposals for a Revolution of Human Relationships Roman Krznaric; 8. Are We Armed Only with Peer Reviewed Science? The Scientization of Politics in the Radical Environmental Movement Andrew Bowman; 9. The Ultimate Paradigm Shift: Environmentalism as Antithesis to the Modern Paradigm of Progress Richard McNeill Douglas; Part IV: Religion; 10. Eternal Return of Apocalypse Stefan Skrimshire; 11. Beyond Humanity's End: An Exploration of a Dramatic versus Narrative Rhetoric and its Ethical Implications Celia Deane-Drummond; 12. Are We There Yet? Coming to the End of the Line - A Postnatural Enquiry Peter Scott; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisAre humans really different at all? Animal Rights is a big deal. From animal testing to vegetarianism, and hunting to preservation of fish stocks, it''s a topic that''s always in the news. Mark Rowlands, author of The Philosopher and the Wolf, is the world''s best known philosopher of animal rights. In this introduction to the topic, he starts by asking whether there is anything about humans that makes us psychologically or physiologically distinctive - so that there might be a moral justification for treating animals in a different way to how we treat humans. From this foundation, he goes on to explore specific issues of eating animals, experimentation, pets, hunting, zoos, predation and engineering animals. He ends with a challenging argument of how an improved understanding of animal ethics can and should affect your choices.Table of Contents : 1.The Basic Argument : 1.The Basic Argument : 2.Animal Minds : 2.Animal Minds : 3.Eating Animals : 3.Eating Animals : 4.Animal Experimentation : 4.Animal Experimentation : 5.Animal Companions : 5.Animal Companions : 6.Hunting and Sports : 6.Hunting and Sports : 7.Zoos : 7.Zoos : 8.Predation : 8.Predation : 9.Engineering Animals : 9.Engineering Animals : 10.What to Do? : 10.What to Do?

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Book SynopsisSarah Banks emphasises the importance of reclaiming professional ethics for social work, and outlines a preliminary framework for a situated ethics of social justice.Trade Review"Politically committed...accessible to a wide audience and gives a satisfying contribution to the debate about social work ethics." Research, policy and planning"Taking a radical stance has never been more important in social work. This most timely and innovative series of internationally renowned authors makes a significant contribution to advancing a new politics of social work.” Professor Stephen Webb, Chair in Social Work, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityTable of ContentsSeries Editors’ Introduction; Reclaiming social work ethics: challenging the new public management ~ lead essay by Sarah Banks; A roadmap for social work ethics: reflections and a proposal ~ response by Frederic G. Reamer; Contextualising the ‘ethics boom’ ~ response by Stephen Cowden; Reframing social work ethics through a political ethic of care and social justice lens ~ response by Vivienne Bozalek; ‘Managerialism’: challenging the new orthodoxy ~ response by Chris Beckett; Ethical practice in an unethical environment ~ response by Michael Reisch; Social work ethics and social justice: the growing gap ~ response by Fumihito Ito; Working in the spaces between care and control ~ response by Merlinda Weinberg; A Marxist perspective ~ response by Paul Blackledge; Reflections on the responses to ‘Reclaiming social work ethics’ ~ concluding remarks by Sarah Banks; References

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Book SynopsisWilliam Large is a Reader in Philosophy at University of Gloucestershire, UK. He is the author of Ethics and the Ambiguity of Writing: Emmanuel Levinas and Maurice Blanchot (2005), Maurice Blanchot [co-authored] (2001) and Heidegger's Being and Time (2007)Trade ReviewAdmirable ... [and] accessible ... [Large's book] considers many of the obvious questions a new reader is likely to have. * Times Literary Supplement *When he first encountered the difficult work of Emmanuel Levinas, this reviewer threw one of Levinas's books against the wall in exasperation. Had Large’s book been available, the experience would have been different. Levinas's style, his methodology, his vocabulary, and his argument can seem strange. In introducing readers to Levinas’s most influential text, first published in French in 1961, Large (Univ. of Gloucestershire, UK) begins by working through the basics of phenomenological methodology and Levinas’s relation to Jewish philosophy as the assumed contexts in which Totality and Infinity occurs. After this framing, the author moves carefully through the work, offering specific analysis and interpretation of each section in turn. He concludes with a look at several problems that seem to plague Totality and Infinity—presentation, politics, the feminine, and religion. Large’s account is fair and his style is accessible. His book will be an invaluable resource for students who are tempted to throw Totality and Infinity against the wall. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; graduate students. -- J. A. Simmons, Furman University, USA * CHOICE *Large's contribution is valuable in making accessible this fundamental text for the understanding of the thought of Emmanuel Levinas ... He eloquently guides the reader through the intricacies of Totality and Infinity ... A necessity in the library of all those studying Levinas. * Revista Estudios *Students faced with the daunting task of reading Totality and Infinity have long awaited a lively and accessible commentary—and this is it. Large straightens out the warp and weft of Levinas’s text with admirable brevity, clarity, and faithfulness. Large’s guide deserves to be read by students and anyone with a serious interest in reading Levinas’s most important philosophical work for the first time. * Peter Atterton, San Diego State University, USA *I can think of no better guide through the “thicket of difficulties” that is Levinas’ Totality and Infinity than Will Large’s book. This is a book that is engagingly written and straightforward, whilst also remaining alive to the nuance and complexity of Levinas’ notoriously difficult text. Those embarking upon Levinas for the first time will find this book an invaluable introduction to the intrigue and fascination of Levinas’ work. Meanwhile, those who are more familiar with Levinas’ work may find that this refreshing and stimulating book opens up new questions for them, and helps them forge new pathways for the exploration of Levinas’ ethics of responsibility. * Will Buckingham, Reader in Writing and Creativity, De Montfort University, UK *This reader’s guide is a lucid, accessible way into an extremely difficult book, which offers the reader not only solid footing within Levinas's thinking but also occasional bridges into further philosophical discussions. Readers will appreciate patient explanation of his terminology, clear summaries of notoriously dense passages, and frequent reminders that many of Levinas's questions have also been the questions of other major thinkers, such Plato, Kant, Rosenzweig, and Heidegger. * Jeffrey Bloechl, Department of Philosophy, Boston College, USA *Table of ContentsTable ofContents 1.Themes and Content 2.Reading the Text 3.Reception and Influence 4.Further Reading Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhat is it for a car, a piece of art or a person to be good, bad or better than another? In this first book-length introduction to value theory, Francesco Orsi explores the nature of evaluative concepts used in everyday thinking and speech and in contemporary philosophical discourse. The various dimensions, structures and connections that value concepts express are interrogated with clarity and incision. Orsi provides a systematic survey of both classic texts including Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Moore and Ross and an array of contemporary theorists. The reader is guided through the moral maze of value theory with everyday examples and thought experiments. Rare stamps, Napoleon''s hat, evil demons, and Kant''s good will are all considered in order to probe our intuitions, question our own and philosophers'' assumptions about value, and, ultimately, understand better what we want to say when we talk about value.Trade Review[Orsi] manages to be both clear and accessible as he navigates the many distinctions and relations that have come to populate the field. ... [A] welcome addition to the literature and a useful resource. * Ethical Theory and Moral Practice *Orsi provides a detailed but succinct exploration of every axis of value theory, with special attention to the fitting attitude theory. Clearly written and tightly argued, this book is a thorough guide to the shape of value that also advances current debates in creative and engaging ways. * Scott A. Davison, Professor of Philosophy and Chair, Department of History, Philosophy, Religion and Legal Studies, Morehead State University, USA *Francesco Orsi’s Value Theory is the first thorough overview of all the main distinctions and debates in the rich philosophical tradition of investigating the evaluative realm. It is also historically informed, clear, balanced, and well-argued overall. * Dr Jussi Suikkanen, Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, University of Birmingham, UK *Orsi's book lucidly explores core conceptual questions at the very fore of value theory. The focus is on the much-discussed fitting-attitude analysis of value, and Orsi serves as an excellent and attentive guide, as the reader explores the advantages as well as the more serious rocks and shoals inherent in this approach. Not only is the book a great introduction to this pattern of analysis, it provides a distinguished contribution to contemporary value theory. * Toni Rønnow-Rasmussen, Professor of Practical Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Lund University, Sweden *Table of Contents1. Value and Normativity 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Which Evaluations? 1.3 The Idea of Value Theory 1.4 Value and Normativity 1.5 Overview 1.6 Meta-ethical Neutrality 1.7 Value Theory: The Questions 2. Meet the Values: Intrinsic, Final & Co. 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Final and Unconditional Value: Some Philosophical Examples 2.3 Intrinsic Value and Final Value 2.4 The Reduction to Facts 2.5 Intrinsic and Conditional Value 2.6 Elimination of Extrinsic Value? 2.7 Summary 3. The Challenge against Absolute Value 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Geach and Attributive Goodness 3.3 Foot and the Virtues 3.4 Thomson and Goodness in a Way 3.5 Zimmerman’s Ethical Goodness 3.6 A Better Reply: Absolute Value and Fitting Attitudes 3.7 Summary 4. Personal Value 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Moore on Good and Good For 4.3 Good For and Fitting Attitudes 4.4 Moore Strikes Back? 4.5 Agent-relative Value 4.6 Impersonal/Personal and Agent-neutral/Agent-relative 4.7 Summary 5. The Chemistry of Value 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Supervenience and Other Relations 5.3 Organic Unities 5.4 Alternatives to Organic Unities: Virtual Value 5.5 Alternatives to Organic Unities: Conditional Value 5.6 Holism and Particularism 5.7 Summary 6. Value Relations 6.1 Introduction 6.2 The Trichotomy Thesis and Incomparability 6.3 A Fitting Attitude Argument for Incomparability 6.4 Against Incomparability: Epistemic Limitations 6.5 Against Incomparability: Parity 6.6 Parity and Choice 6.7 Parity and Incomparability 6.8 Summary 7. How Do I Favour Thee? 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Three Dimensions of Favouring 7.3 Responses to Value: Maximizing 7.4 Two Concepts of Intrinsic Value? 7.5 Summary 8. Value and the Wrong Kind of Reasons 8.1 Introduction 8.2 The Fitting Attitude Account and its Rivals 8.3 The Wrong Kind of Reasons Problem 8.4 The Structure of the Problem and an Initial Response 8.5 Reasons for What? 8.6 Characteristic Concerns and Shared Reasons 8.7 Circular Path: No-Priority 8.8 Summary

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Book SynopsisEzio Di Nucci is Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany.Trade ReviewIn his “Ethics without Intention. An Essay on Double Effect“ Ezio di Nucci provides the first in-depth action theoretic analysis of the infamous Doctrine of Double Effect, without already presupposing a particular ethical theory. He offers eight arguments against the doctrine, and convincingly shows that we cannot justify a particular immoral action by way of distinguishing between intended means and its merely foreseen side-effects. His study is original, lucid, and analytically sharp. His book is a must read for everyone interested in the moral relevance of intentions. * Monika Betzler, Chair for Practical Philosophy, University of Bern, Switzerland. *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Introductory Remarks: We Never Do Just One Thing Part I: The Doctrine of Double Effect 2. Definitions First: Classic Formulations of the Doctrine 3. Back to the Beginning: Aristotle, Aquinas and the Origins of Double Effect Part II: Double Effect in Theory 4. The Trolley Problem 5. An Experimental Approach to the Permissibility of Killing One to Save Five 6. A Theoretical Problem with Double Effect: Closeness 7. Kamm, Kant, and Double Effect Part III: Double Effect in Practice 8. The Classic Application of Double Effect: Collateral Damages 9. An Experimental Approach to the Distinction between Intending and Merely Foreseeing 10. Bioethical Applications: The Example of Embryo Loss and Stem Cell Research 11. What Shall I Do? The Doctrine Cannot Tell Us How We May Permissibly Act 12. Concluding Remarks: Responsibility, Character and Mends Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisJ. O. Urmson is Emeritus Professor at Stanford University and Emeritus Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Peter Lautner is a Fellow of the Research Group for Classical Studies at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Textual Emendations TRANSLATION Notes Bibliography English-Greek Glossary Greek-English Index Index of Passages Cited Subject Index

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Trade ReviewThis brilliant and challenging book … Illuminates different conceptions of luck, as found in the philosophical literature, clarifies the difference between telic and deontic equality, and explains the 'levelling down' problem and the way that this affects luck egalitarians, and egalitarians more generally. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Lippert-Rasmussen’s book offers both a reliable and critically sophisticated guide to the debate on luck egalitarianism from one of its shrewdest and most subtle contributors, and also advances several new interesting ideas and proposals ... This book is a model of its kind. It should be read by everyone with an interest in contemporary debates on distributive justice. * Ethical Theory and Moral Practice *The book provides a well-balanced overview of luck egalitarianism with a well-chosen ordering of the different chapters ... An excellent introduction. * Ethical Perspectives *Lippert-Rasmussen’s book makes a tremendous contribution to our understanding of luck egalitarianism and will no doubt become a central reference point for both its proponents and its critics. * Ethics *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Luck egalitarianism and some close and distant relatives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 What is luck egalitarianism? 1.3 What is attractive about luck egalitarianism? 1.4 Three important luck egalitarians: Dworkin 1.5 Three important luck egalitarians: Arneson 1.6 Three important luck egalitarians: Cohen 1.7 Luck egalitarianism and other views 1.8 Summary Chapter 2. Why equality? 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Formal equality 2.3 Equality of human beings 2.4 Williams on the idea of equality 2.5 Rawls on range properties 2.6 Respect and opaqueness 2.7 A different proposal 2.8 Summary Chapter 3. Luck 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Different kinds of luck 3.3 Thin luck 3.4 Thick luck 3.5 Independent notions of luck 3.6 How much luck is there? 3.7 Constitutive luck 3.8 Option luck versus brute luck 3.9 Neutralizing luck and equality 3.10 Bad luck versus good luck 3.11 Summary Chapter 4. Equality of what? 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Welfare 4.3 The specification objection 4.4 The disability objection 4.5 The offensive preference objection 4.6 The experience and snobbish tastes objection 4.7 The non-instrumental concern objection 4.8 Dworkin’s resourcist view 4.9 Sen’s capability metric 4.10 Summary Chapter 5. Telic and deontic luck egalitarianism 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Some distinctions 5.3 Telic versus deontic and the scope of equality 5.4 The levelling down objection 5.5 Telic egalitarianism and the levelling down objection 5.6 Deontic egalitarianism and the levelling down objection 5.7 Egalitarian responses 5.8 Summary Chapter 6. The scope of luck egalitarianism 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Whole lives 6.3 Generations 6.4 Groups 6.5 States 6.6 Individuals who are neither persons nor human beings 6.7 Summary Chapter 7. Social relations egalitarianism versus luck egalitarianism 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Social relations egalitarianism 7.3 Anderson’s democratic equality 7.4 Humiliation and harshness 7.5 What is at stake? 7.6 The source of the disagreement between social relations and luck egalitarians? 7.7 Summary Chapter 8. Other values 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Freedom 8.3 Demandingness 8.4 Community 8.5 Publicity and stability 8.6 Reflections 8.7 Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOlympiodorus (AD c. 500570), possibly the last non-Christian teacher of philosophy in Alexandria, delivered these lectures as an introduction to Plato with a biography. For us, they can serve as an accessible introduction to late Neoplatonism. Olympiodorus locates the First Alcibiades at the start of the curriculum on Plato, because it is about self-knowledge. His pupils are beginners, able to approach the hierarchy of philosophical virtues, like the aristocratic playboy Alcibiades. Alcibiades needs to know himself, at least as an individual with particular actions, before he can reach the virtues of mere civic interaction. As Olympiodorus addresses mainly Christian students, he tells them that the different words they use are often symbols of truths shared between their faiths.Trade Review[Olympiodorus' Alcibiades commentary] has remained untranslated since the appearance of the critical edition nearly sixty years ago. [This volume] is thus a step towards filling a definite gap in the scholarship ... The book will be helpful to anyone interested in Olympiodorus' commentary who is more comfortable reading English than Greek. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Table of ContentsConventions Textual Emendations Introduction Translator's Note Translation Notes Select Bibliography English-Greek Glossary Greek-English Index Index of Names Subject Index

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Book SynopsisIn Milan Kundera's Fiction: A Critical Approach to Existential Betrayals, Karen von Kunes traces Kundera's literary aspirations to a single episode in Czechoslovakia in the Stalinist era. This moment attracted international attention when a 1950 police report was released in 2008. Reporters rushed to judgment, accusing Kundera of denouncing Miroslav Dvorácek to the police, resulting in Dvorácek's immediate arrest and sentencing to hard labor. von Kunes debunks this shocking charge in a systematic way and argues that Kundera reported a suitcase, not a man. She ties Kundera's dominant themes of sex, betrayal, and political denouncement to the suitcase, a fatal instrument that can lead to paradoxes and unforeseen and catastrophic coincidences for his characters.Trade ReviewVon Kunes’s book is an engaging scholarly publication that reaches across the fields of literary criticism, philosophy, psychology and history. Unlike some scholarly publications that tend to be dry, von Kunes’s surprises with clarity of presentation and a suspenseful and accessible style that can be enjoyed by anyone. In her monograph, Professor von Kunes has achieved what no one dared to see or admit. Milan Kundera’s Fiction: A Critical Approach to Existential Betrayals is an absolute must to read in order to understand Kundera’s complex genius. * BritskeListy *"Karen von Kunes has been following Kundera's work for years, and her judgment and analyses are always very precise in capturing the essence of the author's endeavor. Hers is the evolving attempt, very much in sync with Kundera's own changing themes and motifs. Kundera is responding to a new situation in the changing world and the sometimes uncomfortable changes in his fiction might be a challenge to some readers. von Kunes makes sense of this challenging author in persuasive and clear interpretation of some of his most difficult works.” -- Peter Petro, The University of British Columbia"Milan Kundera's Fiction is a topical, all-encompassing and very stimulating analysis of Milan Kundera’s literary oeuvre. The author starts out by examining an incident from March 1950 when a CIA agent was arrested in Prague and Kundera may have been entangled in this event. A major role was played by coincidences and by a mysterious suitcase - hence von Kunes argues that the motif of suitcase is the fatal 'instrument' which always leads to catastrophic developments in Kundera's work.” -- Jan Čulík, University of Glasgow“Karen von Kunes explores the ever-changing identity of Milan Kundera from his student days in Czechoslovakia to his authorial career in France, uncovering interwoven life struggles in the fiction of an inquisitive, analytical, and erudite mind. The case of a real-life valise that caught young Kundera’s attention on March 14, 1950 and escalated into a political and human drama of betrayal and suffering reappears throughout his fiction. Digression, confusion, paradox, political plight, irrational behavior, secret police, and prison contribute to this comprehensive inquiry into Kundera’s profoundly human stories of laughter and forgetting.” -- Kenneth David Jackson, Yale University“Karen von Kunes offers a uniquely creative analysis of Milan Kundera's life and art via the image of a suitcase. Once opened, it offers a reading and understanding of fictional characters, the author himself, and the political realities of the twentieth century. Milan Kundera's Fiction: A Critical Approach to Existential Betrayals reads like a detective story, one that is suspenseful and thought provoking well beyond its pages.” -- Hana Pichova, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill“Milan Kundera’s writings have been analyzed and interpreted in many languages, but he has brought his characters to life within the history reflecting his own life’s experiences.Karen von Kunes is intensely aware of this, and with this in mind she weaves her assessment of Kundera’s work, carefully tracing the basic, if submerged, theme of Kundera’s novels: the many levels of betrayal – political, moral, psychological, highlighting the constant interplay between the novelist’s personal existentialism and the enigmatic ambiguity of his characters.” -- Marketa Goetz-Stankiewicz, University of British ColumbiaTable of ContentsChapter One: The Author’s Identity UnfoldingChapter Two: If You See Something, Say SomethingChapter Three: The Suitcase, the Bearer of All EvilChapter Four: Czech Destiny or Fate?Chapter Five: The BetrayalChapter Six: Kundera’s Sexual Politics?Chapter Seven: An Example of Interdisciplinary Analysis

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Book SynopsisPredrag Cicovacki is Professor of Philosophy and the O'Leary Research Fellow at the College of the Holy Cross, MA, USA. He has published over seventy-five philosophy papers published in English, Serbian, German, Russian, Chinese, and Slovenian and is the author or editor of twelve books, including The Ethics of Nonviolence (2013) and The Restoration of Albert Schweitzer's Ethical Vision (2012).Trade ReviewThe Analysis of Wonder is both an engaging and enlightening presentation of the philosophy of Nicolai Hartmann, one of the major German philosophers of the first part of the 20th Century undeservedly little known in the English-speaking world. The book’s three parts clearly present Hartmann’s ontology, theory of values (both ethical and aesthetic ones) and personality, carefully drawing the major connections among them. After a long period of disarray, Hartmann rehabilitated both ontology –his ontology comprises one of the most composite and rich theories of categories ever developed – and developed one of the first systematic theories of values – both ethical and aesthetic – showing how the latter may include and are higher than the former. Cicovacki’s book offers a well-balanced, clear introduction to these and other issues and promises to become the reference book for anyone wishing to know Hartmann’s philosophy. -- Roberto Poli, Research Professor, University of Trento, Italy, and President of the Nicolai Hartmann SocietyThis introduction to the life work of Nicolai Hartmann is, to my knowledge, the only book in English to present the entire range of Hartmann’s thought. It does so in lucid prose and with sufficient detail so that the reader new to Hartmann can take the measure of his procedure and its outcomes. Hartmann has created a method of research, a work in progress, indeed an edifice of ideas, especially in ethics and aesthetics, that cries out for development. Dr. Cicovacki's book is an important symptom of a welcome resurgence of interest in Hartmann. It will be of great use to professional philosophers who are unfamiliar with him, and to students whom it should encourage to take up the study of this great and unique philosopher. -- Eugene Kelly, Professor of Philosophy, New York Institute of Technology, USAThis is a rewarding introduction to the thought of the last great metaphysician. Cicovacki shows how Hartmann avoids the temptation to over-systematize as he provides categories adequate for informed wonderment before the full splendor of reality. -- Nalin Ranasinghe, Professor of Philosophy, Assumption College, USAIn The Analysis of Wonder, Cicovacki provides a lively, comprehensive introduction to Hartmann’s philosophy in a small package, written in a style that is not overly encumbered by scholarly jargon and technical apparatus, and balances well issues of contemporary relevance with detailed scholarship. It is not only a survey of Hartmann’s major ideas, but makes a case for reading Hartmann in light of certain of these ideas—building up to the claim that 'personality' is a synthetic category and reality which brings together Hartmann’s ontological and axiological work. It is an important contribution to a growing English-language literature on this neglected major German philosopher. -- Keith R. Peterson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Colby College, USAA splendid introduction [to Nicolai Hartmann] for the English-speaking world. […] Cicovacki has presented us with an interesting and concise summary of Hartmann's thought in systematic presentation [… and] offers a handy and easy-to-read introduction to a difficult and original thinker. The prose is clear and lucid. For anyone wanting to rediscover a giant of the 20th century, this book is an excellent place to start. -- Sebastian Luft, Marquette University * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *On the whole, it is clear that Hartmann’s philosophy is dauntingly complex and idiosyncratic; nevertheless, Cicovacki elegantly captures this complexity in clear and engaging analysis. As a compelling introduction to Hartmann’s philosophy, accessible to general and specialized audiences, Cicovacki has succeeded. -- Eric Chelstrom, St. Mary’s University * The Review of Metaphysics *Table of ContentsChronological Table Introduction: Does Hartmann Matter? Part I: Being I.1 Philosophical Method I.2 Being as Being I.3 Modifications of Being I.4 Strata of Real Being I.5 Categories of Real Being I.6 Categories of Being and Categories of Cognition I.7. Ontology of Cognition I.8 Critique of Intellectualism Part II: Values II.1 Nature of Values II.2 Moral Values in General II.3 Four Fundamental Moral Values II.4 Four Forms of Love II.5 Aesthetic Object and Aesthetic Act II.6 Aesthetic Values II.7 Truth in Art II.8 Sublime II.9 Critique of Moralism Part III: Personality III.1 The Realm of Real Being and the Realm of Values III.2 Personality as a Value III.3 Pseudo, Spurious and Genuine Personality III.4 Fulfillment of Personality Conclusion: Hartmann’s New Ways of Philosophy Bibliography of Hartmann’s Works Index

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Book SynopsisT. Ryan Byerly is Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Regent University, USA.Trade ReviewT. Ryan Byerly offers a refreshingly original account of how divine foreknowledge and providence might be achieved. This is an important contribution to philosophical theology and metaphysics which should be studied and discussed widely in coming years. * Yujin Nagasawa, Professor of Philosophy, University of Birmingham, UK *Byerly provides an insightful overview of the argument for theological fatalism, argues (rightly, I believe) that it cannot succeed unless divine foreknowledge entails causal determinism, and proposes that God's ordering of times can account for his infallible foreknowledge while leaving human freedom intact. This is a novel approach to a well-nigh intractable problem and should command the attention of anyone with a serious interest in the dilemma of divine foreknowledge and human freedom. * David P. Hunt, Professor of Philosophy and Department Chair, Whittier College, USA *Several things impress here: First, the ingenuity and clarity of the argument; second, the fact that Byerly and other analytic philosophers are engaging religious topics seriously. Even those (like me) who prefer to work in a different idiom, and those are not entirely persuaded, can be grateful for the rigor of their contributions. -- Peter Leithart * First Things *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction PART ONE: From the Existence of Infallible Divine Foreknowledge to Its Mechanics Chapter One: The Foreknowledge Argument Chapter Two: Foreknowledge and Explaining the Absence of Freedom Chapter Three: Foreknowledge and Causal Determinism PART TWO: A Time-Ordering Account of Foreknowledge and Providence Chapter Four: Time-Ordering and Foreknowledge Chapter Five: Time-Ordering and Providence Chapter Six: The Value and Future of the Time-Ordering Story Bibliography

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Book SynopsisSean Hannan is Assistant Professor in the Humanities, MacEwan University, Canada.Trade ReviewHannan’s book is both wide-ranging and focused, applying Augustine’s views. * The Heythrop Journal *For Augustine of Hippo, time is a difficult and yet indispensable beloved. Sean Hannan deftly takes us into the soul-stretch that defines Augustine’s ambivalence toward time and complicates the finality of his final things. This book is witty, insightful, and relevant. * James Wetzel, Villanova University, USA *This is one of the most engaging and insightful recent books on Augustine of Hippo. Sean Hannan’s precise treatment unfolds the vast implications of Augustine’s understanding of time. * Thomas Clemmons, Catholic University of America, USA *Sean Hannan sketches Augustine of Hippo’s tensive view of time as indecisive yet activist, distended yet eschatological. This timely book makes a lasting contribution to one of the perennial problems in Augustine scholarship. * Willemien Otten, University of Chicago, USA *Working at the juncture of historical and contemporary thought, Sean Hannan offers a provocative and insightful examination into the enduring philosophical and theological problem of human temporality. This book draws our attention to Augustine of Hippo’s enduring ability to illuminate a range of issues we continue to debate today. * Matthew Drever, University of Tulsa, USA *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction 1. The Reality of Time: Between Idealism and Materialism 2. A Brief Theology of Time: From Creation to the Eschaton 3. Enlightenment Never: Eschatology Without Progress 4. Do Not Live in the Now: A Critique of Mindfulness 5. The Instant of Indecision: Possibility of Personal Change 6. The Time Is Not Now: Activism Despite Quietism Conclusion: The Life's Future Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisJohn Olusegun Adenitire is Senior Lecturer in Law at Queen Mary University of London, UK. Raffael Fasel is Assistant Professor-elect in Public Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, UK.

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