Philosophy: epistemology and theory of knowledge Books

Book SynopsisHinge Epistemology is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting areas of epistemology and Wittgenstein studies. In connecting these two fields it brings a revived energy to both, opening them up to fresh developments. The essays in this volume extend the subject in terms of both depth and breadth. They present new voices and challenges within hinge epistemology. They explore new applications and directions of hinge epistemology, particularly as it relates to the philosophy of mind, society, ethics, and the history of ideas.Trade Review‘Edited by two leading authorities on Wittgenstein’s philosophy, this volume further extends and consolidates the burgeoning research programme on ‘hinge epistemology’. The epistemic lessons to be derived from reflection on the epistemology of certainty are opened out to domains beyond the purely epistemic such as, politics, ideology, the extended individual, etc.’ — Dr. Nigel Pleasants, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Sociology, University of Exeter, UK.‘Never before have epistemologists been so genuinely interested in Wittgenstein’s later work as in recent years. Extending Hinge Epistemology brings together insightful essays by some of the leading scholars in the field and will be essential reading for anyone seeking to go beyond the mere exegesis of On Certainty.’ — Nuno Venturinha, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal.‘Hinge Epistemology: Fastening the Hinges, Opening the Door provides a further demonstration of the wide-ranging significance of Wittgenstein’s thoughts on knowledge, doubt and certainty for philosophical epistemology and for our thinking about human life more generally. The authors, comprising both established experts in the field and more up-and- coming scholars, develop the approach of hinge epistemology in fruitful ways, bringing out its relevance to multiple areas of human thought and activity, including religion, politics, scepticism and enactivism, as well as considering the extent to which the approach was prefigured in the work of earlier philosophers such as David Hume and Thomas Reid. The volume constitutes a valuable contribution to contemporary epistemology and Wittgenstein studies.’ — Dr Mikel Burley, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy, University of Leeds, UK.This book is an impressive collection of essays on hinge epistemology that provide clarification on both existing debates and original interventions. This collection brings together well-known names in hinge epistemology with newer voices engaging with a range of philosophical areas and presenting a range of philosophical positions — Samuel Laves, Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Filosofia, Lisbon, Portugal.Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors; Acknowledgements; Introduction: Fastening the Hinges, Opening the Door; Part I Fastening the Hinges, Chapter One Wittgenstein’s Hinge Certainty, Danièle Moyal-Sharrock; Chapter Two Exploring Quasi-Fideism, Duncan Pritchard; Chapter Three Which Hinge Epistemology between Animal, Biscopic and Constitutivist? Annalisa Coliva; Chapter Four Something Animal, Something Unpredictable: On the Difficulty of Finding the Beginning and Not Trying to Go Further Back, Paul Standish; Chapter Five Closure-Based Scepticism and Epistemic Restrictions: A Dialectical Approach to Hinge Epistemology, Xavier Maréchal; Chapter Six ‘Hinges’ of Trust: Wittgenstein on the Other Minds Problem, Jasmin Trächtler; Part II Opening the Door, Chapter Seven Political Hinge Epistemology, Chris Ranalli; Chapter Eight Collective Thought and Collective Trust, Michel Le Du; Chapter Nine Deep Impact: Wittgenstein’s Enduring Enactivist Legacy, Victor Loughlin; Chapter Ten In Defence of a Reidian Moderate View of Our Hinge Commitments, Angélique Thébert; Chapter Eleven Consider the Squirrel: Hume as Hinge Epistemologist, Constantine Sandis; Index

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Book SynopsisCategorization is an essential and unavoidable instrumentality for conceptually navigating a world—indeed for being able to conceptualize a world to be navigated. Classification is a pivotal instrument for scientific systemization, featured as a basis for the philosophical understanding of reality since Aristotle, but classificatory concepts of sorts, types and natural kinds inevitably pervade our understanding of ourselves and our position in the social as well as the natural world at all levels. The authors argue that the character, purpose-, context-, and culture-relativity of categories and categorization have been widely misunderstood—that standard philosophical views are substantially correct in some respects but markedly mistaken in others. The book offers a comprehensive survey of basic principles of classification and categorization, a survey of relevant empirical work, and a multitude of illustrative examples accompanied by instructive analysis of ways and means. The work traces wide-ranging implications of the current approach for philosophical problematic and paradox in philosophy of mind, epistemology and metaphysics, philosophy of science, social philosophy and ethics. Trade Review“Grim and Rescher’s Theory of Categories is a philosophically sophisticated and historically informed study of categoricity in virtually all its aspects. It has insightful treatments of categories in metaphysics, scientific inquiry, philosophical analysis, and other areas, and it is particularly informative on specific issues such as the problem of induction and, throughout, in distinguishing defensible generalities from convenient stereotypes”— Robert Audi, John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, USA.“Patrick Grim and Nicholas Rescher wrote a fascinating and engaging book about every possible categorization aspect. Categories are fundamental tools of human understanding and thinking. The analysis starts with categories’ nature and category theories’ history. It unifies the perspective of philosophy, logic, and cognitive science. “Theory of categorization” is a scholarly book that helps us manage category mistakes and paradoxes”— Péter Érdu, Henry Luce Professor of Complex Systems Studies, Kalamazoo College, USA.“Categories, categories. Who needs them? Everyone, according to this book, complete with glossaries, taxonomies, diagrams, paradoxes, and, of course, categories. The authors shed light on many areas of classification, across various disciplines”— Paul K. Moser, Loyola University Chicago, USA.Table of ContentsPreface; Chapter 1: The Nature of Categories; Chapter 2: The History of Categorization; Chapter 3: Empirical Issues in Categorization; Chapter 4: Categories in Science; Chapter 5: Category Mistakes and Philosophical Paradoxes; Chapter 6: Ethical and Social Categories; References; Index

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Book SynopsisTwenty-first century civilization faces economic, ecological and spiritual meltdown. To survive this century as civilized people, we need to refer back to a time when city life was in harmony with nature. This book explains the concepts going back to the end of the Ice Age, identifying the earliest principles and what happened to them.

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Book SynopsisThis book is an investigation of the ideological dimensions of the disciplinary discourses on science in line with the scholarly tradition of historical epistemology. It offers a programmatic treatment of the political-epistemological problematic along three entangled lines of inquiry: socio-historical, epistemological and historiographical. The book aims for a meta-level integration of the existing scholarship on the social and cultural history of science in order to consider the ways in which struggles for hegemony have constantly informed scientific discourses. This problematic is of primary relevance for scholars in Science Studies, philosophers, historians and sociologists of science, but would also be relevant for anybody interested in scientific culture and political theory.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Political Epistemology: Positioning Science Studies.- Chapter 2. The Logic of Science and Technology as a Developmental Tendency of Modernity.- Chapter 3. On Both Sides of the Iron Curtain: The Marxist Struggle for Cultural Hegemony and HPS for a ‘Free Society’.- Chapter 4. Toward a Socio-Political History of Science: From Structures to Hegemonies.- Chapter 5. Hegemony and Science: Epistemological and Historiographical Perspectives.

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Book SynopsisThis book reconstructs the lines of nihilism that Walter Benjamin took from Friedrich Nietzsche that define both his theory of art and the avant-garde, and his approach to political action. It retraces the eccentric route of Benjamin's philosophical discourse in the representation of the modern as a place of “permanent catastrophe”, where he attempts to overcome the Nietzschean nihilism through messianic hope. Using conventions from literary criticism this book explores the many sources of Benjamin's thought, demonstrating that behind the materialism which Benjamin incorporates into his Theses on the Concept of History is hidden Nietzsche's nihilism. Mauro Ponzi analyses how Benjamin’s Arcades Project uses figures such as Baudelaire, Marx, Aragon, Proust and Blanqui as allegories to explain many aspects of modernity. The author argues that Benjamin uses Baudelaire as a paradigm to emphasize the dark side of the modern era, offering us a key to the interpretation of communicative and cultural trends of today. Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Chapter 1: Capitalism as Religion.- Chapter 2: Organizing Pessimism.- Chapter 3: Nietzsche: Work’s editions and interpretations.- Chapter 4: The Cry of Marsyas. History as place of permanent catastrophe.- Chapter 5: Hidden Refusal.- Chapter 6: The Dream Space.- Chapter 7: Baudelaire.- Chapter 8: The Order of the Profane.- Select Bibliography.- Index.

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Book SynopsisIn this compendium of essays, some of the world’s leading thinkers discuss their conceptions of space and time, as viewed through the lens of their own discipline. With an epilogue on the limits of human understanding, this volume hosts contributions from six or more diverse fields. It presumes only rudimentary background knowledge on the part of the reader.Time and again, through the prism of intellect, humans have tried to diffract reality into various distinct, yet seamless, atomic, yet holistic, independent, yet interrelated disciplines and have attempted to study it contextually. Philosophers debate the paradoxes, or engage in meditations, dialogues and reflections on the content and nature of space and time. Physicists, too, have been trying to mold space and time to fit their notions concerning micro- and macro-worlds. Mathematicians focus on the abstract aspects of space, time and measurement. While cognitive scientists ponder over the perceptual and experiential facets of our consciousness of space and time, computer scientists theoretically and practically try to optimize the space-time complexities in storing and retrieving data/information. The list is never-ending. Linguists, logicians, artists, evolutionary biologists, geographers etc., all are trying to weave a web of understanding around the same duo. However, our endeavour into a world of such endless imagination is restrained by intellectual dilemmas such as: Can humans comprehend everything? Are there any limits? Can finite thought fathom infinity? We have sought far and wide among the best minds to furnish articles that provide an overview of the above topics. We hope that, through this journey, a symphony of patterns and tapestry of intuitions will emerge, providing the reader with insights into the questions: What is Space? What is Time?Chapter [15] of this book is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. Table of ContentsPhilosophy: Śrīharṣa on the Indefinability of Time by Jonathan Duquette and Krishnamurti Ramasubramanian.- Why Spacetime Has a Life of its Own by James Robert Brown.- From Time to Time by Nathan Salmon.- Relativity Theory may not have the last Word on the Nature of Time: Quantum Theory and Probabilism by Nicholas Maxwell.- Space as a Source and as an Object of Knowledge: The Transformation of the Concept of Space in the Post-Kantian Philosophy of Geometry by Francesca Biagioli.- Space, Time and (how they) Matter by Valia Allori.- The Phenomenology of Space and Time: Husserl, Sartre, Derrida by Hans Herlof Grelland.- Time and Space in Ancient India, Pre­-Philosophical Period by Michael Witzel and Nataliya Yanchevskaya.- Time in Physics and Time in Awareness by E. C. G. Sudarshan.- Physics: The Future’s Not Ours to See, by Tony Sudbury.- Nature’s Book Keeping System by Gerard ‘t Hooft.- An anomaly in space and time and the origin of dynamics by Joan A. Vaccaro.- Spacetime and Reality: Facing the Ultimate Judge by Vesselin Petkov.- Hermann Weyl’s Space-Time Geometry and its Impact on Theories of Fundamental Interactions by Norbert Straumann.- Space, Time, and Adynamical Explanation in the Relational Blockworld by W.M. Stuckey, Michael Silberstein, and Timothy McDevitt.- Matter, Space, Time, and Motion: A Unified Gravitational Perspective by C. S. Unnikrishnan.- Spacetime is Doomed by George Musser.- Mathematics: Geometry and Physical Space by Mary Leng.- The Geometry of Manifolds and the Perception of Space by Raymond O. Wells, Jr.- Topos Theoretic Approach to Space and Time by Goro C. Kato.- Paradox? The Mathematics of Space-Time and the Limits of Human Understanding by Paul Ernest.- General Relativity, Time, and Determinism by James Isenberg.- “Now” has an infinitesimal positive duration by Reuben Hersh.- The Fundamental Problem of Dynamics by Julian Barbour.- What’s wrong with the Platonic ideal of space and time? by Lorenzo Sadun.- Biology/Cognitive Science: Syntactic Space by Rajesh Kasturirangan.- Time measurement in living systems: Human understanding and health implications by L Abhilash and Vijay Kumar Sharma.- The cellular space-the space of life by Pier Luigi Luisi.- The consciousness of space, the space of consciousness by Mauro Bergonzi and Pier Luigi Luisi.- Time and Suffering (False metaphors, (de)synchronous times, and internal dynamics) by Norman Sieroka.- Evolutionary Time and the Creation of the Space of Life by Randall E. Auxier.- Computer Science: A computational mathematics view of space, time and complexity by David H. Bailey and Jonathan M. Borwein.- The Black Hole in Mathematics by A. K. Dewdney.- Gödel’s Ontological Dreams by Gary Mar.- ‘Photographing the Footsteps of Time’: Space and Time in Charles Babbage’s Calculating Engines by Doron Swade.- Gödel incompleteness and the empirical sciences by N. C. A. da Costa and F. A. Doria.- Miscellaneous: The Novel and the Map: Spatiotemporal Form and Discourse in Literary Cartography by Robert T. Tally Jr.- Time, Space, and the Human Geographies of Opportunity by Donald G. Janelle.- Losing Time and Space: Experiencing Immersion by Diana J. Reichenbach. <

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

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Book SynopsisTauber, a leading figure in history and philosophy of science, offers a unique autobiographical overview of how science as a discipline of thought has been characterized by philosophers and historians over the past century. He frames his account through science’s – and his own personal – quest for explanatory certainty. During the 20th century, that goal was displaced by the probabilistic epistemologies required to characterize complex systems, whether in physics, biology, economics, or the social sciences. This “triumph of uncertainty” is the inevitable outcome of irreducible chance and indeterminate causality. And beyond these epistemological limits, the interpretative faculties of the individual scientist (what Michael Polanyi called the “personal” and the “tacit”) invariably affects how data are understood. Whereas positivism had claimed radical objectivity, post-positivists have identified how a web of non-epistemic values and social forces profoundly influence the production of knowledge. Tauber presents a case study of these claims by showing how immunology has incorporated extra-curricular social elements in its theoretical development and how these in turn have influenced interpretive problems swirling around biological identity, individuality, and cognition. The correspondence between contemporary immunology and cultural notions of selfhood are strong and striking. Just as uncertainty haunts science, so too does it hover over current constructions of personal identity, self knowledge, and moral agency. Across the chasm of uncertainty, science and selfhood speak.Table of ContentsForeword by Scott F. Gilbert Preface Introduction Chapter 1—Beginnings Chapter 2—On Ways of Knowing Chapter 3—Transitions Chapter 4—Rewriting Immunology Chapter 5—The Immune Self Chapter 6—Systems Philosophically Considered Chapter 7—Pursuing the Enigmatic Self Chapter 8—Rethinking Science Chapter 9—Outline of a Post-Positivist Philosophy of Science Chapter 10—A New Agenda Chapter 11—Personalizing Science Chapter 12—Moral Epistemology Chapter 13—Requiem for the Ego Chapter 14—Identity Reconsidered Conclusion Appendix 1—The Modernist Self Acknowledgements Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis anthology focuses on three areas in the theory of knowledge: epistemic justification; analyses of knowledge and scepticism; and recent developments in epistemology. Each of the three sections includes a brief introduction to the readings, a series of study questions, and a list of suggested readings. Section 1 deals with coherentism, foundationalism, reliabilism, and includes articles by Chisholm, BonJour, Audi, Goldman, and Fumerton. Section 2 deals with the analysis of knowledge and Gettier problems, and a variety of forms and responses to scepticism; it includes articles by Gettier, Conee, Feldman, Putnam, Nagel, and Stroud. Section 3 introduces the reader to recent developments in naturalized, feminist, and social epistemology, and includes articles by Quine, Almeder, Putnam, Anderson, Harding, Longino, Hardwig, Rorty, and Kitcher.Trade Review“Knowledge and Inquiry covers the most important topics in contemporary epistemology, including some topics that are typically neglected in undergraduate-level epistemology anthologies (e.g. social epistemology). The selections are well-chosen for their accessibility as well as their importance. This is a wonderful textbook for anyone teaching an undergraduate course in contemporary epistemology!” — Ram Neta, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill“This anthology captures the key developments in contemporary epistemology—from theories of justification and Gettier problems, to naturalized epistemology and feminist epistemology. Sections are well-organized, with well-chosen readings set in relation to each other to encourage epistemological dialogue. An excellent text!” — Heidi Grasswick, Middlebury CollegeTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPrefaceSection 1: Epistemic JustificationIntroductory Remarks The Myth of the GivenRoderick Chisholm Can Empirical Knowledge Have a Foundation?Laurence BonJour The Coherence Theory of Empirical KnowledgeLaurence BonJour The Foundationalism-Coherentism ControversyRobert Audi What is Justified Belief?Alvin Goldman The Internalism/Externalism ControversyRichard Fumerton Study QuestionsAdditional ReadingsSection 2: Knowledge and ScepticismIntroductory Remarks Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?Edmund Gettier Why Solve the Gettier Problem?Earl Conee An Alleged Defect in Gettier Counter-ExamplesRichard Feldman Brains in a VatHilary Putnam KnowledgeThomas Nagel Skepticism and the Possibility of KnowledgeBarry Stroud Study QuestionsAdditional ReadingsSection 3: New Developments in EpistemologyIntroductory Remarks Epistemology NaturalizedW.V. Quine On Naturalizing EpistemologyRobert Almeder Why Reason Can’t Be NaturalizedHilary Putnam Feminist EpistemologyElizabeth Anderson Rethinking Standpoint EpistemologySandra Harding Subjects, Power, and KnowledgeHelen Longino The Role of Trust in KnowledgeJohn Hardwig Solidarity or Objectivity?Richard Rorty Contrasting Conceptions of Social EpistemologyPhilip Kitcher Study QuestionsAdditional Readings

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Book SynopsisThe second edition of Jack Crumley's An Introduction to Epistemology strikes a balance between the many issues that engage contemporary epistemologists and the contributions of the major historical figures. He shows not only how philosophers such as Descartes, Hume, Locke, Berkeley, and Kant foreground the contemporary debates, but also why they deserve consideration on their own terms.A substantial revision of the first edition, the second edition is even more accessible to students. The new edition includes recent work on contextualism, evidentialism, externalism and internalism, and perceptual realism; as well, the chapter on coherence theory is substantially revised, reflecting recent developments in that area. New to this second edition is a chapter on feminist epistemology, which includes discussions of major positions and themes, such as feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint epistemology, postmodern epistemology, and feminist critiques of objectivity. It presents the important contributions of philosophers such as Sandra Harding, Helen Longino, Genevieve Lloyd, and others. Each chapter ends with a list of study questions and readings for further study.Trade Review“The second edition of Crumley’s An Introduction to Epistemology offers readers a clearly written, highly accessible, comprehensive, and insightful up-to-date introduction to the main issues, concepts, and players in contemporary Anglo-American epistemology.” — James Maffie, Colorado State University“ … an outstanding resource for students and instructors at both introductory and advanced levels.” — Patrick Rysiew, University of VictoriaTable of ContentsPreface to the First EditionPreface to the Second EditionIntroductionThe Aims of EpistemologySome Important ConceptsTradition and RevisionKey ConceptsCHAPTER ONE SkepticismFirst Skirmishes with SkepticismCartesian Skepticism Box: Academic and Pyhrronian SkepticismThe Dream ArgumentThe Demon ArgumentThe Skeptic’s Requirements Hume, Skepticism, and Entitlement Hume’s AssumptionsThe Rationality of Our Inductive InferencesBox: Types of InductionHume and Common SenseBox: Reasons and Causes Skepticism and the Defense of our Cognitive Practices Is Skepticism Inevitable?Two Types of Defense Responding to the Skeptic Is Certainty Necessary for Knowledge?Box: Descartes and the ProbableShow-and-Tell: Ruling Out That One Is DreamingContextualism: Shifting StandardsSkepticism and Inference to the Best ExplanationInduction Again Key ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER TWO An Introduction to the Analysis of KnowledgeThe Traditional Analysis Truth ConditionsMotivating the Traditional AnalysisBox: Theories of Truth Gettier and the Traditional Analysis Gettier-type CounterexamplesBox: Bertrand Russell and Gettier-type CounterexamplesA Defense of the Traditional Analysis Some Strategies for Handling Gettier Problems A General DiagnosisCausal TheoriesIndefeasibility TheoriesBox: Strong and Weak ConditionsNo-False-Premise Views The Significance of GettierKey ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER THREE ReliabilismReliability and Knowledge Two Versions of ReliabilismReliabilism and Perceptual KnowledgeBox: More on Reliable Indicator TheoryReliabilism and the Traditional Analysis Reliabilism and JustificationObjections to Reliabilism The Generality ProblemIdentifying Process TypesIs Reliability Sufficient?Evil Demons—Again Reliabilist Responses and Revisions Normal Worlds and Weak JustificationBox: Reliabilism and SkepticismClairvoyancy Key ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER FOUR Structure and Sources of Justification: FoundationalismThe Regress ArgumentMotives For Foundationalism Options for the Regress ArgumentA Motive for Foundationalism Two Types of Foundationalism The Basic StructureBox: Foundationalism as a Theory of KnowledgeStrong FoundationalismNeoclassical FoundationalismModest FoundationalismBox: Can Reliabilists Be Foundationalists?Features of Modest Foundationalism Objections To Foundationalism Strong Foundationalism and Basic BeliefsLevels of JustificationIndependent Information and Modest FoundationalismThe Cognitive Status of Experience Key ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER FIVE Structure and Sources of Justification: Coherence TheoryThe Intuitive Idea Mutual SupportTwo Views of CoherenceBox: Linear Coherence Coherence, Perception, and Belief The Nature of CoherencePerceptual Beliefs and CoherenceWhat Do You Believe?Box: Is the Doxastic Presumption True? “Cycles and Loops” Lehrer’s View of CoherenceJustifying TrustworthinessObjections to Coherence Theory: Liberal or Conservative? LiberalityConservatism The Isolation ObjectionBox: The Isolation Objection and Its CousinsKey ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER SIX Externalism and InternalismExternalist and Internalist Features of JustificationEpistemic Responsibility Responsibility: Goals and MeansAre Beliefs Voluntary?Box: Doxastic Voluntarism Cognitive Access Strong and Weak AccessibilityObjections and Responses Attempted Reconciliation Alston’s Internalist ExternalismSosa’s Virtue PerspectivismBox: Do Externalists Change the Subject? Prospects for ReconciliationKey ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER SEVEN Naturalized EpistemologyTradition and Naturalism A Traditional PictureNaturalism and EpistemologyBox: Facts and Values Quine’s Vew of Naturalized Epistemology First PhilosophyBox: Quine and the Rejection of the A PrioriThe Normative Character of Naturalized EpistemologyBox: Science Studies Science: The Strong ProgrammeThe Goal of InquiryThe Goal of Inquiry: Normative and NaturalBox: Evolutionary Epistemology Naturalized Epistemology and SupervenienceTradition, Reduction, and Supervenience Quinean and Modest Naturalized EpistemologyThree Options Key ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER EIGHT Feminist EpistemologyTraditional Epistemology, Science, and Knowledge ProductsScientific Method and ValuesObjectivityShould We Want Objectivity?ReasonA New Look for Epistemology Feminist EmpiricismBox: Coherentism and Feminist EpistemologyFeminist Standpoint EpistemologyFeminist Naturalized Epistemology Does Feminist Epistemology Look Different?Box: Ecological NaturalismThe “Feminist” in “Feminist Epistemology”Feminist Epistemology in a ChapterKey ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER NINE A Priori KnowledgeThe A Priori and Necessity An Epistemological Distinction: A Priori and A PosterioriA Metaphysical Distinction: Necessary and Contingent Propositions Historical Theories of the A Priori The Traditional Theory of A Priori KnowledgeBox: The Principle of ContradictionKant and the Synthetic A PrioriBox: Hume and Kant on Analytic and Synthetic Judgments (Propositions) Contemporary Views of the A Priori Linguistic Accounts of the A PrioriThe Traditional, the Linguistic, and the TruthQuinean ReservationsNecessity and the A PrioriNo Experience Required: Synthetic A Priori Propositions Key ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyCHAPTER TEN PerceptionThe Simple Story: Naïve RealismNaïve—An Illusion? Further Arguments Against Naïve RealismBox: Blindsight? The World of Sense Data An Intuitive ApproachSome Common Features Representative Realism Primary and Secondary QualitiesA Lockean Response or No Way Out?Science to the Rescue?Some Reactions to Representative RealismPhenomenalism Berkeley’s Factual PhenomenalismLinguistic PhenomenalismIs Linguistic Phenomenalism Plausible?Box: Linguistic Phenomenalism and the SkepticBerkeley Again Reviving Direct Realism Adverbial TheoryThe Doxastic View Perceptual Experience and RealismKey ConceptsReview QuestionsFor Further StudyGlossaryBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisKnowing Reality is a guided introduction to metaphysics and epistemology. Each of the book's twelve chapters contains extended excerpts from influential historical and contemporary philosophers, as well as a guided exposition of their views and their locations within the logical space of the issues at play. Topics are introduced through engaging thought experiments, with relevant philosophical puzzles sprinkled throughout. Complex issues are explained using down-to-earth examples, with illustrations provided to connect with readers and assist them in understanding the sophisticated concepts under discussion.Trade Review“Dwayne Moore’s book is a real advance on the usual introductions to metaphysics and epistemology, which are often too difficult (as with dense anthologies) or too superficial (as with single-author ‘here’s what I think’ glosses). Moore structures and explains each topic, making clear the main debates and what’s at stake in different positions held by historical and contemporary philosophers, excerpting from original texts and drawing illuminating connections to current culture along the way. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a lively and informed introduction to the eye-opening world of ‘M&E.’” — Jessica Wilson, University of Toronto“Knowing Reality is a wonderful textbook for use in an introduction to metaphysics and epistemology course. It is a complete resource, in that it includes excerpts from primary sources, targeted commentaries on those excerpts, and general discussions of philosophical issues written in snappy, engaging, and clear prose. Each chapter opens with a thought experiment, often taken from popular culture, and closes with a list of references to television and film in which ideas from the chapter find expression. The book also provides a lovely introduction to the difference between philosophy and sophistry and an appendix on how to write a philosophy paper.” — Jeremy Fantl, University of Calgary“In Knowing Reality, Moore invites students to make connections between their lives and the major issues in metaphysics and epistemology. I especially appreciate that he illustrates philosophical problems with texts from popular culture (film and television in particular), and he treats these texts with as much respect as he does primary sources. In this way, Moore breaks down divisions between professional discourse and the experiences of students, who can use philosophy to enrich their daily lives.” — Doug Eskew, Colorado State University, PuebloTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Philosophy and Sophistry 1.1 Ancient Greek Mythology 1.2 Ancient Greek Philosophy 1.3 Sophism 1.4 The Upside of Philosophy 1.5 How to Win an Argument Summary Chapter 2: Truth and Relativism 2.1 Correspondence Theory 2.2 Coherence Theory 2.3 Pragmatic Theory 2.4 Relativism Summary Chapter 3: Substances – Change and Sameness 3.1 Milesian Materialism 3.2 Eleatic Idealism 3.3 Substratum Theory 3.5 Perdurantism Summary Chapter 4: Personal Identity 4.1 Soul Theory 4.2 Bundle Theory 4.3 Psychological Theory Summary Chapter 5: Mind and Brain 5.1 Dualism 5.2 Mind-Brain Identity Theory 5.3 Functionalism 5.4 Eliminative Materialism 5.5 Idealism Summary Chapter 6: Free Will and Determinism 6.1 Hard Determinism 6.2 Libertarianism 6.3 Compatibilism Summary Chapter 7: Knowledge 7.1 Propositional Knowledge 7.2 Descartes’ Rationalism 7.3 Hume's Empiricism 7.4 Naturalized Epistemology 7.5 Social Epistemology Summary Chapter 8: Perception 8.1 Direct Realism 8.2 Skepticism 8.3 Representational Model 8.4 Idealism 8.5 Intentionalism Summary Chapter 9: Self-Knowledge 9.1. Inner Sense Model 9.2 Behaviourism 9.3 Acquaintance Model 9.4 Externalist Models 9.5 Self-Deception 9.6 Rationality and Irrationality Summary Chapter 10: Philosophy of Science 10.1 Aristotle 10.2 Francis Bacon 10.3 David Hume 10.4 Immanuel Kant 10.5 Logical Positivism 10.6 W. V. O. Quine 10.7 Helen Longino Summary Chapter 11: God and Naturalism 11.1 The Cosmological Argument for Theism 11.2 The Naturalistic Argument for Naturalism 11.3 The Teleological Argument for Theism 11.4 The Problem of Evil Summary Chapter 12: Religious Experience, Faith, and Reason 12.1 Varieties of Religious Experience 12.2 Religious Experience as Delusions 12.3 The Principle of Credulity and the Principle of Testimony 12.4 Naturalistic Accounts 12.5 Reason and Faith 12.6 Fideism 12.7 Evidentialism 12.8 The Belief Model Summary Appendix 1: How to Write an 'A' Paper 1. Thesis Statement 2. Roadmap 3. Logical Structure 4. Sentence Structure 5. Original Ideas 6. Accurate Portrayal of Philosophical Positions 7. Effective Critiques of Philosophical Positions 8. Quotations and References

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Book SynopsisThis book is inspired by the author’s work as part of a major international and interdisciplinary research group at the University of Konstanz, Germany: “What If—On the Meaning, Relevance, and Epistemology of Counterfactual Claims and Thought Experiments.” Having contributed to great discoveries, such as those by Galileo and Einstein, thought experiments are especially topical in the twenty-first century, since this is a concept that bridges the gap between the arts and the sciences, promoting interdisciplinary innovation. To study thought experiments in literature, it is imperative to examine relevant texts closely: this has rarely been done to date and this is precisely what this book does as a pilot study focusing on selected works of philosophy and literature. Specifically, thought experiments by Thomas Malthus are analyzed side by side with short stories and novels by Vladimir Odoevsky and Nikolai Chernyshevsky, Alexander Bogdanov and Aleksei Tolstoy, Alexander Chaianov and Nina Berberova.Trade Review“While Grigorian carefully follows the narrative of each text, she discovers the connections between them, thanks to her consistent viewpoint. As she maintains, she successfully brings chronologically isolated utopian or dystopian dreams into a dialogue with each other, with Malthus and so on. … Finally, let me remark on the practical significance of this book. Grigorian argues that thought experiments investigated here will provide helpful insight into social and environmental problems in the post-2020 world. This global crisis has become much more serious after February 24, 2022. The cosmic scenarios concerning Malthusian theory provided by Russian writers will enable us to think about the world today from new perspectives.”— Yuki Fukui, Studies in East European Thought“Engagingly and clearly written, Visions of the Future represents an original approach to Russian utopian fiction and utopian fiction in general. This originality emerges primarily in the book's orientation to the strictly formal influence of counterfactual or hypothetical reasoning on the narrative strategies employed in utopian fiction, while its persuasive force lies in its careful account of well-chosen examples of this influence.”— Jeff Love, Research Professor of German and Russian, Clemson UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Thomas Malthus, the Problem of Population, and Counterfactual Thought Experiments: A Concise Overview Thought Experiments in Vladimir Odoevsky’s Russian Nights (1844) Thomas Malthus and Nikolai Chernyshevsky: Struggle for Existence or Mutual Help? Utopian Dreams in What Is to Be Done? (1863) Revolution on Earth and Mars: Alexander Bogdanov’s Red Star (1908) and Aleksei Tolstoy’s Aelita (1923) A Peasant Utopia: Alexander Chaianov’s My Brother Aleksei’s Journey (1920) Overpopulation in Nina Berberova’s Short Story “In Memory of Schliemann” (1958), in the Context of Malthusian Theory ConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis clear, readable introduction to philosophy presents a traditional theistic view of the existence of God.There are many fine introductions to philosophy, but few are written for students of faith by a teacher who is sensitive to the intellectual challenges they face studying in an environment that is often hostile to religious belief. Many introductory texts present short, easy-to-refute synopses of the traditional arguments for God's existence, the soul, free will, and objective moral value rooted in God's nature, usually followed by strong objections stated as if they are the last word. This formula may make philosophy easier to digest, but it gives many students the impression that there are no longer any good reasons to accept the beliefs just mentioned.Philosophy, Reasoned Belief, and Faith is written for philosophy instructors who want their students to take a deeper look at the classic theistic arguments and who believe that many traditional viTrade Review“This book is a well-written introduction to philosophy that has a systematic approach informed by the history of philosophy. There are many introductory philosophy books available, but I am not aware of one with quite this approach and spin on the issues.” —Christopher Kaczor, author of Disputes in Bioethics“Philosophy, Reasoned Belief, and Faith is a solid, well-written, well-organized, theistic-leaning introduction to philosophy.” —Gregory Bassham, co-author of Critical Thinking: A Student’s IntroductionTable of ContentsTo The Instructor To The Student Acknowledgements Dedication Unit One. Three Things to Know before You Dive into Philosophy 1. How Philosophy Began 2. The Socratic Method 3. And a Little Bit of Logic Unit Two. Philosophy of Religion 4. The Design Argument 5. Design and Evolution 6. The Cosmological Argument Interlude 1: A Survey of Modern Cosmology 7. The Problem of Evil Unit Three. Epistemology 8. What Can We Know? 9. C. S. Lewis and the Argument from Reason Unit Four. Philosophy of the Human Person 10. The Mind-Body Problem 11. Do We Have Free Will? Unit Five. Philosophical Ethics 12. Is It Reasonable to be Moral? Interlude 2: Or Should We All Become Moral Relativists? 13. Moral Reasoning Applied to the State 14. God and Morality

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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 SynopsisTrade Review"[A] compellingly topical book, which ranges from genetics to fake news."---Andrew Robinson, Nature"Elegant and compelling."---Linsey McGoey, The Philosopher"A thoughtful, nuanced examination of the social and psychological motivations for—and consequences of—ignorance or denial. . . . At a time when fake news, propaganda, political rhetoric, and dueling experts dominate the media, [Salecl]’s analysis offers a fresh way to think about the decisions each of us make to 'embrace ignorance and denial." * Kirkus Reviews *"This is a well-written account of the nature of ignorance by a philosopher and sociologist, illustrated by numerous case studies of ignorance in different contexts. It will repay anyone interested in this problem, whether philosopher, sociologist, or information scientist."---Tom Wilson, Information Research

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Nadler and Shapiro do an excellent job of showing off philosophy's tools for better reasoning. For anyone not already skilled in using those tools, their book is a clear and readable primer. . . . [A] heartfelt and lucid advocacy of a more reasoned approach to life."---Julian Baggini, Wall Street Journal"Approaching the topic from a logical and argument-based position, [Nadler and Shapiro] show how to avoid flawed arguments and unreliable information. . . . Clearly written and well organized, this is a valuable examination of why bad thinking occurs and what people can do to make themselves better thinkers." * Choice *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Nadler and Shapiro do an excellent job of showing off philosophy's tools for better reasoning. For anyone not already skilled in using those tools, their book is a clear and readable primer. . . . [A] heartfelt and lucid advocacy of a more reasoned approach to life."---Julian Baggini, Wall Street Journal"Approaching the topic from a logical and argument-based position, [Nadler and Shapiro] show how to avoid flawed arguments and unreliable information. . . . Clearly written and well organized, this is a valuable examination of why bad thinking occurs and what people can do to make themselves better thinkers." * Choice *

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Book SynopsisThe Reenchantment of the World is a perceptive study of our scientific consciousness and a cogent and forceful challenge to its supremacy. Focusing on the rise of the mechanistic idea that we can know the natural world only by distancing ourselves...Trade Review"This pioneering holistic work is still one of the best discussions of the spiritual havoc wrought by the 'disgodding' of nature and the split in the Western mind between facts and values."—Chip Brown, The List"Morris Berman's book addresses what I consider to be the most important topic at our present moment in history. He is searching for the underpinnings of a new world view that can give rise to a culture capable of relating gently and self-sustainingly to the earth."—Frederick Ferré

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Book SynopsisThis book addresses the issue of trauma and psychic wounds to stage a confrontation between psychoanalysis and contemporary neurobiology. In so doing, it reevaluates the brain as an organ that is not separated from psychic life but rather appears as its very locus. A philosophical approach of the “new wounded” (brain lesion patients) forms the matter of the confrontation.Trade Review"The first of the 'old wounded,' hysterics suffering from reminiscences, were Freud's co-conspirators in the invention of psychoanalysis. Not only were they its earliest patients and critics; their malady formed the very stuff of psychoanalysis. Malabou identifies a more recent class of 'new wounded'-Alzheimer's patient, autistic children, concentration camp survivors, victims of rape, bombing, natural disasters and brain tumors-who, radically severed from their own past, are devoid not only of reminiscences but of meaning itself. Their maladies, she claims, evacuate the core concepts of psychoanalysis, its original stuff. Friends and foes of Freud's science will be riveted by Malabou's intelligent argument whose destructive thrust produces not merely rubble and dust, more a foam of fascinating new concepts-including cerebrality and destructive plasticity-and strong readings of Freudian texts." -- -Joan Copjec University at Buffalo, SUNY "Malabou draws upon the most current neurological research and contemporary psychoanalytic works, and applies them to a careful, penetrating and convincing reading of Freud's primary texts, in order to fashion her original interpretation." -- -Clayton Crockett University of Central Arkansas What has happened when subjectivity is utterly changed by brain damage? What are the links of war, trauma, and loss of affect? In The New Wounded Catherine Malabou brilliantly shows how 'destructive plasticity' is the key concept for understanding our 'new economy of pain.' Highly recommended for everyone in the fields she so deftly examines: philosophy, psychoanalysis, and neurology." -- -John Protevi Louisiana State UniversityTable of ContentsPreamble Introduction Part One: The Neurological Subordination of Sexuality Introduction: The "New Maps" of Causality 1. Cerebral Auto-Affection 2. Brain Wounds: From the Neurological Novel to the Theater of Absence 3. Identity Without Precedent 4. Psychoanalytic Objection: Can There Be Destruction Without a Drive of Destruction? Part Two: The Neutralization of Cerebrality Introduction: Freud and Preexisting Fault Lines 5. What Is a Psychic Event? 6. The "Libido Theory" and the Otherness of the Sexual to Itself: Traumatic Neurosis and War Neurosis in Question 7. Separation, Death, the Thing, Freud, Lacan, and the Missed Encounter 8. Neurological Objection: Rehabilitating the Event Part Three: On the Beyond of the Pleasure Principle--That it Exists Introduction: Remission at the Risk of Forgetting the Worst 9. The Equivocity of Reparation: From Elasticity to Resilience 10. Toward a Plasticity of the Compulsion to Repeat 11. The Subject of the Accident Conclusion Notes Bibliography

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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 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 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 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 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 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 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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Book SynopsisPaul Feyerabend's globally acclaimed work, which sparked and continues to stimulate fierce debate, examines the deficiencies of many widespread ideas about scientific progress and the nature of knowledge. Feyerabend argues that scientific advances can only be understood in a historical context. He looks at the way the philosophy of science has consistently overemphasized practice over method, and considers the possibility that anarchism could replace rationalism in the theory of knowledge.This updated edition of the classic text includes a new introduction by Ian Hacking, one of the most important contemporary philosophers of science. Hacking reflects on both Feyerabend's life and personality as well as the broader significance of the book for current discussions.Trade ReviewA devastating attack on the claims of philosophy to legislate for scientific practice. * New Society *A brilliant polemic. * New Scientist *Since it was first published in 1975, Against Method has followed Popper's The Logic of Scientific Discovery and Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions into becoming a classic text in the debate about scientific methodology and scientific reasoning. * The Philosopher *A powerful critique. * London Review of Books *Against Method is more than a book: it is an event. * Archives de Philosophie *

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Book SynopsisInvestigates the antinomy between history and truth, or between historicity and meaning. This book argues that history has meaning insofar as it approaches universality and system, but has no meaning insofar as this universality violates the singularity of individuals' lives.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] compellingly topical book, which ranges from genetics to fake news."---Andrew Robinson, Nature"Elegant and compelling."---Linsey McGoey, The Philosopher"A thoughtful, nuanced examination of the social and psychological motivations for—and consequences of—ignorance or denial. . . . At a time when fake news, propaganda, political rhetoric, and dueling experts dominate the media, [Salecl]’s analysis offers a fresh way to think about the decisions each of us make to 'embrace ignorance and denial." * Kirkus Reviews *"This is a well-written account of the nature of ignorance by a philosopher and sociologist, illustrated by numerous case studies of ignorance in different contexts. It will repay anyone interested in this problem, whether philosopher, sociologist, or information scientist."---Tom Wilson, Information Research

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