Philosophy: epistemology and theory of knowledge Books

Book Synopsis*Available for pre-order: a definitive guide to thinking clearly in a world full of overwhelming information*__________In our deluge of information, it''s getting harder and harder to distinguish the revelatory from the contradictory. How do we make health decisions in the face of conflicting medical advice? How can we navigate the next uncomfortable discussion with family members, who follow completely different experts on climate?In Third Millennium Thinking, a physicist, a psychologist, and a philosopher introduce readers to the tools and frameworks that scientists use to keep from fooling themselves, to understand the world, and to make decisions. We can all borrow from these trust-building techniques that scientists have tested and developed for more than two millennia to tackle problems both big and small.Readers will learn:- How to gain a solid understanding of the facts that shape our modern world- How to navigate thro

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Book SynopsisMany definitions of postmodernism focus on its nature as the aftermath of the modern industrial age when technology developed. This book extends that analysis to postmodernism by looking at the status of science, technology, and the arts, the significance of technocracy, and the way the flow of information is controlled in the Western world.Table of ContentsForeword by Frederic JamesonIntroduction1 The field: knowledge in computerized societies2 The problem: legitimation3 The method: language games4 The nature of the social bond: the modern alternative5 The nature of the social bond: the postmodern perspective6 The pragmatics of narrative knowledge7 The pragmatics of scientific knowledge8 The narrative function and the legitimation of knowledge9 Narratives of the legitimation of knowledge10 Delgitimation11 Research and it legitimation through performativity12 Education and its legitimation through performativity13 Postmodern science as the search for instabilities14 Legitimation by paralogyAppendixNotes Index

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Book SynopsisA work of scientific and philosophical inquiry, in which, the authors track world myths to a common origin in early man's descriptions of cosmological activity, arguing that these remnants of ancient astronomy, suppressed by the Greeks and Romans and then forgotten, were really a form of pre-literate science.Trade Review"A book wonderful to read and startling to contemplate. If this theory is correct, both the history of science and the reinterpretation of myths have been enriched immensely." (Washington Post Book World)

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Book SynopsisHermeneutics is the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, a behaviour that is intrinsic to our daily lives. As humans, we decipher the meaning of newspaper articles, books, legal matters, religious texts, political speeches, emails, and even dinner conversations every day . But how is knowledge mediated through these forms? What constitutes the process of interpretation? And how do we draw meaning from the world around us so that we might understand our position in it? In this Very Short Introduction Jens Zimmermann traces the history of hermeneutic theory, setting out its key elements, and demonstrating how they can be applied to a broad range of disciplines: theology; literature; law; and natural and social sciences. Demonstrating the longstanding and wide-ranging necessity of interpretation, Zimmermann reveals its significance in our current social and political landscape. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThis very readable and much needed introduction breaks new ground in that it is the first to demonstrate, with insight, wit and a trove of illuminating examples, the importance of hermeneutics in all fields of knowledge. * Jean Grondin, Université de Montréal *Zimmerman offers one of the best short introductions to modern hermeneutics. The writing is at all times concise, clear and engaging. The author brilliantly evaluates the riches of this major intellectual tradition as well as revealing its ongoing creative influence on contemporary thought. * Richard Kearney, Charles Seelig Professor at Boston College and author of Anatheism and Carnal Hermeneutics. *An excellent introduction to that most characteristic of human activities, the attempt to understand. From the key figures in the development of the discipline to the application of their ideas in various fields, the reader is shown what it means to think hermeneutically and invited to do so as well. * Fr. John Behr, Dean, St Vladimir's Seminary *The Introduction clearly points to the major issues involved in hermeneutics. Jens Zimmermann writes excellently for a wide audience and the references to texting and to digital worlds gives it a contemporary feel. * Graham Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity, Christ Church Oxford, Director of Graduate Studies New York *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. What is Hermeneutics? ; 2. Hermeneutics: A brief history ; 3. Philosophical hermeneutics ; 4. Hermeneutics and theology ; 5. Hermeneutics and law ; 6. Hermeneutics and science ; 7. Hermeneutics and the humanities ; References ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisWe take for granted that only certain kind of things exist electrons but not angels, passports but not nymphs. This is what we understand as reality'. But in fact, reality' varies with each era of the world, in turn shaping the field of what is possible to do, think and imagine. Our contemporary age has embraced a troubling and painful form of reality: Technic. Under Technic, the foundations of reality begin to crumble, shrinking the field of the possible and freezing our lives in an anguished state of paralysis. Technic and Magic shows that the way out of the present deadlock lies much deeper than debates on politics or economics. By drawing from an array of Northern and Southern sources spanning from Heidegger, Junger and Stirner's philosophies, through Pessoa's poetry, to Advaita Vedanta, Bhartrhari, Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadra's theosophies Magic is presented as an alternative system of reality to Technic. While Technic attempts to capture the world through an Trade ReviewFederico Campagna's book is a brilliant tour de force that oscillates between lucid analyses of philosophical concepts, bridging the gap between Eastern and Western frameworks, and radical propositions for alternative worlds. By attempting to galvanize human perception out of its paralyzed and bordered state, what William Blake refers to as ‘the narrow chinks of [our] cavern’, Campagna expertly unravels the very foundations upon which our contemporary reality sits. Technic and Magic gradually builds towards a new and striking reconfiguration of reality that merges together the past, present and future. -- Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director at the Serpentine Galleries, London, UKFederico Campagna’s brilliant Technic and Magic is essential reading for our desperate times. This stunning historical and philosophical exploration radically transforms our understanding of the global technological culture we now inhabit. -- Jonathan Crary, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Modern Art and Theory, Columbia University, USA, author of 24/7Both Technic and Magic are used by us to change the world. However, as Frederico Campagna argues, Technic serves the accumulation of power whereas Magic, on the contrary, protects life and its value. In his fascinating book Campagna makes a parcours through the Indian, Islamic and old Gnostic sources to discover the hidden, hermetic tradition of magical thinking that keeps its relevance also for our contemporary condition. -- Boris Groys, Global Distinguished Professor of Russian and Slavic Studies, New York University, USACampagna takes us on a philosophically rich journey that is signposted by new terms and concepts discussed with due reference to other philosophical settings, including as they developed in Persia. His engaging prose promises to make a distinct contribution to emerging fields of knowledge. -- Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Professor in Global Thought and Comparative Philosophies, SOAS, University of London, and Chair of the Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle East Institute, UKThis is a book not only for philosophers but also for poets and their readers and for all those who try to uphold the dignity of their spiritual existence. Is magic still a liveable territory? Federico Campagna asks fundamental questions but also has original suggestions how to keep this high flame alive in a radically non-magical world. -- Adam Zagajewski, poet, novelist and translator, author of 'Mysticism for Beginners: Poems'Campagna breaks with tradition by advancing scholarship that explores a common past and common understandings of meta-philosophical concepts, crossing the geopolitical barriers between the East and the West. Rarely does one see such ability to discuss complex, metaphysical and philosophic themes in a light and poetic manner - Outstanding. -- Ghoncheh Tazmini, Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS University of London, UKTable of ContentsPREFACE, ‘The Keymaker’ by Timothy Morton INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE – TECHNIC’S WORLD - Crisis of Reality - Technic - Measure and Infinity - No Outside - Crisis of Action, Crisis of Imagination CHAPTER TWO – TECHNIC’S COSMOGONY - Defining Terms - 1 Absolute Language - 2 Measure - 3 Unit - 4 Abstract General Entity - 5 Life As Vulnerability - Upper and Lower Limits: Ego Absconditus and Double Affirmation - Conclusion INTERMISSION – WHAT IS REALITY? - Between India and the West - Why Seek Reality? CHAPTER THREE – MAGIC’S COSMOGONY - Defining Terms - 1 The Ineffable as Life - 2 Person - 3 Symbol - 4 Meaning - 5 Paradox - Upper and Lower Limits: Double Negation and Deus Absconditus - Conclusion CHAPTER FOUR – MAGIC’S WORLD - Outside Within - Secret - Initiation - As if - Happy Ending Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book is an experiment. Inspired by the bizarre and uncanny, it is an attempt to use science and rationality to lift the veil off the irrational. Its ways are unconventional: weaving along its path one finds UFOs and fairies, quantum mechanics, analytic philosophy, history, mathematics, and depth psychology. The enterprise of constructing a coherent story out of these incommensurable disciplines is exploratory. But if the experiment works, at the end these disparate threads will come together to unveil a startling scenario about the nature of reality. The payoff is handsome: a reason for hope, a boost for the imagination, and the promise of a meaningful future. Yet this book may confront some of your dearest notions about truth and reason. Its conclusions cannot be dismissed lightly, because the evidence this book compiles and the philosophy it leverages are solid in the orthodox, academic sense.

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Book SynopsisFrom Sources of the Self to A Secular Age, Charles Taylor has shown how we create ways of being, as individuals and as a society. Here, he demonstrates that language is at the center of this generative process. Language does not merely describe; it constitutes meaning, and the shared practice of speech shapes human experience.Trade ReviewCharacteristically, [Taylor’s] latest book transgresses the boundaries of usually distinct philosophical topics, incorporating disciplines outside philosophy: anthropology, sociology and developmental psychology. Philosophy of language becomes the doorway to metaphysics, politics and ethics, and to working out the nature of modernity and what it has made us. -- Jane O’Grady * Times Higher Education *Taylor moves well beyond theory, looking at the ‘shape, scope and uses of language.’ We find out a great deal about how language is learned, semantic invention, and how words fit into the broader palette of art, ritual, gesture and symbol. -- Jonathan Wright * Catholic Herald *Taylor’s prolific philosophical output is justly celebrated for the rich historical sweep of its learning…The Language Animal…is no exception…By the end we have been given a powerful and often uplifting vision of what it is to be truly human. -- John Cottingham * The Tablet *There is no other book that has presented a critique of conventional philosophy of language in these terms and constructed an alternative to it in anything like this way. -- Akeel Bilgrami, Columbia UniversityTaylor is one of the handful of most important thinkers of our era. The line of thinking he develops in The Language Animal is basic to his whole work since Explanation of Behaviour. Many readers will grasp the importance of a constitutive view of language, and for them this will be a landmark book. -- Craig Calhoun, Director of the London School of Economics and Political ScienceJust as Humboldt believed that ‘possessing a language is to be continuously involved in trying to extend its powers of articulation,’ Charles Taylor’s new book, The Language Animal, demonstrates how the very study of language over time embodies the evolving human effort to extend our understanding—not only of language, but of the very self language helps to describe, propel, and transcend. It is a deeply thoughtful, historically enriching, and ultimately luminous book. -- Maryanne Wolf, Tufts UniversityTrue to its author’s background in philosophy and political thought, The Language Animal is less a scientific, by-the-facts book than a reflective and often poetic account of how language shapes human experience. -- Charisma Lee * LSE Review of Books *Taylor’s argument is salutary and powerful. His erudition is impressive, and the rich diet of examples he assembles poses a serious challenge to facile reductionist accounts of language and of human nature. -- Edward Feser * National Review *[Taylor’s] ultimate objective in his latest book, The Language Animal, is to demonstrate how we can all live in a more tolerant ‘flexible’ (his word) world—if we can learn how to make the most of the resources, above all the resources for communication, we all share. This is a continuation of the ideas he has been working on throughout his astonishingly long and productive career. Taylor writes in a compelling, congenial way that enables him to encompass seeming contradictions. -- Anthony Pagden * World Post *

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Book SynopsisA key to modern studies of 18th century Western philosophy, the Treatise considers numerous classic philosophical issues, including causation, existence, freedom and necessity and morality. This is abridged edition has an introduction which explains Hume's thought and places it in the context of its times.Table of ContentsA Treatise of Human Nature IntroductionSuggestions for Further ReadingA Note on the TextA TREATISE OF HUMAN NATUREAdvertisementThe ContentsIntroductionBook I: Of the UnderstandingBook II: Of the PassionsBook III: Of Morals

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Book SynopsisA unique collaboration to map the ontology and epistemology of the human-plant relationship.Trade ReviewThrough Vegetal Being foregrounds the relations that plants enable between humans and other living things, continuing both Michael Marder's work on plant existence and Luce Irigaray's work on sexual difference and the forgetting of the world in the constitution of individual identity. This charming and beautifully written book is a two-person meditation on the philosophy, ontology, and ethics of plant life and our fundamental dependence on it as living beings. -- Elizabeth Grosz, Jean Fox O'Barr Women's Studies Professor at Duke University Through Vegetal Being explores what the vegetal realm can offer to philosophy and the tradition of western metaphysics. The two voices in dialogue-legendary feminist thinker Luce Irigaray and acclaimed philosopher Michael Marder-engage the critique of metaphysics from a perspective that is largely without precedent, thus cross pollinating between such intellectual fields as continental philosophy, environmentalism, gardening, and botany. -- William Egginton, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at the Johns Hopkins University Luce Irigaray and Michael Marder have written an admirable and singular book, where they recover two aspects of philosophy that have been otherwise forgotten. On the one hand, they return to a reflection on our condition as living beings, the context in which and thanks to which we exist. On the other hand, their method is an epistolary dialogue, a genre that has given us some of the most profound and least abstract insights along the history of philosophy. -- Daniel Innerarity, author of Governance in the New Global Disorder Luce Irigaray and Michael Marder surprise us with a moving foray into life in its barest, elemental traits. By tapping into the pulse and silent language shared by all animate beings, they unsettle received philosophical narratives and awaken modes of sensibility both subtle and expanded. The contact with the mystery of vegetal life renews the investigation into human becoming, its potentiality and cultivation. -- Claudia Baracchi, University of Milano-BicoccaTable of ContentsPreface Luce Irigaray Prologue 1. Seeking Refuge in the Vegetal World 2. A Culture Forgetful of Life 3. Sharing Universal Breathing 4. The Generative Potential of the Elements 5. Living at the Rhythm of the Seasons 6. A Recovery of the Amazing Diversity of Natural Presence 7. Cultivating Our Sensory Perceptions 8. Feeling Nostalgia for a Human Companion 9. Risking to Go Back Among Humans 10. Losing Oneself and Asking Nature for Help Again 11. Encountering Another Human in the Woods 12. Wondering How to Cultivate Our Living Energy 13. Could Gestures and Words Substitute for the Elements? 14. From Being Alone in Nature to Being Two in Love 15. Becoming Humans 16. Cultivating and Sharing Life Between All Epilogue Notes Michael Marder Prologue 1. Seeking Refuge in the Vegetal World 2. A Culture Forgetful of Life 3. Sharing Universal Breathing 4. The Generative Potential of the Elements 5. Living at the Rhythm of the Seasons 6. A Recovery of the Amazing Diversity of Natural Presence 7. Cultivating Our Sensory Perceptions 8. Feeling Nostalgia for a Human Companion 9. Risking to Go Back Among Humans 10. Losing Oneself and Asking Nature for Help Again 11. Encountering Another Human in the Woods 12. Wondering How to Cultivate Our Living Energy 13. Could Gestures and Words Substitute for the Elements? 14. From Being Alone in Nature to Being Two in Love 15. Becoming Humans 16. Cultivating and Sharing Life Between All Epilogue Notes Index

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Book SynopsisA landmark of Enlightenment thought, Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understandingaccompanied here by two shorter works that shed light on it: A Letter from a Gentleman to His Friend in Edinburgh and his Abstract of A Treatise on Human Nature.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a three-part journey into the rabbit hole we call the nature of reality. Its ultimate destination is a plausible, living validation of transcendence. Each of its three parts is like a turn of a spiral, exploring recurring ideas through the prisms of religious myth, truth and belief, respectively. With each turn, the book seeks to convey a more nuanced and complete understanding of the many facets of transcendence. Part I puts forward the controversial notion that many religious myths are actually true; and not just allegorically so. Part II argues that our own inner storytelling plays a surprising role in creating the seeming concreteness of things and the tangibility of history. Part III suggests, in the form of a myth, how deeply ingrained belief systems create the world we live in. The three themes, myth, truth and belief, flow into and interpenetrate each other throughout the book.

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Book SynopsisIn this landmark new book, Iain McGilchrist addresses some of the oldest and hardest questions humanity faces – ones that, however, have a practical urgency for all of us today. Who are we? What is the world? How can we understand consciousness, matter, space and time? Is the cosmos without purpose or value? Can we really neglect the sacred and divine? In doing so, he argues that we have become enslaved to an account of things dominated by the brain’s left hemisphere, one that blinds us to an awe-inspiring reality that is all around us, had we but eyes to see it. He suggests that in order to understand ourselves and the world we need science and intuition, reason and imagination, not just one or two; that they are in any case far from being in conflict; and that the brain’s right hemisphere plays the most important part in each. And he shows us how to recognise the ‘signature’ of the left hemisphere in our thinking, so as to avoid making decisions that bring disaster in their wake. Following the paths of cutting-edge neurology, philosophy and physics, he reveals how each leads us to a similar vision of the world, one that is both profound and beautiful – and happens to be in line with the deepest traditions of human wisdom. It is a vision that returns the world to life, and us to a better way of living in it: one we must embrace if we are to survive.Trade Review'It's very simple: this is one of the most important books ever published. And, yes, I do mean ever. It is a thrilling exposition of the nature of reality, and a devastating repudiation of the strident, banal orthodoxy that says it is childish and disreputable to believe that the world is alive with wonder and mystery. For McGilchrist the universe is a constantly evolving symphony; a gradual unfolding of an epic story. We urgently need to attune our ears to this music; to re-enchant the world and ourselves, and to confound those who say that there is only noise. No one else could have written this book. McGilchrist's range is as vast as the subject; which is everything. He is impeccably rigorous, fearlessly honest, and compellingly readable. Put everything else aside. Read this now to know what sort of creature you are and what sort of place you inhabit.' Professor Charles Foster, Oxford University, author of Being a Human and Being a Beast. 'The Matter with Things is a work of remarkable inspiration and erudition, written with the soul and subtlety of a poet, the precision of a philosopher, and the no nonsense grounding of a true scientist. In its pages, neuropsychology comes into conversation with philosophy, physics with poetry. Its author shows not just how our divided mind and brain makes us human, but how this gives us the potential both to understand and to misunderstand the world. Iain McGilchrist's book considers both great sources of awe and admiration: the starry heavens above as well as the mental life within. The author first offers intertwined analyses of brain function, cognition, and the structure of knowledge. Then he climbs his three-fold cord to a place from which one can survey the ultimate mysteries-the relationship of mind to matter, the concept of life, the contested role of purpose in the universe, and the nature of the sacred. McGilchrist is the most generous and talented of writers: his fluid account, brilliantly and beautifully argued-and meticulously researched-brings us along with him, step by step, until we too can discern the horizons of a reconfigured world. McGilchrist's appreciation of ambiguity and paradox only enhances the clarity and vitality of his thought. This is a book of surpassing, even world-historical ambition, and-still more rare-one that delivers on its promise.' Louis Sass, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University; author of Madness and Modernism and of The Paradoxes of DelusionA magnificent achievement. The Master and His Emissary, Iain McGilchrist's earlier tour de force, ranks as a game-changer. It doesn't so much undermine common understandings of rationality as reframe them. The Matter with Things builds on that foundation, confirming the author's status as a leading contemporary polymath. With rarely matched clarity as well as deep learning, McGilchrist demonstrates not just that there is more to the world than matter, but also that there is more to matter itself than grasped by the shallow materialisms of our age.'; Rupert Shortt, Von Hugel Institute, University of Cambridge; and author of 'Outgrowing Dawkins: God for Grown-Ups' 'If we draw only on the left side of the brain, our culture paints a narrow picture composed via the hyper-specialism which bedevils contemporary intellectual life. In this sorry state, we badly need that now-almost-vanishingly rare personage, the true polymath. In Iain McGilchrist, in the nick of time, we have one. In this book, he draws quite magnificently on his post-disciplinary erudition precisely to explain how very much we lose when we draw only on the left hemisphere. If you want to understand why curiosity is in vogue but wonder is not; or why we aim directly at happiness and in doing so ineluctably become less happy; or why we like to talk about 'the environment' while Nature, upon which we utterly depend, we quietly desecrate; if you yearn to comprehend and question the rise of a desperate clinging to 'identity' within both the Left and the Right of politics; or if the way our civilisation tends to model human beings as machines disturbs or hurts you, then please read this book; for it sheds a profound light on these and so many other literally vital questions. If it were widely heeded, then perhaps, even at this late hour, our civilisation's merry march to a slow and brutal suicide might be halted. For this book is that most valuable of possible books: The Matter With Things is nothing less than a work of genius, diagnosing our dire predicament in full, and offering a way, instead.' Rupert Read, Professor of Philosophy, University of East Anglia; author of Wittgenstein's Liberatory Philosophy, This Civilisation is Finished and Parents for a Future.

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Book SynopsisThis short treatise looks at how we construct a social reality from our sense impressions; at how, for example, we construct a five-pound note with all that implies in terms of value and social meaning, from the printed piece of paper we see and touch.Table of ContentsThe building blocks of social reality; creating institutional facts; language and social reality; the general theory of institutional facts part I - iteration, interaction, and logical structure; the general theory of institutional facts part II - creation, maintenance, and the hierarchy; background abilities and the explanation of social phenomena; does the real world exist? part I - attacks on realism; does the real world exist? part II - could there be a proof of external realism?; truth and correspondence.

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Book SynopsisBerkeley''s idealism started a revolution in philosophy. As one of the great empiricist thinkers he not only influenced British philosophers from Hume to Russell and the logical positivists in the twentieth century, he also set the scene for the continental idealism of Hegel and even the philosophy of Marx.There has never been such a radical critique of common sense and perception as that given in Berkeley''s Principles of Human Knowledge (1710). His views were met with disfavour, and his response to his critics was the Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous.This edition of Berkeley''s two key works has an introduction which examines and in part defends his arguments for idealism, as well as offering a detailed analytical contents list, extensive philosophical notes and an index. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, Trade ReviewThere is something beautiful about the design of this series: their portability, even their tendency to become dog-eared. And this is a welcome reprint, sensitively edited. * Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian *the editions deserve great credit for the enthusiasm of their approach ... The introductions by eminent scholars put the thoughts of the author and the history of the time into clear perspective. Oxford should be given credit for making the classics accessible for all rather than just crib notes for students. * Jonathan Copeland, Lincolnshire Echo *

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Book SynopsisPart of a two-volume set of work containing words of all four books comprising the "Essay", this book provides marginal analyses of almost every paragraph, and explanatory footnotes which comment, elaborate and explain difficult points.Trade ReviewThis abridgment by Kenneth Winkler is the best that has ever been done. Winkler's judgment as to what must be kept and what may be dropped is unerring, and his literary skill has enabled him to fashion a text that reads smoothly. An illuminating Introduction and comprehensive glossary enhance the value of this volume for students. --Vere Chappell, University of Massachusetts, AmherstLocke's Essay is a massive, scarcely organized work that is easy for students to get lost in and difficult for teachers to lend coherence to. But Winkler's abridgment succeeds remarkably at bringing out the underlying structure of Locke's masterpiece without sacrificing any of the long and important passages that put the meat on that structure. I didn't think this could be done until I came across Winkler's abridgment. It certainly makes teaching Locke much easier, since it makes the structure of the Essay more apparent, and leaves the teacher thus freer to concentrate on the details of the text. I know of no passages from the Essay left out of this abridgment that I would prefer to use in a lower-level class. If anything, I would have made the abridgment shorter still. But to my knowledge, nobody has yet done a better job than Winkler. --Michael Rolf, University of PennsylvaniaTable of ContentsLocke's Life and Writing; The Essay concerning Human Understanding; Books I and II: Ideas and Principles; Book III: Language and Abstraction; Book IV: Knowledge; Reception and Legacy; A Chronology of John Locke; An Essay Concerning Human Understanding 1; Appendix Extracts from Locke's Letters to Edward Stillingfleet, Bishop of Worcester; Explanatory Notes; Index.

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Book SynopsisAn extraordinary and challenging synthesis of ideas uniting Quantum Theory, and the theories of Computation, Knowledge and Evolution, Deutsch''s extraordinary book explores the deep connections between these strands which reveal the fabric of realityin which human actions and ideas play essential roles.

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Book SynopsisIf contemporary culture were a school, with all the tasks and expectations meted out by modern life as its curriculum, would anyone graduate? In the spirit of a sympathetic teacher, Robert Kegan guides us through this tricky curriculum, assessing the fit between its complex demands and our mental capacities.Trade ReviewA stimulating tour through the modern mind in society… In Over Our Heads is full of insight; it reflects broad learning and enormous intellectual effort. -- David Mehegan * Boston Sunday Globe *[This book] is intellectually exciting and far-reaching in its implications… Kegan’s writing has much to offer developmental psychology, which suffers from a dearth of theoretical frameworks in the area of adult development… This book invites readers to work hard but rewards them greatly. There are foundation-shaking theoretical and research challenges here for mainstream psychology, especially behavioral and social learning approaches that focus on skill training and cumulative (quantitative) change… I thoroughly recommend this exciting book… It has the potential to transform our texts on life span development. It is a book that opens up whole new vistas for developmental researchers, as well as psychologists whose practice includes adult clients. -- Marie R. Joyce * Contemporary Psychology *A dazzling intellectual tour… In Over Our Heads provides us with entirely fresh perspectives on a number of cultural controversies—the ‘abstinence vs. safe sex’ debate, the diversity movement, communication across genders, the meaning of postmodernism. * Health and Recovery *Table of ContentsPrologue I. The Mental Demand of Adolescence 1. The Hidden Curriculum of Youth: "Whaddaya Want from Me?" 2. Coaching the Curriculum: A Bridge Must Be Well Anchored on Either Side II. The Mental Demand of Private Life: Parenting and Partnering 3. Parenting: Minding Our Children 4. Partnering: Love and Consciousness III. The Mental Demand of Public Life: Work and Self-Expansion 5. Working: On Seeking to Hire the Self-Employed 6. Dealing with Difference: Communication between the Sexes/Communication between the Theories 7. Healing: The Undiscussed Demands of Psychotherapy 8. Learning: "The Teacher Wants Us to Be Self-Directing" IV. The Mental Demand of Postmodern Life 9. Conflict, Leadership, and Knowledge Creation 10. On Being Good Company for the Wrong Journey Epilogue Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMyles Burnyeat, the Lawrence Professor of Ancient Philosophy at Cambridge, has revised Levett's translation to catch the charm and wit of the original in modern English, and has written a magnificent introduction and commentary of 250 pages that is lucid, rigorous, fair and un-put-downable. --Philip Howard, The Times (London)A masterly contribution to the understanding of the subject in a work of altogether exceptional intelligence. --Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Christ Church, OxfordBurnyeat's introduction to the Theaetetus is easily the best available treatment of the dialogue; it is clear, stimulating, sympathetic but not uncritical, full of novel insights. Students at all levels, including professional philosophers, cannot fail to learn from it, to enjoy it. A real gem. --Gail Fine, Cornell University

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Book Synopsis'It made me rethink the roots of our deepest fears and insecurities, and why we often disappoint ourselves in how we manifest them' Bill Clinton, Guardian Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life's work, The Denial of Death is Ernest Becker's brilliant and impassioned answer to the 'why' of human existence. In bold contrast to the predominant Freudian school of thought, Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie - man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality. The book argues that human civilisation is a defence against the knowledge that we are mortal beings. Becker states that humans live in both the physical world and a symbolic world of meaning, which is where our 'immortality project' resides. We create in order to become immortal - to become part of something we believe will last forever. In this way we hope to give our lives meaning. In The Denial of Death, Becker sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates decades after it was written.Trade ReviewIt made me rethink the roots of our deepest fears and insecurities, and why we often disappoint ourselves in how we manifest them -- Bill Clinton * Guardian *A brave work of electrifying intelligence and passion, optimistic and revolutionary, destined to endure. * New York Times Book Review *An original, creative contribution to a synthesis of this generation's extensive explorations in psychology and theology. * Boston Herald *One of those rare masterpieces that will stimulate your thoughts, your intellectual curiosity, and last but not least, your soul. * Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author, On Death and Dying *Concerns the 'universality of the fear of death'... Its approach is more philosophical than psychologically or medically empirical. -- TheologyMeditating on death and its influence on our culture... that the fear of death is the single motivating fact of human endeavour and that all art and philosophy come from trying to deal with obsolescence. -- The Catholic HeraldOne of the few great books of the 20th or any other century. -- Albuquerque Journal Book ReviewIt is hard to overestimate the importance of this book: Becker succeeds brilliantly in what he sets out to do, and the effort was necessary. -- The Chicago Sun-Times

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Book SynopsisBeing wrong is an inescapable part of being alive. And yet we go through life tacitly assuming (or loudly insisting) that we are right about nearly everything - from our political beliefs to our private memories, from our grasp of scientific fact to the merits of our favourite team. Being Wrong looks at why this conviction has such a powerful grip on us, what happens when this conviction is shaken, and how we interpret the moral, political and psychological significance of being wrong. Drawing on philosophies old and new and cutting-edge neuroscience, Schulz offers an exploration of the allure of certainty and the necessity of fallibility in four main areas: in religion (when the end of the world fails to be nigh); in politics (where were those WMD?); in memory (where are my keys?); and in love (when Mr or Ms Right becomes Mr or Ms Wrong).Trade ReviewA real find, Schulz's book is a funny and philosophical meditation on why error is mostly a humane, courageous and extremely desirable human trait. She flies high in the intellectual skies, leaving beautiful sunlit contrails. God isn't her co-pilot; Iris Murdoch seems to be * New York Times *A brilliant new manifesto urging us to reassess our relationship with our own mistakes ... Since reading Schulz's book, I have been trying harder to train myself to think systematically about my own mistakes -- Johann Hari * Independent *A compelling meditation on the human condition. By combining personal stories with research into learning and memory, Schulz exposes psychological tricks we play on ourselves when we cling to beliefs in the face of evidence * New Scientist *It is a courageous achievement to have gazed so long at the Gorgon of human wrongness and then written a book at all, let alone an enjoyable one. Schulz displays a gift for expressing hard ideas simply, and with humour -- Rafael Behr * Observer *Schulz's book is filled with incidental pleasures ... Richly entertaining * Sunday Times *Kathryn Schulz's brilliant, spirited, and necessary inquiry into the essential humanity of error will leave you feeling intoxicatingly wrongheaded -- Tom Vanderbilt, author of TRAFFICSchulz mounts a spirited defence of the value of being wrong * London Review of Books *This book is both wise and clever, full of fun and surprise about a topic so central to our lives that we almost never even think about it. But there are very few problems we face, as individuals or as a society, that couldn't be helpfully addressed if we were willing to at least entertain the idea that we might not be entirely right -- Bill McKibben, author of THE END OF NATURE and EAARTHBeing Wrong is full of fascinating stories and quirky pieces of research in the manner of Malcolm Gladwell, but Schulz interprets all her research from a Jamesian viewpoint, where "truth" is not something free-standing, but a function of the way humans interact with the world. Her insight is to recognise that this all-too contingent definition of "truth" is unsettling: we want truth to be written on stone rather than sand -- Nicholas Blincoe * Daily Telegraph *An insightful and delightful discussion of the errors of our ways - why we make mistakes, why we don't know we are making them and what we do when recognition dawns ... Schulz is the patient naturalist who carefully examines the nasty little miracles the rest of us so eagerly discard. -- Daniel Gilbert * International Herald Tribune *In this lovely book about human mistakes the sickeningly young, forbiddingly clever and vexingly wise American journalist Kathryn Schulz ... argues passionately for the value of error. The experience of being wrong, she argues, helps to make us better people, with richer lives ... What is most cherishable about this bumper book of other people's booboos is its insistence that to experience error is, at its best, to find adventure - and even contentment. -- Stuart Jeffries * Guardian *Firmly in the Gladwellesque genre of applying savvy journalistic technique to produce an insight into something that probably should have been obvious but we didn't really think about until the author teased it out ... Some of the best parts of the book - and the most disquieting - are those that show how badly our own minds can let us down when it comes to memory. -- Hugh Carnegy * Financial Times *A compelling meditation on the human condition. By combining personal stories with research into learning and memory, Schulz exposes the psychological tricks we play on ourselves when we cling to beliefs in the face of the evidence. -- Jo Marchant * New Scientist *Schulz wears her considerable learning lightly and renders complex ideas as accessible as possible. -- Ben Felsenburg * Metro *It's not easy to write about such complex subjects in a lively and often very funny way, but Schulz pulls it off with aplomb ... a joyful and very readable book that will force readers to reconsider their own attitudes to error and belief. -- Anna Carey * Sunday Business Post *Schulz mounts a spirited defence of the value of being wrong. * LRB *A luminously intelligent investigation of our propensity to error ... Being Wrong may be one of the most important books published for many years. It may seem paradoxical to try to see aright our universal, inveterate tendency to be wrong, but Schulz succeeds brilliantly. This sobering and yet liberating inquiry could make a major dent on the stupidity of the world. -- Raymond Tallis * TLS *A brilliant book with a sweeping grasp of philosophy and physics and all points in between. -- Bill Clinton

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Book SynopsisDraws upon the situated work of professional coffee tasters in over a dozen countries to shed light on the methods we use to convert subjective experience into objective knowledge.Winner of the 2023 Distinguished Book Award presented by the Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis section of the American Sociological Association At once ethnographic and phenomenological, Tasting Coffee investigates the global chain of coffee production "from seed to cup," stopping at every stage along the way to describe the tasting practices of each stakeholder purveying coffee. The ethnomethodological care of these descriptions derives from an attunement to just how these stakeholders discover and describe the flavors of coffee and how they convert subjective experience into objective knowledge. The methods and protocols of sensory science are also examined and assessed in their lived details, making this study also a contribution to the sociology of science. Based upon a decade of research in fourteen countries, author Kenneth Liberman provides a nonessentialist ontology of coffee, its history, and its production. The world of coffee becomes a microcosm in which many realities of postmodern humanity are exposed and clarified-with the thoughts of Edmund Husserl, Alfred Schutz, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Emmanuel Levinas, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jacques Derrida, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Aron Gurwitsch, and Harold Garfinkel-even as these naturally occurring case studies provide fresh specifications for these thinkers'' ideas.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Seminary Co-Op Notable Book of the Year""Winner of the PROSE Award in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology, Association of American Publishers""Fascinating. . . . [Daston] writes with a twinkling wit."---Timothy Farrington, Wall Street Journal"In considering a series of historic anecdotes and texts, Daston helps us see rules (and their neighbors, such as laws and regulations) through the concepts of thickness and thinness, paradigms and algorithms, failures (it was nearly impossible to get eighteenth-century Parisians to stop playing ball in the streets), and states of exception. . . .By the end of Daston’s book, one feels a sense of clarity about how to think about rules, alongside a gentle sense of despair concerning what kinds of rules to hope for."---Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker"Wonderful and wildly ambitious. . . . For those of us who adore the deep and transformative history of concepts, [Rules] is a pure dopamine rush. I read it with jaw dropped and mind racing."---C. Thi Nguyen, Chronicle of Higher Education"[Daston writes] witty, wide-ranging and well-researched inquiries into the picaresque careers of such notions as ‘reality,’ ‘nature,’ ‘rationality,’ ‘objectivity’ and ‘order,’ and in her latest book she brings her wry historical intelligence to bear on the capacious concept of ‘rules.’ The delights of her scholarship are on full display."---Jonathan Rée, Times Literary Supplement"A timely release that will satisfy the mathematically curious, who hunger to know how algorithms actually work, as well anyone who loves debating policy." * Library Journal *"Rules is ultimately one of the best written, most profound, and most far-reaching works of intellectual history that I have ever read."---Ernest Davis, SIAM News"Fascinating and highly readable. . . .This book is a real tour de force of erudition and analysis with richly revealing examples."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer"The book is an exemplary intellectual history: a rangy, quirky, lucid and profound discussion."---Colin Burrow, London Review of Books

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Book SynopsisA delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter' New York TimesAn ebullient, irrepressible spirit invests this book. It is erudite and sprightly'Sunday TimesFrom the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classeshere is award-winning writer Simon Winchester's brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things no need for maths, no need for map reading, no need for memorisation are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness?Trade Review PRAISE FOR KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW: ‘An ebullient, irrepressible spirit invests this book. It is erudite and sprightly in a way that will be familiar to anyone who has read Winchester’s wonderful histories of the Krakatoa eruption, the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary and the Atlantic (among others)’ Sunday Times ‘A book about transmitting knowledge by someone who has made his name by doing just that in the most erudite and entertaining way possible . . . a delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world’ New York Times ‘From schoolhouses in ancient Sumeria and Aboriginal “songlines” to GPS, Wikipedia, Google and beyond, Winchester traverses the human history of information storage and transmission in a pageant of colourful, eloquent tableaux… Don’t pigeonhole Knowing What We Know as “information science”. Rather, think of it as an intellectual autobiography: one richly stocked, ever-curious mind’s account of the multiple ways in which stored knowledge may open the road to understanding’ Financial Times ‘Winchester is a knowledge keeper for our times, and he does us all a service by writing it down’ Wall Street Journal ‘[Winchester] might be appropriately dubbed the One-Man Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge of our own era. Whatever his subject, Winchester leavens deep research and the crisp factual writing of a reporter . . . with an abundance of curious anecdotes, footnotes and digressions. His prose is always clear, but it is also invigorated with pleasingly elegant diction … Informative and entertaining throughout’ Washington Post

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Book SynopsisThe Epistemology of Protest offers a polyphonic theory of protest as a mechanism for political communication, group constitution, and epistemic empowerment. The book analyzes the communicative power of protest to break social silences and disrupt insensitivity and complicity with injustice. Philosopher José Medina also elucidates the power of protest movements to transform social sensibilities and change the political imagination. Medina''s theory of protest examines the obligations that citizens and institutions have to give proper uptake to protests and to communicatively engage with protesting publics in all their diversity, without excluding or marginalizing radical voices and perspectives. Throughout the book, Medina gives communicative and epistemic arguments for the value of imagining with protest movements and for taking seriously the radical political imagination exercised in social movements of liberation. Medina''s theory sheds light on the different ways in which protest can be silenced and the different communicative and epistemic injustices that protest movements can face, arguing for forms of epistemic activism that resist silencing and communicative/epistemic injustices while empowering protesting voices. While arguing for democratic obligations to give proper uptake to protest, the book underscores how demanding listening to protesting voices can be under conditions of oppression and epistemic injustice. A central claim of the book is that responsible citizens have an obligation to echo (or express communicative solidarity with) the protests of oppressed groups that have been silenced and epistemically marginalized. Studying social uprisings, the book further argues that citizens have a duty to join protesting publics when grave injustices are in the public eye.Trade ReviewThis is an immensely important book for our times. Medina provides new critical analyses of how dissent can be silenced and subtly disarmed in ways that escape the charge of censorship. He explores how protests challenge standard ideas about both knowledge and communication. And he also demonstrates, more hopefully, how social movements transform public spheres in a productive manner that outlives the current moment. * Linda Martín Alcoff, Professor of Philosophy, City University of New York *Medina offers a theoretically nuanced and empirically rich account of protest as 'communicative resistance' that can produce new varieties of collective learning and public inquiry. He argues that we have both a duty to protest injustice and a duty to listen actively to others' protests against injustice-even when their protests seem to be 'uncivil.' He shows that the duty to take resistance to injustice seriously is among the most important democratic responsibilities that we have. * Michele Moody-Adams, author of Making Space for Justice *The Epistemology of Protest fortifies José Medina's position as one of our most influential thinkers in the field of epistemic justice. Medina brilliantly applies his groundbreaking work on epistemic injustice and epistemic resistance to street activism and protest movements. At a time when democratic ideals are threatened by reactionary white supremacist movements, this book promises to provide a much-needed path to effective liberatory activism. * Nancy Tuana, author of Racial Climates, Ecological Indifference *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Part I: Protest as a Matrix of Communicative Resistance Chapter 1. Toward a Radical Epistemology of Protest 1.1. Protest as Democratic Communicative Resistance 1.2. Our Duties to Protest and to Listen to Protest: Expressive Harms and Communicative Resistance 1.3. Managing the Duty to Protest and to Give Proper Uptake to Protest 1.4. Uncivil Protest, Civil Death, and Liberation Movements Chapter 2. No Justice, No Peace: Uncivil Protest and the Politics of Confrontation 2.1. Social Spaces without Political Resistance? Stifling Dissent and the Difficulties of Protests in Sports 2.2. Arguments for Protesting Injustice:

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Book SynopsisEnnead VI.4–5, originally written as a single treatise, contains Plotinus’ most general and sustained exposition of the relationship between the intelligible and sensible realms, addressing and coalescing two central issues in Platonism: the nature of the soul–body relationship and the nature of participation. Its main question is, How can soul animate bodies without sharing in their extension? The treatise seems to have had considerable impact: it is much reflected in Porphyry’s important work, Sententiae, and the doctrine of reception according to the capacity of the recipient, for which this treatise is the main source, resonated in medieval thinkers.Trade ReviewThis new English translation of, and commentary on, Plotinus, Ennead VI.4-5, the joint achievement of the Plotinian scholars Eyjólfur K. Emilsson and Steven K. Strange, combines philological rigor with philosophical insight"". - Bryn Mawr Classical Review

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Book SynopsisHow Do You Know? explores problems of knowledge that arise in everyday life. If you are not an expert, how can you know that another person is an expert? If experts are politically biased should you still trust them? More generally, how should you approach the testimony of other people: treat it all as "innocent until proven guilty," or is that too simple? Does the internet make us better knowers, or is it just a minefield of misinformation? Is it always irrational to believe a conspiracy theory? Suppose someone just as intelligent and well-informed as you are disagrees with you about something, how should that affect your belief? Can we have knowledge of what is right and wrong?How Do You Know? approaches these issues through the lens of social epistemology and via the preeminently social genre of philosophical dialogue. Its characters think and speak like real people in the world today, discussing and debating issues that are current, practically relevant, and even controversial—while equipping readers with tools and concepts to see more clearly for themselves.Trade Review"An excellent and engaging introduction to epistemology, with a special focus on issues in social epistemology that are very relevant in today’s world. An accessible guide to practical epistemological questions about which experts you should trust, the pervasiveness of bias in oneself and others, the proliferation of misinformation on the internet, and how you should respond when lots of people disagree with you. Highly recommended." —James Beebee, State University of New York at Buffalo"How Do You Know? is an accessible and engaging foray into the growing field of applied epistemology, and a welcome resource for students or anyone else coming to these issues for the first time." —David Coady, University of Tasmania

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Aiming to extract life lessons from the philosophy of Spinoza, this vibrant study focusses on the concept of ‘homo liber,’ or the free person, a supremely rational figure continually striving for power and virtue. . . . Spinoza’s work serves as a hopeful, timely statement of what the truth-seeking individual can accomplish." * New Yorker *"As an accessible introduction to the complex thought of Spinoza, it is a success."---Jeffrey Collins, Wall Street Journal"If you want to become a better person, you ought to study the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. That at least is the message of Steven Nadler’s delightful new book."---Jonathan Rée, Literary Review"A helpful explication of [Spinoza’s] ideas about ethics, the afterlife, and human nature." * Kirkus Reviews *"If you want the clearest and most sympathetic introduction as exists to Spinoza’s ideas . . . then Nadler’s your man. This, his latest book, is a must-read for our present, troubled times."---David Conway, Jewish Chronicle

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Book SynopsisWhen we look back from the vantage point of the 21st century and ask ourselves what the previous century was all about, what do we see? Our first inclination is to focus on historical events: the 20th century was the age of two devastating world wars, of totalitarian regimes and terrible atrocities like the Holocaust – “the age of extremes,” to use Hobsbawm’s famous phrase. But in this new book, the philosopher Peter Sloterdijk argues that we will never understand the 20th century if we focus on events and ideologies. Rather, in his view, the predominant motif of the 20th century is what Badiou called a passion for the real, which manifests itself as the will to actualize the truth directly in the here and now. Drawing on his Spheres trilogy, Sloterdijk interprets the actualization of the real in the 20th century as a passion for economic and technological “antigravitation”. The rise of consumerism and the easing of the burdens of human life by the constant deployment of new technologies have killed off the kind of radicalism that was rooted in the belief that power would rise from a material base of production. If the 20th century can still inspire us today, it is because the fundamental shift that it brought about opened the way for a critique of extremist reason, a post-Marxist theory of enrichment and a general economy of energy resources based on excess and dissipation. While developing his highly original interpretation of the 20th century, Sloterdijk also addresses a series of related topics including the meaning of the Anthropocene, the domestication of humans and the significance of the sea. The volume also includes major new pieces on Derrida and on Heidegger’s politics. This work, by one of the most original thinkers today will appeal to students and scholars across the humanities and social sciences, as well as anyone interested in philosophy and critical theory.Table of Contents The Anthropocene - A Stage in the Process on the Margins of the Earth's History? From the Domestication of the Human Being to the Civilizing of Cultures: Answering the Question of Whether Humanity is Capable of Taming Itself The Ocean Experiment: From Nautical Globalization to a General Ecology The Synchronized World: Philosophical Aspects of Globalization What Happened in the 20th Century? Toward a Critique of Extremist Reason The Thinker in the Haunted Castle: On Derrida's Interpretation of Dreams Deep Observation: Towards a Philosophy of the Space Station The Permanent Renaissance: The Italian Novella and News of Modernity Heidegger's Politics: Postponing the End of History Odysseus the Sophist: On the Birth of Philosophy from the Spirit of Travel Stress Almost Sacred Text: Essay on the Constitution The Other Logos, or the Reason of Cunning: On the Intellectual History of the Indirect Editorial Note Notes

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Book SynopsisPlantinga examines the nature of epistemic warrant; whatever it is that when added to true belief yields knowledge. This volume surveys current contributions to the debate and paves the way for his owm positive proposal in Warrant and Proper Function.Trade Review'Alvin Plantinga makes important contributions to a tradition of discussion which has dominated recent epistemology. Warrant: the Current Debate provides a critical survey of the most recent controbutions to American epistemology ... Plantinga discerns a pattern in their failure, and this is exploited in the second volume where he develops an original and important contribution of his own. Warrant and Proper Function undertakes to succeed where Roderick Chisholm, John Pollock, Louis BonJour, Alvin Goldman and others have failed ... Plantinga's books will provide a focus for much future research in these areas, as well as providing invaluable reading for students taking courses in epistemology.' Christopher Hookway, University of Birmingham, The Philosophical Quarterly, 1995impressive...Not only is the scale of the work more ambitious than the earlier papers, but the doctrine is as well. * Religious Studies Vol 31 *

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Book SynopsisRecovering a lost world of the politics of science in Imperial Germany, Gregory B. Moynahan approaches the life and work of the philosopher and historian Ernst Cassirer (1874–1945) from a revisionist perspective, using this framework to redefine the origins of twentieth-century critical historicism and critical theory. The only text in English to focus on the first half of the polymath Cassirer’s career and his role in the Marburg School, this volume illuminates one of the most important – and in English, least-studied – reform movements in Imperial Germany.Trade ReviewJournal of the History of Science SocietyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments; List of Abbreviations; Introduction: “Reading a Mute History”: Ernst Cassirer, the Marburg School and the Crises of Modern Germany; PART I: THE MARBURG SCHOOL AND THE POLITICS OF SCIENCE IN GERMANY: Chapter One: The Twentieth-Century Conflict of the Faculties: The Marburg School and the Reform of the Sciences; Chapter Two: Cassirer and the Marburg School in the Administrative and Political Context of the “Kaiserreich”; Chapter Three: “The Supreme Principles of Knowledge”: Cassirer’s Transformation of the Tenets of Cohen’s “Infinitesimal Method” (1882) and “System of Philosophy” (1902–1912); PART II: CRITICAL SCIENCE AND MODERNITY: Chapter Four: Leibniz and the Foundation of Critical Science: “Leibniz’s System in its Scientific Foundations” (1902); Chapter Five: Science and History in Cassirer’s “Substance and Function” (1910); PART III: LIBERAL DEMOCRACY AND LAW: Chapter Six: Liberalism and the Conflict of Forms: “The Knowledge Problem” (1906–1940) and “Freedom and Form” (1916); Chapter Seven: Law as Science and the “Coming-into-Being” of Natural Right in Cohen, Cassirer and Kelsen Conclusion Critical Science, the Future of Humanity and the Riddle of “An Essay on Man” (1944); Index

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Book SynopsisTruth and Method is a landmark work of 20th century thought which established Hans Georg-Gadamer as one of the most important philosophical voices of the 20th Century. In this book, Gadamer established the field of ‘philosophical hermeneutics': exploring the nature of knowledge, the book rejected traditional quasi-scientific approaches to establishing cultural meaning that were prevalent after the war. In arguing the ‘truth' and ‘method' acted in opposition to each other, Gadamer examined the ways in which historical and cultural circumstance fundamentally influenced human understanding. It was an approach that would become hugely influential in the humanities and social sciences and remains so to this day in the work of Jurgen Habermas and many others.Trade ReviewTruth and Method is a landmark work of 20th century thought...[it] is one of the two or three most important works of this century on the philosophy of humanistic studies...Truth and Method reinforces an insight that is threatened with oblivion in our swiftly changing age...The volume is Gadamer's magnum opus, the comprehensive and integrated statement of his rich and penetrating reflections. The translators have rendered Truth and Method with accuracy, which helps contemporary American readers understand Gadamer more fully. The material is powerful...The translation is readable and often powerfully eloquent as Gadamer's German, providing a bridge, not an obstacle, between Gadamer and his readers. * SirReadaLot.org *Table of ContentsTranslator's Preface \ Introduction \ Foreword \ Part I: The Question of Truth as it Emerges in the Experience of Art \ 1. Transcending the Aesthetic Dimension \ 2. The Ontology of the Work of Art and its Hermeneutic Significance \ Part II: The Extension of the Question of Truth to Understanding in the Human Sciences \ 3. Historical Preparation \ 4. Elements of a Theory of Hermeneutic Experience \ Part III: The Ontological Shift of Hermeneutics Guided by Language \ 5. Language and Hermeneutics \ Appendices and Supplements \ Afterword \ Subject Index \ Author Index.

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Book SynopsisTim Button explores the relationship between words and world; between semantics and scepticism. A certain kind of philosopherthe external realistworries that appearances might be radically deceptive; we might all, for example, be brains in vats, stimulated by an infernal machine. But anyone who entertains the possibility of radical deception must also entertain a further worry: that all of our thoughts are totally contentless. That worry is just incoherent. We cannot, then, be external realists, who worry about the possibility of radical deception. Equally, though, we cannot be internal realists, who reject all possibility of deception. We must position ourselves somewhere between internal realism and external realism, but we cannot hope to say exactly where. We must be realists, for what that is worth, and realists within limits. In establishing these claims, Button critically explores and develops several themes from Hilary Putnam''s work: the model-theoretic arguments; the connectioTrade ReviewButton has written a conceptually rich, argumentatively deep, and clearly argued book on some of the deepest and most puzzling problems in metaphysics. I am confident that it will find the large number of readers it doubtlessly deserves. * Jan Westerhoff, Mind *Table of ContentsA EXTERNAL REALISM; B THE TENACITY OF CARTESIAN ANGST; C DISSECTING BRAINS IN VATS; D REALISM WITHIN LIMITS; APPENDICES

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Book SynopsisEmma Borg examines the relation between semantics (roughly, features of the literal meaning of linguistic items) and pragmatics (features emerging from the context within which such items are being used), and assesses recent answers to the fundamental questions of how and where to draw the divide between the two. In particular, she offers a defence of what is commonly known as ''minimal semantics''. Minimal semantics, as the name suggests, wants to offer a minimal account of the interrelation between semantics and pragmatics. Specifically, it holds that while context can affect literal semantic content in the case of genuine (i.e. lexically or syntactically marked) context-sensitive expressions, this is the limit of pragmatic input to semantic content. On all other occasions where context of utterance appears to affect content, the minimalist claims that what it affects is not literal, semantic content but what the speaker conveys by the use of this literal content--it affects what a sTrade ReviewPursuing Meaning is a must-read for philosophers of language and a very clear guide to the current state of semantics for those interested in the field. * The Philosophical Quarterly *The book is very clearly written and structured, and it is informed not just by the philosophical debate, but also by developments in linguistics and cognitive science. In addition, Borg's configuration of a very messy theoretical landscape is helpful and insightful, and the arguments she presents for her views and against the different alternatives are at least always worth taking seriously. I wholeheartedly recommend the book to all those interested in this core philosophical issue. . . anybody interested in these issues should carefully study the arguments and proposals in this excellent work, which I expect to have a great impact in the field. * Manuel García-Carpintero, Mind *Borg presents her readers with a thoroughly scholarly text. She cites just about everybody who plays her kind of game. In these citings, she gives fair and comprehensive representations of what others say about these matters and does so, generally, in a clear writing style. * Nick Fotion, Analysis *Borg brings order and focus to the debate, responding to a deluge of objections from multiple perspectives. . .Borg writes in an exceptionally clear and often witty style. Pursuing Meaning is lively, full of interesting turns of phrase, and detailed in content. . .Borg addresses questions about the usefulness and underlying plausibility of minimalism head-on, offering positive reasons for being a minimalist. . .Pursuing Meaning has a proactive rather than reactive tone, which helps draw along readers who are initially disinclined to support her position. Given the depth of disagreement over the semantics/pragmatics divide, that, in itself, is a major achievement. * Allyson Mount, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of Contents1. Surveying the Terrain ; 2. Minimal Semantics and Psychological Evidence ; 3. Propositionalism and Some Problem Cases ; 4. Intention-Sensitive Expressions ; 5. Ontological Arguments Against Minimal Word Meanings ; 6. The Methodological Argument Against Minimal Word Meanings ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisFor Descartes, knowledge exists as ideas in the mind that represent the world. In a radical critique, Hubert Dreyfus and Charles Taylor argue that knowledge consists of much more than the representations we formulate in our minds. They affirm our direct contact with reality—both the physical and the social world—and our shared understanding of it.Trade ReviewCompact and engaging, Retrieving Realism is more approachable than its weighty subject matter might predict…[An] adventurous combination of arguments and mixing of philosophical cultures. -- Peter Godfrey-Smith * Boston Review *This book is a spirited defense of a sensible yet profound idea all too often ignored in mainstream philosophy, namely, that our grip on the world is deeply rooted in contingent interpretations and practices, but that those modes of access to reality do not preclude our—sometimes—coming to see it as it really is ‘in itself.’ Retrieving Realism is a passionate plea that we cannot escape seeing ourselves as being in direct contact with a world that vastly transcends us. -- Taylor Carman, Barnard CollegeTwo major philosophers are joining forces in order to offer an alternative account to the prevailing picture of the human mind and its cognitive powers. The book will obviously be on the reading list of all who seriously concern themselves with issues in contemporary philosophy when it is, like here, at its best. -- Vincent Descombes, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris

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Book SynopsisIf you can''t prove something, it is literally senseless - so argues Ayer in this irreverent and electrifying book. Statements are either true by definition (as in maths), or can be verified by direct experience. Ayer rejected metaphysical claims about god, the absolute, and objective values as completely nonsensical. Ayer was only 24 when he finished LANGUAGE, TRUTH & LOGIC, yet it shook the foundations of Anglo-American philosophy and made its author notorious. It became a classic text, cleared away the cobwebs in philosophical thinking, and has been enormously influential.

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Phenomenology presents twenty-eight essays by some of the leading figures in the field, and gives an authoritative overview of the type of work and range of topics found and discussed in contemporary phenomenology. The essays aim to articulate and develop original theoretical perspectives. Some of them are concerned with issues and questions typical and distinctive of phenomenological philosophy, while others address questions familiar to analytic philosophers, but do so with arguments and ideas taken from phenomenology. Some offer detailed analyses of concrete phenomena; others take a more comprehensive perspective and seek to outline and motivate the future direction of phenomenology. The handbook will be a rich source of insight and stimulation for philosophers, students of philosophy, and for people working in other disciplines of the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, who are interested in the state of phenomenology today. It is the defiTrade Reviewthe volume as a whole is ample evidence that phenomenology perdures, being on a philosophical and methodological trajectory that has seen out the 20th century and is alive and kicking in the 21st ... this Handbook justifies some optimism about both what the future holds for phenomenology, and what phenomenology promises to contribute to the future of philosophy. * Jack Reynolds, Philosophy in Review *A decisive contribution to the field, this volume likely will become standard reading in phenomenology courses. * J. A. Simmons, CHOICE *This volume is the first of its kind to provide such a comprehensive survey of contemporary research in phenomenology. The editor has assembled an impressive cast of authoritative contributors to produce what will undoubtedly become a much used, stimulating, and invaluable reference book in the field of philosophical phenomenology. * Dennis Seron, Husserl Studies *Dan Zahavi has done a truly marvelous job. He has amassed essays of outstanding quality, replete with fascinating ideas, imaginative examples, and above all, carefully constructed arguments. There are critical and insightful phenomenological analyses of topics that run the gamut ... a state-of-the art presentation of research conducted in, through, or inspired by, phenomenology. Given the breadth of the issues examined in it, the clarity of presentation, and the strength of argumentation, the volume is a remarkable achievement. * Andrea Elpidorou, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsI SUBJECTIVITY AND NATURE; II INTENTIONALITY, PERCEPTION AND EMBODIMENT; III SELF AND CONSCIOUSNESS; IV LANGUAGE, THINKING, AND KNOWLEDGE; V ETHICS, POLITICS, AND SOCIALITY; VI TIME AND HISTORY; VII ART AND RELIGION

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Book Synopsis“Full of intelligence and insights, as the author gleefully turns ideas upside down to better understand them. . . Replete with lots of nifty, whimsical footnotes, this clever, speculative book challenges our beliefs with jocularity and perspicacity.” —Kirkus (starred review)“Klosterman’s trademark humor and unique curiosity propel the reader through the book. He remains one of the most insightful critics of pop culture writing today and this is his most thought-provoking and memorable book yet.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)The tremendously well-received New York Times bestseller by cultural critic Chuck Klosterman, exploring the possibility that our currently held beliefs and assumptions about the world will eventually be proven wrong—now in paperback. But What If We're Wrong? is a book of original, reported, interconnected pieces, which speculat

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Book Synopsis''Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.'' Thus ends David Hume''s Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, the definitive statement of the greatest philosopher in the English language. His arguments in support of reasoning from experience, and against the ''sophistry and illusion'' of religiously inspired philosophical fantasies, caused controversy in the eighteenth century and are strikingly relevant today, when faith and science continue to clash.The Enquiry considers the origin and processes of human thought, reaching the stark conclusion that we can have no ultimate understanding of the physical world, or indeed our own minds. In either sphere we must depend on instinctive learning from experience, recognizing our animal nature and the limits of reason. Hume''s calm and open-minded scepticism thus aims to provide a new basis for science, liberating us from the ''superstition'' of false metaphysics and religion. His Enquiry remains one of the best introductions to the study of philosophy, and this edition places it in its historical and philosophical context. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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Book SynopsisHow to live meaningfully in the face of the unknowableWe human beings had no say in existingwe just opened our eyes and found ourselves here. We have a fundamental need to understand who we are and the world we live in. Reason takes us a long way, but mystery remains. When our minds and senses are baffled, faith can seem justifiedbut faith is not knowledge. In Ultimate Questions, acclaimed philosopher Bryan Magee provocatively argues that we have no way of fathoming our own natures or finding definitive answers to the big questions we all face.With eloquence and grace, Magee urges us to be the mapmakers of what is intelligible, and to identify the boundaries of meaningfulness. He traces this tradition of thought to his chief philosophical mentorsLocke, Hume, Kant, and Schopenhauerand shows why this approach to the enigma of existence can enrich our lives and transform our understanding of the human predicament. As Magee puts it, There is a world of difference between being lost in the daylight and being lost in the dark.The crowning achievement to a distinguished philosophical career, Ultimate Questions is a deeply personal meditation on the meaning of life and the ways we should live and face death.Trade Review"Magee's writing always makes very easy reading."--Anthony Kenny, Standpoint "[Magee] writes with relaxed fluency."--Rowan Williams, New Statesman "[Bryan Magee] writes with grace and offers a thoughtful summation of human experience."--Library Journal "Living and dying in a world we accept we do not understand may not sound easy, but if Magee is any guide, the reward of doing so is endless and profound wonder."--Julian Baggini, Independent "Magee is refreshingly comfortable acknowledging the uncanniness of human experience, including the aesthetic as well as the ethical... His case for acknowledging the extent of what we do not know is a useful corrective to 'jolly hockey sticks' humanism as well as religious dogma."--Dolan Cummings, Spiked "[Ultimate Questions] is ... a deeply personal and elegant summary of [Magee's] own individual journey to and through profound philosophical questions."--ChoiceTable of Contents1 Time and Space 1 2 Finding Our Bearings 17 3 The Human Predicament 33 4 Can Experience Be Understood? 59 5 Where Such Ideas Come From 69 6 Personal Reflections 87 7 Our Predicament Summarized 105 Index 129

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Book SynopsisThe Discourse on the Method for Reasoning Well and for Seeking Truth in the Sciences offers a concise presentation and defense of René Descartes' method of intellectual inquiry - a method that greatly influenced both philosophical and scientific reasoning in the early modern world. Descartes's timeless writing strikes an uncommon balance of novelty and familiarity, offering arguments concerning knowledge, science, and metaphysics (including the famous ""I think, therefore I am"") that are as compelling in the 21st century as they were in the 17th.Ian Johnston's new translation of the original French text is modern, clear, and thoroughly annotated, ideal for readers unfamiliar with Descartes' intellectual context. An approachable introduction engages both the historical and the philosophical aspects of the text, helping the reader to understand the concepts and arguments contained therein.Trade Review“Ian Johnston’s new translation of Descartes’s famous Discourse on Method will stand with the best and most readable translations now available in English. For readers coming to Descartes’s work for the first time, Andrew Bailey’s introduction nicely situates the text both philosophically and historically.”- Kurt Smith, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania“Descartes’s Discourse on Method is incredibly rich: it motivates readers to think critically, it introduces Descartes’s ethics as well as his metaphysics, and it aims to show the power of reasoning well. Ian Johnston’s translation is clear and accessible to students while remaining true to the original text.”- Lisa Shapiro, Simon Fraser UniversityTable of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Who Was René Descartes? What Was Descartes' Overall Philosophical Project? What Is the Structure of the Discourse? Some Useful Background Information Some Common Misconceptions How Important and Influential Is the Discourse? Suggestions for Critical Reflection Suggestions for Further Reading Discourse on Method Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

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Book SynopsisWe think the way we do because Socrates thought the way he did. His aphorism ''The unexamined life is not worth living'' may have originated twenty-five centuries ago, but it is a founding principle of modern life. For seventy years Socrates was a vigorous citizen of Golden Age Athens, philosophising in the squares and public arenas rather than in the courts of kings, before his beloved city turned on him, condemning him to death by poison.Socrates lived in and contributed to a city that nurtured key ingredients of contemporary civilisation - democracy, liberty, science, drama, rational thought - yet, as he wrote almost nothing down, he himself is an enigmatic figure. In The Hemlock Cup, acclaimed historian Bettany Hughes gives Socrates the biography he deserves, painstakingly piecing together Socrates'' life and using fresh evidence to get closer to the man who asked ''how should we live?'' - a question as relevant now as it has ever been.Trade ReviewHughes cleverly extracts the man from the dramatic scene-setting... This intelligent, bright-eyed vigorous book [has] a life as vibrant and provocative as that lived by its subject * The Times *In The Hemlock Cup Bettany Hughes does a very good job of recreating the material world in which Socrates lived...she is up to date on recent archaeological discoveries... She writes frankly of the nastiness of the world in which Socrates grew up and lived -- Mary Beard * Sunday Times *No physical aspect of life as experienced by an Athenian man is left out...Hughes's expert attempts to make him flesh and blood, to fill in the gaps...teach us about the value of the real as well as the philosophical -- Lesley McDowell * Scotsman *Terrific and passionate writing about a philosopher whose heroism is unquestionable (though that heroism resides in a constant questioning); and as lively and learned an introduction to classical Athens as you could want -- Tom Payne * Daily Telegraph *Hughes's prose is the literary equivalent of CGI, re-creating for the reader a sense of the clamour and dazzle of the classical city that has rarely been bettered * Observer *

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Book SynopsisWhat is the relation between a whole and its parts? Is a whole identical to its parts, or is there some other relation of composition? These questions are much discussed in modern philosophy; but Plato''s rich discussion of composition has been neglected. Verity Harte provides the first sustained examination of this Platonic discussion and explains its relations to modern debates. She reveals how, in several late works, Plato criticizes the view that a whole is identical to its parts. She then goes on to discuss the intriguing alternative conception of wholes he offers in its place. This book is an invaluable resource both for scholars of Plato and for modern metaphysicians. For scholars of Plato, Harte''s careful textual analysis provides fresh insights into some of his most difficult works. For modern metaphysicians, she illuminates the contemporary debate by placing it within an historical context.Trade Reviewa brilliant interpretation ... an excellent contribution to the discussion of mereorogical problems, ancient and modern. * Vojtech Hladky, Rhizai *Table of Contents1. THE PROBLEM OF COMPOSITION ; 2. COMPOSITION AS IDENTITY IN THE PARMENIDES AND SOPHIST ; 3. A NEW MODEL OF COMPOSITION ; 4. COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE ; 5. PLATO'S METAPHYSICS OF STRUCTURE

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