Philosophy: epistemology and theory of knowledge Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Marion argues that being clear about what one cannot know is philosophically important, because such acknowledgement makes one realize that even some properly formed questions will remain unanswerable.” * Choice *“A rich and profound philosophical vision that liberates us from our self-imposed nihilistic chains.” * The Review of Metaphysics *“The concluding work in the phenomenological project in which [Marion] has been engaged for the past twenty-five years: the broadening of the field of phenomenality.” * The Journal of Religion *“Crowned by the Académie Française . . . the philosopher in a bow tie, Jean-Luc Marion, loosens our Borromean knots: the human enigma, the mystery of God, and the unknown of birth as well as death, are so many inexplicable events. Negative Certainties, his latest book, questions the very possibility of these impossibilities.” * Le Monde, on the French edition *“Marion is one of today’s most important philosophers. . . . If certain knowledge is impossible, must we condemn ourselves to hazardous understandings and skepticism? For Marion, there is a third way, through negative certainty.” * Libération, on the French edition *Table of ContentsForeword Translator’s Acknowledgments Introduction § 1 Attempt to Introduce the Concept of Negative Certainties into Philosophy I The Undefinable, or the Face of Man § 2 “What Is Man?” § 3 “Ipse mihi magna quaestio” § 4 What It Costs to Know (Oneself) § 5 Proscription § 6 The Fund of Incomprehensibility § 7 The Indefinite and the Unstable II The Impossible, or What Is Proper to God § 8 The Impossible Phenomenon § 9 The Irreducible § 10 Possibility without Conditions § 11 The (Im)possible: From Contradiction to Event § 12 The (Im)possible from My Point of View § 13 The (Im)possible from God’s Point of View III The Unconditioned, or the Strength of the Gift § 14 The Contradictions of the Gift § 15 The Terms of Exchange § 16 Reducing the Gift to Givenness § 17 Without the Principle of Identity § 18 Without the Principle of Sufficient Reason IV The Unconditioned and the Variations of the Gift § 19 Sacrifice According to the Terms of Exchange § 20 Regiving, Beginning from the Recipient § 21 The Confirmation of Abraham § 22 Forgiveness According to the Terms of Exchange § 23 Regiving, Beginning from the Giver § 24 The Return of the Prodigal Son V The Unforeseeable, or the Event § 25 What the Object Excludes § 26 The Condition of the Object § 27 Concerning the Distinction of Phenomena into Objects and Events § 28 Without Cause § 29 The Original Unknown § 30 The Double Interpretation Conclusion § 31 In Praise of the Paradox Bibliographical Note Notes Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisJohn Gray is most recently the acclaimed author of Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia, Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals, Al Qaeda and What It Means to be Modern, Heresies: Against Progress and Other Illusions and False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism. Having been Professor of Politics at Oxford, Visiting Professor at Harvard and Yale and Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics, he now writes full time. His books and articles have been translated into over thirty languages. His selected writings, Gray's Anatomy, were published by Penguin in 2009.Trade ReviewThe most prescient of British public intellectuals * Financial Times *Gray has consistently anticipated the shape of things to come ... he teaches us that true humanism is to be found in uncertainty and doubt -- Will SelfThe closest thing we have to a window-smashing French intellectual -- Andrew MarrA visionary ... one of the most reliably provocative and heterodox voices in British intellectual life today * New Statesman *Gray is a philosophical maverick, a pricker of bubbles, a deflater of balloons, a true iconoclast for whom our chief competing accounts of existence - the religious and the humanist - are both fatally flawed * Globe and Mail *Deeply thoughtful, brilliantly narrated -- Raymond Tallis * Literary Review *A romp of a read ... John Gray is a connoisseur of human idiocy -- John Banville * Guardian *Our sharpest critic of utopian fantasies skewers the crazed but enduring dream of cheating age, time and death -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *John Gray, the counter-prophet who scorns all claims that humans can transcend the human condition ... You don't have to agree with Gray to enjoy the fireworks -- Marek Kohn * Independent *Elegant ... He is on to something important regarding the delusion that science consists of indefinite progress * Sunday Telegraph *Gray is an engaging writer, an entertaining historian and a controversialist whose opinions can never be taken for granted * New Statesman *

Read more less

Book SynopsisBayesian ideas have recently been applied across such diverse fields as philosophy, statistics, economics, psychology, artificial intelligence, and legal theory. Fundamentals of Bayesian Epistemology examines epistemologists'' use of Bayesian probability mathematics to represent degrees of belief. Michael G. Titelbaum provides an accessible introduction to the key concepts and principles of the Bayesian formalism, enabling the reader both to follow epistemological debates and to see broader implicationsVolume 1 begins by motivating the use of degrees of belief in epistemology. It then introduces, explains, and applies the five core Bayesian normative rules: Kolmogorov''s three probability axioms, the Ratio Formula for conditional degrees of belief, and Conditionalization for updating attitudes over time. Finally, it discusses further normative rules (such as the Principal Principle, or indifference principles) that have been proposed to supplement or replace the core five.Volume 2 gives arguments for the five core rules introduced in Volume 1, then considers challenges to Bayesian epistemology. It begins by detailing Bayesianism''s successful applications to confirmation and decision theory. Then it describes three types of arguments for Bayesian rules, based on representation theorems, Dutch Books, and accuracy measures. Finally, it takes on objections to the Bayesian approach and alternative formalisms, including the statistical approaches of frequentism and likelihoodism.Trade ReviewMichael G. Titelbaum provides an accessible introduction to the key concepts and principles of the Bayesian formalism, enabling the reader both to follow epistemological debates and to see broader implications * MathSciNet *Table of ContentsIII Applications 6: Confirmation 7: Decision Theory IV Arguments for Bayesianism 8: Representation Theorems 9: Dutch Book Arguments 10: Accuracy Arguments Challenges and Objections 11: Memory Loss and Self-Location 12: Old Evidence, Logical Omniscience 13: Alternatives to Bayesianism 14: Comparisons, Ranges, Dempster-Shafer

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe concept of a reason is now central to many areas of contemporary philosophy. Key theses in ethics, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of action, and the philosophy of the emotions, among others, have come to be framed in terms of reasons. And yet, despite their centrality, theorists seem to take inconsistent things for granted about how reasons work, what kinds of things can be reasons, what reasons favor, and more. Somehow reasons have come to be both indispensable and impenetrable.The Fundamentals of Reasons offers a comprehensive introduction to the philosophy of reasons. Focusing on the twin roles of reasons in explanation and deliberation, the book not only emphasizes what has made reasons central across philosophy but it also explores why philosophers have such incompatible pictures about what reasons are and how they work. Working from the inside out, Howard and Schroeder identify contentious assumptions about not only the internal structure of reasons but also t

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book collects Thomas Nagel''s recent philosophical reflections on topics of fundamental interest: ethics, moral psychology, science and religion, death, the holocaust, and the metaphysics of mind. Among the figures discussed are Peter Singer, Alvin Plantinga, Christine Korsgaard, Tony Judt, Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Iris Murdoch, T. M. Scanlon, Ronald Dworkin, Samuel Scheffler, Daniel Kahneman, Jonathan Haidt, Joshua Greene, and Daniel Dennett. Nagel consistently defends a realist interpretation of moral truth and resists reductive attempts to subsume ethics to psychology and evolutionary theory. He also defends a pluralistic conception of the content of morality as opposed to utilitarianism, one that includes deontological elements such as rights and special responsibilities. A realist outlook also informs his discussion of metaphysical and epistemological questions. The book closes with tributes to a number of people Nagel has known over the course of his career. The esTrade ReviewThere is much to be savoured in this entertaining and fascinating compendium of views that have done so much to shape the philosophical landscape over the past half century and for which [Nagel] is justly renowned. * A.W. Moore, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of Contents1. Analytic Philosophy and Human Life Life and Death 2. Tony Judt, Life and Memory 3. After We've Gone 4. Can We Survive? 5. Assistance in Dying 6. Theresienstadt Ethics 7. Peter Singer and You 8. Effective Altruism 9. Korsgaard, Kant, and Our Fellow Creatures 10. Regret and Its Limits 11. Four Women 12. Law, Morality, and Truth 13. The Illusion of Tax Fairness Moral Psychology 14. Scanlon on the Reality of Reasons 15. Kahneman's Thinking 16. The Cortex and the Trolley Problem 17. Modular Morality 18. Fictions and Ideals Reality 19. The Core of Mind and Cosmos 20. Plantinga on Science and Religion 21. Is Metaphysics Possible? 22. Creators of the Modern Mind 23. Dennett's Illusions Tributes 24. Betsy Dworkin 1933-2000 25. Robert Nozick 1938-2002 26. John Rawls 2021-2002 27. Bernard Williams 1929-2003 28. Donald Davidson 1917-2003 29. Peter Strawson 1919-2006 30. Ronald Dworkin 2006 31. John Searle 2009 32. Ronald Dworkin 1931-2013 33. Barry Stroud 1935-2019

Read more less

Book SynopsisMany democratic societies currently struggle with issues around knowledge: fake news, distrust of experts, a fear of technocratic tendencies. In Citizen Knowledge, Lisa Herzog discusses how knowledge, understood in a broad sense, should be dealt with in societies that combine a democratic political system with a capitalist economic system. How do citizens learn about politics? How do new scientific insights make their way into politics? What role can markets play in processing decentralized knowledge? Herzog takes on the perspective of democratic institutionalism, which focuses on the institutions that enable an inclusive and stable democratic life. She argues that the fraught relation between democracy and capitalism gets out of balance if too much knowledge is treated according to the logic of markets rather than democracy. Complex societies need different mechanisms for dealing with knowledge, among which markets, democratic deliberation, and expert communities are central. Citizen Knowledge emphasizes the responsibility of bearers of knowledge and the need to support institutions that promote active and informed citizenship. Through this lens, Herzog develops the vision of an egalitarian society that considers the use of knowledge in society not a matter of markets, but of shared democratic responsibility, supported by epistemic infrastructures. As such, Herzog''s argument contributes to political epistemology, a new subdiscipline of philosophy, with a specific focus on the interrelation between economic and political processes. Citizen Knowledge draws from both the history of ideas and systematic arguments about the nature of knowledge to propose reforms for a more unified and flourishing democratic system.This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Knowledge - social, practical, political Chapter 3: Markets, deliberators, experts Chapter 4: The rise of free market thinking Chapter 5: What's wrong with the "marketplace of ideas"? Chapter 6: Democratic institutionalism Chapter 7: Putting the market in its place Chapter 8: Experts in democracies Chapter 9: The epistemic infrastructure of democracy Chapter 10: The epistemic benefits of social justice Chapter 11: Defending democracy--socially, institutionally, pragmatically Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisBayesian ideas have recently been applied across such diverse fields as philosophy, statistics, economics, psychology, artificial intelligence, and legal theory. Fundamentals of Bayesian Epistemology examines epistemologists'' use of Bayesian probability mathematics to represent degrees of belief. Michael G. Titelbaum provides an accessible introduction to the key concepts and principles of the Bayesian formalism, enabling the reader both to follow epistemological debates and to see broader implicationsVolume 1 begins by motivating the use of degrees of belief in epistemology. It then introduces, explains, and applies the five core Bayesian normative rules: Kolmogorov''s three probability axioms, the Ratio Formula for conditional degrees of belief, and Conditionalization for updating attitudes over time. Finally, it discusses further normative rules (such as the Principal Principle, or indifference principles) that have been proposed to supplement or replace the core five.Volume 2 gives arguments for the five core rules introduced in Volume 1, then considers challenges to Bayesian epistemology. It begins by detailing Bayesianism''s successful applications to confirmation and decision theory. Then it describes three types of arguments for Bayesian rules, based on representation theorems, Dutch Books, and accuracy measures. Finally, it takes on objections to the Bayesian approach and alternative formalisms, including the statistical approaches of frequentism and likelihoodism.Table of ContentsQuick Reference Preface I Our Subject 1: Beliefs and Degrees of Belief II The Bayesian Formalism 2: Probability Distributions 3: Conditional Credences 4: Updating by Conditionalization 5: Further Rational Constraints

Read more less

Book SynopsisThroughout history scepticism and the urge to question accepted truths has been a powerful force for change and growth. Today, as we are bombarded by adverts, scientific studies praising the latest superfoods, and political rhetoric, a healthy amount of scepticism is widely encouraged. But when is such scepticism legitimate - for example, as a driver of new ideas - and when is it problematic? And what role might adopting a sceptical outlook play in leading an intellectually virtuous life?In this Very Short Introduction Duncan Pritchard explores both the advantages of scepticism, in challenging outdated notions, and also how it can have unhelpful social consequences, in generating distrust. He considers the role of scepticism at the source of contemporary social and political movements such as climate change denial, post-truth politics, and fake news. Pritchard also examines the philosophical arguments for a radical form of scepticism which maintains that knowledge is impossible, and explores some of the main responses to these arguments. Finally, he considers the part scepticism might play in applying better thinking and learning to achieve a more meaningful life. 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.Table of Contents1: What is scepticism? 2: Is knowledge impossible? 3: Defending knowledge 4: Scepticism as a way of life Further reading Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIt''s standard in epistemology to approach questions about knowledge and rational belief using idealized, simplified models. But while the practice of constructing idealized models in epistemology is old, metaepistemological reflection on that practice is not. Greco argues that the fact that epistemologists build idealized models isn''t merely a metaepistemological observation that can leave first-order epistemological debates untouched. Rather, once we view epistemology through the lens of idealization and model-building, the landscape looks quite different.Constructing idealized models is likely the best epistemologists can do. Once one starts using epistemological categories like belief, knowledge, and confidence, the realm of idealization and model-building is entered. We can object to a model of knowledge by pointing to a better model, but in the absence of a better model, the fact that a framework for epistemologizing theorizing involves simplifications, approximations, and other inaccuracies-the fact of its status as an idealized model-is not in itself objectionable. Once we accept that theorizing in epistemological terms is inescapably idealized, a number of intriguing possibilities open up. Greco defends a package of epistemological views that might otherwise have looked indefensibly dismissive of our cognitive limitations-a package according to which we know a wide variety of facts with certainty, including what our evidence is, what we know and don''t know, and what follows from our knowledge.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1: Idealization and Modeling 2: Modest Modeling 3: Modeling With Possible Worlds 4: Certainty and Undercutting 5: Belief and Credence 6: Inter-Level Coherence 7: Common Knowledge 8: Ideal and Non-Ideal Epistemology Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Perception: First Form of Mind, Tyler Burge develops an understanding of the most primitive type of mental representational: perception. Focusing on the functions and capacities of perceptual states, Burge accounts for their representational content and structure, and develops a formal semantics for them. The discussion explains the role of iconic format in the structure. It also situates the accounts of content, structure, and semantics within scientific explanations of perceptual-state formation, emphasizing formation of perceptual categorization. In the book''s second half, Burge discusses what a perceptual system is. Exploration of relations between perception and other primitive capacities-conation, attention, memory, anticipation, affect, learning, and imagining-helps distinguish perceiving, with its associated capacities, from thinking, with its associated capacities. Drawing mainly on vision science, not introspection, Perception: First Form of Mind is a rigorous, agenda-setTable of ContentsPreface Part I: Perception 1: Introduction 2: Perception 3: Perceptual Constancy: A Central Psychological Natural Kind Part II: Form 4: Some Basics about Perception and Perceptual Systems 5: Perceptual Reference Requires Perceptual Attribution 6: Form and Semantics of Perceptual Representational Contents 7: Perceptual Attributives and Referential Applications in Perceptual Constancies 8: Egocentric Indexing in Perceptual Spatial and Temporal Frameworks 9: The Iconic Nature of Perception Part III: Formation 10: First-formed Perception 11: Intra-saccadic Perception and Recurrent Processing 12: Further Attributives: Primitive Attribution of Causation, Agency Part IV: System 13: Perceptual-level Representation and Categorization 14: Perceptual-level Conation and Relatively Primitive, Perceptually Guided Action 15: Perceptual Attention 16: Perceptual Memory I: Shorter Term Systems 17: Perceptual Memory II: Visual Perceptual Long-Term Memory 18: Perceptual Learning, Perceptual Anticipation, Perceptual Imagining 19: Perception and Cognition 20: Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisHuman actions unfold over time, in pursuit of ends that are not fully specified in advance. Rational Powers in Action locates these features of the human condition at the heart of a new theory of instrumental rationality. Where many theories of rational agency focus on instantaneous choices between sharply defined outcomes, treating the temporally extended and partially open-ended character of action as an afterthought, this book argues that the deep structure of instrumental rationality can only be understood if we see how it governs the pursuit of long-term, indeterminate ends. These are ends that cannot be realized through a single momentary action, and whose content leaves partly open what counts as realizing the end. Sergio Tenenbaum argues that we need to focus on temporal duration and the indeterminacy of ends in intentional action, even to explain the rational governance of relatively simple actions. Theories of moment-by-moment preference maximization, or indeed any understanding of instrumental rationality on the basis of momentary mental items, cannot capture the fundamental structure of our instrumentally rational capacities. Tenenbaum provides a new theory of instrumental rationality as rationality in action.Trade ReviewRational Powers in Action is a major contribution not only to philosophy but to economic theory as well. It presents many issues in a new light, and that is no mean achievement. * David Gordon, Philosophical Quarterly *Tenenbaum's Rational Power in Action is a tour de force. With its fresh, exciting, and insightful arguments, it promises to shift the conceptual foundations of action theory away from momentary actions and choices toward thinking of those in an extended way. Theories of action or instrumental rationality must now engage this landmark work or risk obsolescence. * Nathan Howard, Ethics *Sergio Tenenbaum's Rational Powers in Action presents a new theory of instrumental rationality . . . Tenenbaum writes in a breezy and engaging style, and the book does a good job of putting forward his theory as an attractive candidate * Seamus Bradley, Economics and Philosophy *In his excellent new book, Rational Powers in Action . . . Sergio Tenenbaum develops a theory of instrumental rationality which goes fundamentally against the dominant approaches in the contemporary debate. . . . [a] great variety and wealth of discussions the book offers, and I very much recommend anyone interested in the topic of instrumental rationality to read it. * Erasmus Mayr, Mind *Theories of instrumental rationality provide, roughly speaking, evaluations and imperatives regarding choice or action that figure as relative to certain basic given attitudes or stances of the agent. Such theories often abstract away from the fact that actions are generally temporally extended and from crucial complications associated with this fact. Sergio Tenenbaum's Rational Powers in Action (2020) reveals and navigates these complications with great acuity, ultimately providing a powerful revisionary picture of instrumental rationality that highlights the extremely limited nature of the standard picture (which focuses on the selection of momentary acts, chosen and effected—in auspicious cases wherein they are not blocked—at a choice point) * Chrisoula Andreou, Philosophical Inquiries *In his excellent book, Rational Powers in Action: Instrumental Rationality and Extended Agency, Sergio Tenenbaum lays out a highly ambitious, original, and powerful theory of instrumental rationality, which he calls the “extended theory of instrumental rationality” * John Brunero, Philosophical Inquiries *Rational Powers in Action is a brilliant book. It is an extensive, resourceful, enjoyably-written articulation and defense of a genuinely new theory of instrumental rationality. It seeks to overthrow the tyranny of orthodox decision theory, understood as a theory of instrumental rationality, but it does so from within a profound grasp of that tradition. Further, the book takes aim at the relatively widespread view that “future-directed intentions” are attitudes governed by distinctive rational norms of non-reconsideration and persistence. Those who are inclined to continue holding these views—like myself, in the latter case—will have to contend going forward with Tenenbaum's powerful arguments against them. * Sarah Paul, Philosophical Inquiries *Sergio Tenenbaum's excellent new book Rational Powers in Action raises a powerful challenge to mainstream theories of instrumental rationality. * Erasmus Mayr, Philosophical Inquiries *Table of Contents1: Extended Action and Instrumental Rationality: The Structure of a Theory of Instrumental Rationality 2: Extended Theory of Rationality: Basic Tenets and Motivations 3: Pursuing Ends as the Fundamental Given Attitude 4: Indeterminate Ends and the Puzzle of the Self-Torturer 5: Future-Directed Intentions and the Theory of Instrumental Rationality 6: Persisting Intentions 7: Instrumental Virtues 8: Practical Judgment and its Corresponding Vices 9: Actions, Preferences, and Risk

Read more less

Book SynopsisKnowledge and its Limits presents a systematic new conception of knowledge as a fundamental kind of mental state sensitive to the knower''s environment. It makes a major contribution to the debate between externalist and internalist philosophies of mind, and breaks radically with the epistemological tradition of analysing knowledge in terms of true belief. The theory casts light on a wide variety of philosophical issues: the problem of scepticism, the nature of evidence, probability and assertion, the dispute between realism and anti-realism and the paradox of the surprise examination. Williamson relates the new conception to structural limits on knowledge which imply that what can be known never exhausts what is true. The arguments are illustrated by rigorous models based on epistemic logic and probability theory. The result is a new way of doing epistemology for the twenty-first century.Trade Review'radical and challenging . . . without question and important exercise of the "let me show you a new way of looking at things" kind; something we sorely need in epistemology' * Frank Jackson, Australasian Journal of Philosophy *'the best book in epistemology to come out since 1975' * Keith DeRose, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *Williamson provides a battery of considerations designed to convince us that the concept of knowledge is the most central and vital member of the family of epistemological concepts ... If Williamson is right, we shall be forced to admit that much recent epistemology is ill-conceived... He also makes important contributions to our understanding of the nature of mind and the relationship of mind to world. Knowledge and its Limits is striking throughout for its clarity, originality of thought, technical sophistication and philosophical breadth ... Careful study of this work will be richly rewarded. * Brian McLaughlin and John Hawthorne, Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. A State of Mind ; 2. Broadness ; 3. Primeness ; 4. Anti-Luminosity ; 5. Margins and Iterations ; 6. An Application ; 7. Sensitivity ; 8. Scepticism ; 9. Evidence ; 10. Evidential Probability ; 11. Assertion ; 12. Structural Unknowability ; Appendices ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this fully revised second edition, noted skeptic Massimo Pigliucci sets out to separate the fact from the fantasy in an entertaining exploration of the nature of science, the borderlands of fringe science, and--borrowing a famous phrase from philosopher Jeremy Bentham--the nonsense on stilts.Trade Review"How can we decide what counts as science? That is the central question of this brilliant book, which ought to be required reading for, well, everyone."--Amanda Gefter "New Scientist, on the first edition " "Pigliucci's book serves a seriously worthwhile purpose: that of giving you, the reader, tools and instructions for assembling your very own 'baloney-detector.' Armed with this, you stand a vastly improved chance of separating the wheat of reliable knowledge from the chaff of fashionable nonsense in your daily harvest of data."--Lou Marinoff "Times Higher Education, on the first edition "

Read more less

Book SynopsisScience is the study of our world, as it is in its messy reality. Nonetheless, science requires idealization to functionif we are to attempt to understand the world, we have to find ways to reduce its complexity. Idealization and the Aims of Science shows just how crucial idealization is to science and why it matters. Beginning with the acknowledgment of our status as limited human agents trying to make sense of an exceedingly complex world, Angela Potochnik moves on to explain how science aims to depict and make use of causal patternsa project that makes essential use of idealization. She offers case studies from a number of branches of science to demonstrate the ubiquity of idealization, shows how causal patterns are used to develop scientific explanations, and describes how the necessarily imperfect connection between science and truth leads to researchers' values influencing their findings. The resulting book is a tour de force, a synthesis of the study of idealization that alsoTrade Review“Angela Potochnik’s ambitious book is an antidote to the view that the philosophy of science tries to pronounce grandly on what scientists ought to do." -- Philip Ball * New Scientist *"In sum, this is a rich, well-argued book that articulates a coherent view of science and explicates the essential role of idealization in a world of cognitively limited people." -- Notre Dame Philosophical Review"In her exceptional book, Idealization and the Aims of Science, Angela Potochnik explores the nature of idealizations while accounting for why they are so ubiquitous. The picture of science that emerges from Potochnik’s work is that of a thoroughly human endeavor. Science is a tool that helps us navigate an extremely complex world. Potochnik’s picture of science is compelling and helps to ground an appreciation of how truly impressive the success of science is." * Science & Education *"This thought—that science makes the world’s complexity accessible to human understanding via idealization—is the central contention of Angela Potochnik’s ambitious, striking book." * Biology & Philosophy *"Why do scientists deliberately maintain falsehoods in their theories and models? Given the complexity of natural phenomena, scientists must simplify and generalize to isolate details from which causal patterns may be identified. Consequently, researchers must make choices about what to study and how; in doing so, the author argues, social values become entrenched in science. Potochnik contends that science doesn’t pursue truth directly but aims to support “human cognitive and practical ends.” Following several case studies of recent research in such diverse topics as behavioral ecology and human aggression, and—to a lesser extent—fluid dynamics, quantum physics, and climate change, the author offers a detailed exploration of how social values are linked to science. Arguing that science should be regarded as a tool to facilitate human action, Potochnik concludes that scientists should pursue research that advances both action and understanding. She defines the most valuable subjects as those of ethical concern—for example global climate change or studies involving human physiological and psychological health. Written primarily for philosophers of science, this text has practical implications for science practice. It will be of greatest benefit to advanced academics and active research scientists. Recommended." * Choice *"Idealization and the Aims of Science is a fantastic book. In it, Potochnik argues for a compelling, global picture of how science works – one that seeks to clarify how the practice of science relates both to human cognitive capacities and to the world we seek to understand. The book is ecumenical yet concise. It is broad but focuses on the details. It seeks to make generalizations about science, but it does so through diverse analyses of particular scientific practices. If one wanted a single book that summed up both the challenges and opportunities in current philosophy of science, one could hardly do better. . . . I expect that I will return to it frequently as I pursue my own projects for useful ideas, contrasting viewpoints, and helpful articulations of general principles. I can’t think of a better endorsement to give to a philosophical text." * Philosophy of Science *"A wonderful book. It is well informed by contemporary research from various sciences, and the discussion throughout is thoughtful and engaging. . . . The book is rare in that it is accessible enough that novices will be able to follow the main ideas and benefit from reading it, and yet it is rich enough that experts will profit from closely studying it. Potochnik’s book is a must read for those interested in idealizations." * Science & Education *"An impressive book that will not disappoint its readers in terms of its richness and ability to provoke new ideas on numerous topics in the philosophy of science." * Metascience *"Potochnik's book comes as a breath of fresh air in general philosophy of science, both because of the variety of examples examined and because of its approach, aimed at drawing attention to the fact that science is not an ahistorical and impersonal enterprise but is fully founded on the ideas, aspirations, and activities of those that make science: the scientists. . . . This book will be valuable reading for anyone who wonders what science is and why it constitutes the most privileged form of knowledge in our world today." * History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences *Table of ContentsPreface 1 Introduction: Doing Science in a Complex World 1.1 Science by Humans 1.2 Science in a Complex World 1.3 The Payoff: Idealizations and Many Aims 2 Complex Causality and Simplified Representation 2.1 Causal Patterns in the Face of Complexity 2.1.1 Causal Patterns 2.1.2 Causal Complexity 2.2 Simplification by Idealization 2.2.1 Reasons to Idealize 2.2.2 Idealizations’ Representational Role 2.2.3 Rampant and Unchecked Idealization 3 The Diversity of Scientific Projects 3.1 Broad Patterns: Modeling Cooperation 3.2 A Specific Phenomenon: Variation in Human Aggression 3.3 Predictions and Idealizations in the Physical Sciences 3.4 Surveying the Diversity 4 Science Isn’t after the Truth 4.1 The Aims of Science 4.1.1 Understanding as Science’s Epistemic Aim 4.1.2 Separate Pursuit of Science’s Aims 4.2 Understanding, Truth, and Knowledge 4.2.1 The Nature of Scientific Understanding 4.2.2 The Role of Truth and Scientific Knowledge 5 Causal Pattern Explanations 5.1 Explanation, Communication, and Understanding 5.2 An Account of Scientific Explanation 5.2.1 The Scope of Causal Patterns 5.2.2 The Crucial Role of the Audience 5.2.3 Adequate Explanations 6 Levels and Fields of Science 6.1 Levels in Philosophy and Science 6.2 Going without Levels 6.2.1 Against Hierarchy 6.2.2 Prizing Apart Forms of Stratification 6.3 The Fields of Science and How They Relate 7 Scientific Pluralism and Its Limits 7.1 The Entrenchment of Social Values 7.2 How Science Doesn’t Inform Metaphysics 7.3 Scientific Progress Acknowledgments List of Figures List of Tables Notes References Index

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow we can work together to understand, imagine, and build humane infrastructures and a better world.Humane Infrastructures is a deep journey into humanistic and humane knowledge and how it can be engaged to help us collaboratively respond in ethical and sustainable ways to our current global challenges. Patrik Svensson takes the reader through a series of examples, case studies, experiments, and lively dialogues to reconsider infrastructure. He brings people, ideas, and perspectives in through a set of documents and documented experiences, some of which draw from the author?s practice in Umeå, Stockholm, New York City, and Los Angeles. And he proposes frameworks, such as the idea of an infrastructure clinic, exploring them in staged dialogues and thought experiments.Imagining and building humane infrastructures require us to challenge the very nature of infrastructure, not necessarily all at once but rather step by step. The author consequently engages with infrastructure as a concept and frames it historically, critically, and creatively with research infrastructure as a central case study. He also considers integrative niches for humanities-related work, such as environmental humanities and disability studies, as sites for critical and constructive engagement with infrastructures, including the university itself. In the end, the exploration leads to a reimagination of the humanities and, more generally, higher education as part of a capacious public-facing effort of world-(re)building.The book will appeal to scholars in the humanities and a range of intersecting fields, such as infrastructure studies, critical computing, and design.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn ecological epistemology arguing that epistemic agents, communities, and environments adapt to one another to generate evolving understandings of the world.Mainstream epistemology focuses on static states. In Epistemic Ecology, Catherine Elgin adopts a dynamic stance, viewing epistemic subjects as agents rather than onlookers. She examines how, individually and collectively, we construct our epistemic practices, policies, principles, and procedures to overcome our limitations, exploit our assets, and correct our mistakes. Taking an ecological approach, she shows how human organisms and their social and natural environments mutually adjust to accommodate each other. Elgin?s ecological model of understanding reveals that epistemic agents and communities are interdependent and are more deeply implicated in the individuation and characterization of the phenomena they access than standard spectatorial approaches to epistemology assume.Elgin maintains that a commitment?s epistemic acceptability turns in large part on its providing resources for further epistemic advancement. Epistemic progress is an iterative process that corrects, refines, and extends current understanding. Epistemic subjects are agents, not mere observers, and the positions they accept are springboards for improvement rather than windows into the world. Responsible disagreement is an asset because it has the potential to identify and correct shortfalls in the views that are currently accepted. Rather than treat epistemic success?knowledge, understanding, wisdom?as fixed and final, Elgin views success as a stable platform on which to build. How, she asks, should we leverage our findings to move beyond them? Her holistic conception of understanding is integral to education.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Routledge Handbook of Collective Intentionality provides a wide-ranging survey of topics in a rapidly expanding area of interdisciplinary research. It consists of 36 chapters, written exclusively for this volume, by an international team of experts. What is distinctive about the study of collective intentionality within the broader study of social interactions and structures is its focus on the conceptual and psychological features of joint or shared actions and attitudes, and their implications for the nature of social groups and their functioning. This Handbook fully captures this distinctive nature of the field and how it subsumes the study of collective action, responsibility, reasoning, thought, intention, emotion, phenomenology, decision-making, knowledge, trust, rationality, cooperation, competition, and related issues, as well as how these underpin social practices, organizations, conventions, institutions and socTrade Review"This superb handbook provides a broad survey of the scope and direction of the rapidly developing field of collective intentionality. Itself a collective enterprise by a body of international experts, this work is a must read for every student, teacher and researcher working on this exciting new interdisciplinary domain."– John D. Greenwood, CUNY Graduate Center"This collection stands as an excellent record of the state of current research on the subject of collective intentionality. One welcomes the summary statements by some prominent figures in the field of their own seminal contributions, and one is instructed into the directions in which further inquiry is now proceeding. Each of the contributions is well informed, clear, and cogently argued. Taken together they reveal a wider significance of collective intentionality not only in human inquiry but in human affairs." –Carol Rovane, Columbia UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Marija Jankovic and Kirk LudwigPart I Collective Action and Intention Introduction to Part I Marija Jankovic and Kirk Ludwig1. Collective Action and Agency Sarah Chant2. Non-Reductive Views of Shared Intention Raimo Tuomela3. Reductive Views of Shared Intention Facundo Alonso4. Interpersonal Obligation in Joint Action Abe Roth5. Proxy Agency in Collective Action Kirk Ludwig6. Coordinating Joint Action Stephen ButterfillPart II Shared and Joint Attitudes Introduction to Part II Marija Jankovic and Kirk Ludwig7. Collective Belief and Acceptance Fred Schmitt8. Shared Values, Interests, and Desires Bryce Huebner and Marcus Hedahl9. Joint Attention John Campbell10. Joint Commitment Margaret Gilbert11. Collective Memory Kourken Michaelian and John Sutton12. Collective Emotions Hans Bernhard Schmid13. Collective Phenomenology Elisabeth PacheriePart III Epistemology and Rationality in the Social Context Introduction to Part III Marija Jankovic and Kirk Ludwig14. Common Knowledge Harvey Lederman15. Collective Epistemology Jennifer Lackey16. Rationality and Cooperation Paul Weirich17. Team Reasoning: Controversies and Open Research Questions Natalie Gold18. Distributive Cognitive Systems Georg Theiner19. Corporate Agency: The Lesson of the Discursive Dilemma Phillip PettitPart IV Social Ontology Introduction to Part IV Marija Jankovic and Kirk Ludwig20. Social Construction and Social Facts Brian Epstein21. Social Groups Paul Sheehy22. Social Kinds Ásta 23. Status Functions John SearlePart V Collectives and Responsibility Introduction to Part V Marija Jankovic and Kirk Ludwig24. Collective Intentions and Collective Moral Responsibility Marion Smiley25. Complicity Saba Bazargan-Forward26. Institutional Responsibility Seumas MillerPart VI Collective Intentionality and Social Institutions Introduction to Part VI Marija Jankovic and Kirk Ludwig27. Institutions and Collective Intentionality Frank Hindriks28. Collective Intentionality and Language Marija Jankovic29. Collective Intentionality in the Law Gideon Yaffe30. Collective Intentionality and Methodology in the Social Sciences Deborah Perron TollefsenPart VII The Extent, Origins, and Development of Collective Intentionality Introduction to Part VII Marija Jankovic and Kirk Ludwig

Read more less

Book SynopsisTaken from a series of influential lectures delivered by Russell during the second decade of the twentieth century, this is a brilliant introduction to logical atomism and its application to ontology and epistemology. Table of ContentsIntroduction The Philosophy of Logical Atomism (1918) 1. Facts and Propositions 2. Particulars, Predicates, and Relations 3. Atomic and Molecular Propositions 4. Propositions and Facts with More than One Verb: Beliefs, Etc 5. General Propositions and Existence 6. Descriptions and Incomplete Symbols 7. The Theory of Types and Symbolism: Classes 123 8. Excursions into Metaphysics: What There Is Logical Atomism (1924) Bibliography Chronological Tables Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisJohn Dewey (1859 - 1952) was the dominant voice in American philosophy through the World Wars, the Great Depression, and the nascent years of the Cold War. With a professional career spanning three generations and a profile that no public intellectual has operated on in the U.S. since, Dewey''s biographer Robert Westbrook accurately describes him as the most important philosopher in modern American history.In this superb and engaging introduction, Steven Fesmire begins with a chapter on Dewey's life and works, before discussing and assessing Dewey''s key ideas across the major disciplines in philosophy; including metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, ethics, educational philosophy, social-political philosophy, and religious philosophy.This is an invaluable introduction and guide to this deeply influential philosopher and his legacy, and essential reading for anyone coming to Dewey''s work for the first time.Trade ReviewA CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title, 2015'Evenhanded and charitable throughout, this introduction avoids the easy dismissal and well-intentioned adulation that often plagued assessments of Dewey’s work throughout the 20th century. … This book is superb in showing the interconnectedness of Dewey’s philosophy, with each chapter building on the ideas developed in previous ones. … In summary, this introduction is a rich and thought-provoking walk through the philosophy of Dewey, which will surely benefit both students and scholars alike. Summing Up: Essential. All readers.' - J. A. Fischel, CHOICE'Fesmire demonstrates the vital relevance of Dewey’s ideas today, not only for philosophers but for anyone willing to think hard about the problems of our times. Lucid, informed, and admirably wide-ranging, this book is a superb introduction to the many-sided reflections of America’s greatest philosopher.' - Philip Kitcher, Columbia University, USA'Fesmire has done an exemplary job of making Dewey accessible to readers who may have little or no background in philosophy. His account is highly accessible and rich in relevant, contemporary examples.' - Larry A. Hickman, Director: Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, USA'Students of Dewey who read this book will come away with an understanding of his philosophy in the round. The key concepts that bring coherence to his writing over seventy years are communicated in an approachable, yet nuanced way which provides a fresh and masterful analysis for all those interested in Dewey studies, the new and the well-initiated alike.' - Molly Cochran, Oxford Brookes University, UK'A fresh interpretation that combines accurate scholarship with exceptionally imaginative illustrations of Dewey’s theories. Fesmire’s account is both appreciative and critical, willing to test Dewey’s ideas against contemporary examples drawn from art, technology, economics, environmentalism, Eastern philosophy, and education.' - David L. Hildebrand, University of Colorado Denver, USA'A crisply written, deftly argued introduction to the thought of John Dewey. Fesmire has taken Dewey's oceanic philosophy and presented it with the clarity of constellations in the winter night sky. He balances a broadly informed historical perspective with keen concerns for contemporary social and ecological issues revealing the bearing and limitations of Dewey for our times.' - Thomas Alexander, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, USA'Fesmire provides an exploration of Dewey’s philosophy that the novices will prize as a clear, concise and comprehensive introduction, and that experts will respect for its depth of insight and understanding.' - Jim Garrison, Virginia Tech, USA'This book fills an important role in making Dewey teachable in a variety of contexts. Not only will it be informative to students of American philosophy, it also provides a way to include Dewey in more general philosophy courses. Fesmire does an admirable job of presenting Dewey in a way that allows the reader to see how Dewey's views on central philosophical issues compare with other more commonly read philosophers. This is a valuable resource.' - Erin McKenna , Pacific Lutheran University, USAA CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title, 2015'Evenhanded and charitable throughout, this introduction avoids the easy dismissal and well-intentioned adulation that often plagued assessments of Dewey’s work throughout the 20th century. … This book is superb in showing the interconnectedness of Dewey’s philosophy, with each chapter building on the ideas developed in previous ones. … In summary, this introduction is a rich and thought-provoking walk through the philosophy of Dewey, which will surely benefit both students and scholars alike. Summing Up: Essential. All readers.' - J. A. Fischel, CHOICE'Fesmire demonstrates the vital relevance of Dewey’s ideas today, not only for philosophers but for anyone willing to think hard about the problems of our times. Lucid, informed, and admirably wide-ranging, this book is a superb introduction to the many-sided reflections of America’s greatest philosopher.' - Philip Kitcher, Columbia University, USA'Fesmire has done an exemplary job of making Dewey accessible to readers who may have little or no background in philosophy. His account is highly accessible and rich in relevant, contemporary examples.' - Larry A. Hickman, Director: Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, USA'Students of Dewey who read this book will come away with an understanding of his philosophy in the round. The key concepts that bring coherence to his writing over seventy years are communicated in an approachable, yet nuanced way which provides a fresh and masterful analysis for all those interested in Dewey studies, the new and the well-initiated alike.' - Molly Cochran, Oxford Brookes University, UK'A fresh interpretation that combines accurate scholarship with exceptionally imaginative illustrations of Dewey’s theories. Fesmire’s account is both appreciative and critical, willing to test Dewey’s ideas against contemporary examples drawn from art, technology, economics, environmentalism, Eastern philosophy, and education.' - David L. Hildebrand, University of Colorado Denver, USA'A crisply written, deftly argued introduction to the thought of John Dewey. Fesmire has taken Dewey's oceanic philosophy and presented it with the clarity of constellations in the winter night sky. He balances a broadly informed historical perspective with keen concerns for contemporary social and ecological issues revealing the bearing and limitations of Dewey for our times.' - Thomas Alexander, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, USA'Fesmire provides an exploration of Dewey’s philosophy that the novices will prize as a clear, concise and comprehensive introduction, and that experts will respect for its depth of insight and understanding.' - Jim Garrison, Virginia Tech, USA'This book fills an important role in making Dewey teachable in a variety of contexts. Not only will it be informative to students of American philosophy, it also provides a way to include Dewey in more general philosophy courses. Fesmire does an admirable job of presenting Dewey in a way that allows the reader to see how Dewey's views on central philosophical issues compare with other more commonly read philosophers. This is a valuable resource.' - Erin McKenna , Pacific Lutheran University, USATable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Life and Works 2. Metaphysics Reconstructed 3. Epistemology Reconstructed 4. Ethics Reconstructed 5. Social-Political and Educational Philosophy Reconstructed 6. Aesthetics and Technology Reconstructed 7. Religious Philosophy Reconstructed 8. Influence and Legacy. Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisSimply stated, this book bridges the gap between statistics and philosophy. It does this by delineating the conceptual cores of various statistical methodologies (Bayesian/frequentist statistics, model selection, machine learning, causal inference, etc.) and drawing out their philosophical implications. Portraying statistical inference as an epistemic endeavor to justify hypotheses about a probabilistic model of a given empirical problem, the book explains the role of ontological, semantic, and epistemological assumptions that make such inductive inference possible. From this perspective, various statistical methodologies are characterized by their epistemological nature: Bayesian statistics by internalist epistemology, classical statistics by externalist epistemology, model selection by pragmatist epistemology, and deep learning by virtue epistemology. Another highlight of the book is its analysis of the ontological assumptions that underpin statistical reasoning, sucTrade Review"Statistics are being used ever more widely in AI, climate studies, medicine and other areas. Yet they are hard to understand both mathematically and conceptually. Jun Otsuka has the answer to this problem. He has a remarkable ability to explain statistical techniques clearly and accurately with a minimal use of mathematics. At the same time he gives lucid discussions of why they work. He deals not only with the long-standing controversy between Bayesianism and classical statistics, but also with such recent topics as causality and deep learning by computers. His book is the perfect guide to those perplexed by statistics."Donald Gillies, University College London Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Paradigm of Modern Statistics 2. Bayesian Statistics 3. Classical Statistics 4. Model Selection and Machine Learning 5. Causal Inference 6. The Ontology, Semantics, and Epistemology of Statistics

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume brings together two philosophical research areas that have been subject to increased attention: work regarding the unique character of having an experience and studies on the nature and powers of imagination.The importance of imagination seems to stand in tension with the assumed unique and irreplaceable role of experience in our lives. However, new arguments in various philosophical debates suggest that there is a need to examine how both areas of research interrelate and can enrich one another. The chapters in this volume examine whether the traditional accounts of experience and imagination need to be challenged. They are divided into thematic sections that discuss epistemological, ontological, normative, phenomenological, and intersubjective questions related to experience and imagination.Imagination and Experience is an essential resource for scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, and ph

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book explores the ethical implications of managing uncertainty in clinical decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. It develops an ethics of clinical uncertainty that brings together insights from the clinical and biomedical ethical literatures.The book sets out to recognize the central role uncertainty plays in clinical decision-making and to acknowledge the different levels, kinds, and dimensions of clinical uncertainty. It also aims to aid clinicians and patients in managing clinical uncertainty and to recognize the ethical duty they have to manage clinical uncertainty. The book addresses four ethical duties related to clinical uncertainty: (1) to advance the welfare of those in clinical medicine, (2) to respect the rights of those in clinical medicine, (3) to promote just access to health care, and (4) to care for one another in clinical medicine. These duties took on select urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic because clinical risk assessments about COVID-19 we

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a comprehensive review of the psychological literature on wisdom by leading experts in the field. It covers the philosophical and sociocultural foundations of wisdom, and showcases the measurement and teaching of wisdom. The connection of wisdom to intelligence and personality is explained alongside its relationship with morality and ethics. It also explores the neurobiology of wisdom, its significance in medical decision-making, and wise leadership. How to develop wisdom is discussed and practical information is given about how to instil it in others. The book is accessible to a wide readership and includes virtually all of the major theories of wisdom, as well as the full range of research on wisdom as it is understood today. It takes both a basic-science and applied focus, making it useful to those seeking to understand wisdom scientifically, and to those who wish to apply their understanding of wisdom to their own work.Trade Review''What is wisdom?' sounds like one of those impossible questions, but think again! This rich collection reveals synergies across multiple perspectives towards a vision of wisdom today's world very much needs.' David Perkins, Harvard University, MassachusettsTable of ContentsPart I. Foundations of Wisdom: 1. Race to Samarra: the critical importance of wisdom in the world today Robert J. Sternberg; 2. Philosophical foundations of wisdom Jason Swartwood and Valerie Tiberius; 3. Socio-cultural foundations of wisdom Ricca Edmondson and Markus Woerner; 4. Neurobiology of wisdom Ellen Lee and Dilip V. Jeste; Part II. Conceptions of Wisdom: 5. Wisdom of the crowd: exploring people's conceptions of wisdom Nic M. Weststrate, Susan Bluck and Judith Glück; 6. Wisdom as self-transcendence Carolyn M. Aldwin, Heidi Igarashi and Michael R. Levenson; 7. Wisdom as a personality type Monika Ardelt, Stephen Pridgen and Kathryn L. Nutter-Pridgen; 8. Why people often prefer wise guys to guys who are wise: an augmented balance theory of the production and reception of wisdom Robert J. Sternberg; 9. General and personal wisdom Ursula Staudinger; 10. Wise reasoning: converging evidence for the psychology of sound judgment Harrison Oakes, Justin P. Brienza, Abdo Elnakouri and Igor Grossmann; 11. Practical wisdom: what Aristotle might add to psychology Barry Schwartz and Kenneth A. Sharpe; 12. Wisdom as state vs trait Igor Grossmann, Franki Y. H. Kung and Henri C. Santos; Part III. Measures of Wisdom: 13. Performance-based measures of wisdom: state of the art and future directions Ute Kunzmann; 14. Self-report wisdom measures: strengths, limitations, and future directions Jeffrey Webster; Part IV. The Development of Wisdom: 15. The development of wisdom during adulthood Judith Glück; 16. Developing and teaching for wisdom Michel Ferrari and Juensung Kim; 17. Teaching for wisdom Robert J. Sternberg and Emily S. Hagen; Part V. Cultural Perspectives on Wisdom: 18. Cultural differences in wisdom and conceptions of wisdom Michel Ferrari and Fatemeh Alhosseini; 19. Non-Western lay conceptions of wisdom Shih-ying Yang and Ali Intezari; Part VI. Wisdom and Other Psychological Constructs: 20. Creativity, intelligence, and wisdom: could vs should Sarah F. Lynch and James C. Kaufman; 21. Giftedness and wisdom Don Ambrose; 22. Low levels of wisdom—foolishness Balazs Aczel; 23. Wisdom and reflection Nic M. Weststrate; 24. Identity and purpose in life as building blocks for wisdom Kaylin Ratner and Anthony L. Burrow; 25. Wisdom, morality, and ethics Robert J. Sternberg and Judith Glück; 26. Wisdom and emotions Ute Kunzmann and Judith Glück; 27. Wisdom and well-being Monika Ardelt; 28. Relationship between wisdom and spirituality: an expanded theoretical model with mysticism and gerotranscendence Masami Takahashi; Part VII. Wisdom in Action: 29. Wise leadership Bernard McKenna and David Rooney; 30. Professional wisdom: functions and processes of psychotherapeutic and judicial wisdom Heidi M. Levitt and Lauren M. Grabowski; 31. Wisdom in medical decision making Lauris C. Kaldjian; 32. Wisdom in history and politics Lloyd Etheredge; 33. The urgent need for social wisdom Nicholas Maxwell; Part VIII. Conclusions: 34. Why is wisdom such an obscure field of inquiry and what can and should be done about it? Robert J. Sternberg and Judith Glück.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis Element explores the Bayesian approach to the logic and epistemology of scientific reasoning. Section 1 introduces the probability calculus as an appealing generalization of classical logic for uncertain reasoning. Section 2 explores some of the vast terrain of Bayesian epistemology. Three epistemological postulates suggested by Thomas Bayes in his seminal work guide the exploration. This section discusses modern developments and defenses of these postulates as well as some important criticisms and complications that lie in wait for the Bayesian epistemologist. Section 3 applies the formal tools and principles of the first two sections to a handful of topics in the epistemology of scientific reasoning: confirmation, explanatory reasoning, evidential diversity and robustness analysis, hypothesis competition, and Ockham''s Razor.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Probability Theory, a Logic of Consistency; 2. Bayesian Epistemology; 3. Scientific Reasoning.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis Element examines the phenomenological conceptions of natural number, the continuum, geometry, formal systems, and the applicability of mathematics. Its focus is the mathematical thought of Edmund Husserl and other phenomenologists including Weyl, Gödel, and Rota.Table of Contents1. Basic concepts of Husserl's phenomenology; 2. Husserl's path from mathematics to phenomenology; 3. Phenomenology of mathematics; 4. Phenomenology and philosophies of mathematics; References.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLocating literature at the intersection of distinct areas of thinking on the nature, scope and methods of knowledge - philosophy, theology, science, and the law - this book engages with literary texts across periods and genres to address questions of probability, problems of evidence, the uses of experiment and the poetics and ethics of doubt.Trade Review“All the essays provide a complex but readable text, backed by massive scholarship, meticulously documented in the notes at their end. … the essays in Fictions of Knowledge offer rich and complex investigations of the fascinating world of knowledge in its varied manifestations in literary and non-literary texts, and should be of interest to all who are interested in meaningful connections between the two.” (Tej N. Dhar, The European Legacy, Vol. 20 (1), October, 2015)Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction; Y.Batsaki, S.Mukherji & J.M.Schramm Beyond Reasonable Doubt: The Evolution of a Concept; B.Shapiro Providence, Experience and Doubt in Medieval England; C.Watkins Law, Probability and Character in Shakespeare; L.Hutson Trying, Knowing and Believing: Epistemic Plots and the Poetics of Doubt; S.Mukherji The Anxiety of Variety: Knowledge and Experience in Montaigne, Burton and Bacon; K.Murphy Novel Knowledge: Judgment, Experience, Experiment; J.Bender Lost in the Castle of Scepticism: Sceptical Philosophy as Gothic Romance; S.Kareem From Alchemy to Experiment: The Political Economy of Experience in William Godwin's St Leon: A Tale of The Sixteenth Century; Y.Batsaki Towards a Poetics of (Wrongful) Accusation: Innocence and Working-Class Voice in Mid-Victorian Fiction; J.M.Schramm Afterword; M.Wood Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat are counterfactuals and what is their point? In many cases, none at all. It may be true that if kangaroos didn't have tails, they would fall over, but they do have tails and if they didn't they wouldn't be kangaroos (or would they?). This is the sort of thing that can give counterfactuals a bad name, as inhabitants of a La La Land of the mind. On the other hand, counterfactuals do useful service across a broad range of disciplines in both the sciences and the humanities, including philosophy, history, cosmology, biology, cognitive psychology, jurisprudence, economics, art history, literary theory. They are also richly, albeit sometimes treacherously, present in the everyday human realm of how our lives are both imagined and lived: in the crossroads' scenario of decision-making, the place of regret in retrospective assessments of paths taken and not taken, and, at the outer limit, as the wish not to have been born. Christopher Prendergast take us on a dizzying exploratory journeyTrade ReviewHere’s a counterfactual: if this book were less good, it would be easier to review. It’s quite rare to come across a book like this which is, quite simply, for the humanities. If we imagine a world where this book had no audience, where, say, the meanings of Petrarch’s climb and Ignatius’ indecision were forgotten, it would be a much colder and less wise one. * Times Higher Education *[These] books are sophisticated straws in a rising wind. * Times Literary Supplement (joint-reviewed with Things That Didin't Happen) *[These books] add up to more than the sum of two deeply meditated, extensively researched projects ... [They] invite more interesting questions than I can count. * London Review of Books (joint-reviewed with Telling It Like It Wasn't) *Christopher Prendergast’s wide-ranging and philosophically informed investigation of counterfactuals is a revelation. Counterfactual conjectures, we learn, wend their way through centuries of Western thought on numerous topics: the vagaries of chance, the mysteries of time, and the fragility of personal identity. They link metaphysical speculation to utopian longing and the pain of personal regret. Prendergast’s encounters with them reveal both their ubiquity and their strangeness. -- Catherine Gallagher, Emerita Eggers Professor of English Literature, University of California Berkeley, USAPrendergast uses the rich idea of counterfactuals as a point of departure for a deft exploration of key works of literature and philosophy. This is an intellectually adventurous and highly stimulating book. -- Andrew Huddleston, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Birkbeck, University of London, UK'In this witty and erudite book, Prendergast offers a startling range of reflections and analyses of the realm of possibility, bringing his command of sources from fiction and science, history and philosophy, to bear on fundamental questions of reality and truth, persuasion and evidence. The work offers an indispensable guide and caution to many of contemporary society's most pressing obsessions and errors: the strange appeal of fantasy and the power of the fake. In raising so clearly the ways to deal with the puzzle of what might have been, whether with regret or with relief, this is a major accomplishment of a literary critic and scholar at the top of his game. -- Simon Schaffer, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, UKTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: The Conjectural Breeze of Time Chapter One: A Naile, a Nose and a Traitor Chapter Two: Just the Facts, Ma’am Chapter Three: Flying Blind: Angelus Novus and Allegory of Prudence Chapter Four: Crossroads: Three Tales, Three Gamblers Chapter Five: Looking Back: from Metanoia to Buyer’s Regret Chapter Six: Not, Never or Forever Being Me Chapter Seven: On the Run with Fernando Pessoa Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisDoes human nature constrain social and political change, or do social and political changes transform human nature? Why Human Nature Matters argues that the answer to both questions is yes'. This philosophical account offers new tools for connecting biological and political perspectives on humanity. The focus is on the construction of human relations and environments, and on the complex materiality of these transformations.The structure and history of the philosophical and scientific debates on human nature show that political praxis and ideas about human nature interact in a variety of ways. Ideas about human nature affect how people live their lives, organize their societies, and imagine their futures. The book explores these processes and their implications for the present state of our species. Appeals to human nature can uphold the status quo or advocate for change, and they can be wielded for exclusion or inclusion. The book proposes ways of thinking about human Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Part I 1. Cooperation Social Beings Political Animals Superorganisms 2. Transformation Natura Pura Natura Lapsa Regnum 3. Subordination Slaves and Women Slaves and Colonies Part II 4. Essentialism Sciences and Channels Darwin’s Barnacles Ideal Types and Genealogies After Essentialism 5. Post-Essentialism Statistical Typicality Human Diversity Human Niches and Human Praxis Our Common Humanity Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisEngages and extends the feminist philosopher Lorraine Code''s groundbreaking work on epistemology and ethics.Thinking Ecologically, Thinking Responsibly brings together a transdisciplinary cohort of feminist, critical race, Indigenous, and decolonial scholars who build upon and seek to widen and deepen the legacy and potential of feminist philosopher Lorraine Code''s work. Since the publication of her 1987 book Epistemic Responsibility, Code has been at the forefront of linking epistemologies, ontologies, ethics, and epistemic injustice to guide critical frameworks for responsible, situated knowing and practices. This volume both enacts and expands Code''s theories, epistemologies, and practices. It points to how concepts such as epistemic responsibility and approaches like ecological thinking are not only theoretical frameworks for knowing the world well; they are also practices and approaches that more and more feminists and critical thinkers are embodying in their work in order to think, write, and live critically and responsibly.

Read more less

Book SynopsisArgues that Giambattista Vico''s early modern account of Roman mythology was a sophisticated attempt to present an epistemological and political critique of the aristocratic way of conceiving the world.Living in a province dominated by powerful oligarchs, Giambattista Vico (1668?1744) concluded that political philosophy should work to undermine aristocratic authority and prevent political devolution into feudalism. Rejecting the possibility that the free market could successfully instill civil behavior, he advocated for a strong central judicial system to work closely with citizens to promote stability and justice. This study puts Vico in conversation with other Enlightenment thinkers such as Locke, Rousseau, and Mandeville to show how his alternative warrants serious consideration. In contrast to scholars who read Vico''s New Science as a defense of the imagination, this study casts his account of poetic wisdom politically as an epistemological critique of the aristocratic mentality. Myth and Authority argues that Vico''s depiction of pagan religion is a refined attempt to explain how oligarchy maintains its stranglehold on power. While Western civilization did not follow the path Vico suggested, it may now be more relevant as concerns grow about the increasing influence of the wealthy on civil institutions.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMeditation on the character of the Eleatic Stranger in Plato''s late dialogues, arguing that the prominent place afforded to this foreigner?the other?represents an important philosophical and political legacy regarding the way thought, and life in the community, is understood.The dramatic introduction in two of Plato''s late dialogues-the Sophist and the Statesman, both part of a trilogy that also includes the Theaetetus-of a stranger, the Eleatic Stranger, who replaces Socrates, is a consequential move, especially since it occurs in the context of decidedly new insights into the philosophical logos and life together in a community. The introduction of a radical stranger, a stranger to all native identity, has theoretical implications, and, rather than a rhetorical or merely literary device, is of the order of an argument. Plato''s Stranger argues that in these late dialogues, Plato bestows on the West a philosophical and political legacy at the core of which the stranger holds a prominent place because it provides the foreigner-the other-with a previously unheard-of constitutive role in the way thinking, as well as life in community, is understood. What is to be learned from these late dialogues is that, without a constitutive relation to otherness, discursive and political life in a community-in other words, also of the way one relates to oneself-remain lacking.

Read more less

Book SynopsisConfidently navigate the new syllabus with a variety of teaching resources to help you plan engaging lessons that are directly aligned with the Student Book.- Confidently teach the new course with a clear overview of the TOK course and your responsibilities as a TOK teacher. - Ensure full coverage of the syllabus with specific guidance relating to the core theme, the optional themes and the areas of knowledge.- Easily navigate the new course with lesson plans, activities and extension material.- Help guide students through the assessment process with advice relating to the exhibition and essay.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhilosopher and art historian Georges Didi-Huberman is one of the most innovative and influential critical thinkers writing today. This book is the first English-language study of his writing on images. An image is a form of representation, but what are the philosophical frameworks supporting it? The book considers how Didi-Huberman takes up this question repeatedly over the course of his career. Placing his project in relation to major historical and intellectual contexts, it shows not only how he modifies dominant disciplinary traditions, but also how the study of images is central to a new way of thinking about poststructuralist-inspired art history.Trade Review'Larsson’s book is a wonderful entrée into the complexities of [Didi-Huberman's] discourse, and its legibility is a testament to the author, who has ordered and presented Didi-Huberman’s often dazzling agenda for art history today.'Giles Fielke, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art 'Given the fact that Didi-Huberman has written over fifty books in a career spanning four decades and that he is one of the most well-known French theorists of images, such a study is long overdue... scholars studying his work now have a well-researched and very helpful monograph to help them find their way through the labyrinthine oeuvre of Didi-Huberman.'Stijn De Cauwer, CAA Reviews -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction1 The archaeological art historian2 The materiality of images3 Timely anachronisms4 The empreinte5 Making monsters6 Thinking imagesConclusionBibliographyIndex

Read more less