Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology Books

Book SynopsisThis collection of previously unpublished essays on Spinoza provides a representative sample of new and interesting research on the philosopher. Spinoza''s philosophy still has an underserved reputation for being obscure and incomprehensible. In these chapters, Spinoza is seen mostly as a metaphysician who tried to pave the way for the new science. The essays investigate several themes, notably Spinoza''s monism, the nature of the individual, the relation between mind and body, and his place in 17th century philosophy including his relation to Descartes and Leibniz. The top scholars working on Spinoza today are all represented, including John Carriero, Michael Della Rocca, and Don Garrett.Trade ReviewThis will, I am sure, prove to be a most useful collection ... scholars who have a good knowledge of Spinoza will find in it much that is worthy of their attention. The editors, Olli Koistinen and John Biro, have clearly taken great pains with their work, and the volume has been well produced by the Oxford University Press. * British Journal for the History of Philosophy *... eleven papers, none of which has previously been published devoted to important topics in Spinoza's metaphysics. * British Journal for the History of Philosophy *

Read more less

Book SynopsisMost philosophers writing about personal identity in recent years claim that what it takes for us to persist through time is a matter of psychology. In this groundbreaking new book, Eric Olson argues that such approaches face daunting problems, and he defends in their place a radically non-psychological account of personal identity. He defines human beings as biological organisms, and claims that no psychological relation is either sufficient or necessary for an organism to persist. Rejecting several famous thought experiments dealing with personal identity, he instead argues that one could survive the destruction of all of one''s psychological contents and capabilities as long as the human organism remains alive.Trade ReviewA very clear and powerfully argued defence of a most important and surprisingly neglected view. * Derek Parfit, author of Reasons and Persons (All Souls College, Oxford) *For hundreds of years, almost all philosophers writing on the topic have supposed that personal identity is either entirely a matter of psychology or at least has an important and essential psychological component. This important book presents a powerful challenge to that assumption. If Dr. Olson is right, we are living animals and what goes on in our minds is wholly irrelevant to questions about our persistence through time. If this book receives the attention it deserves, it will transform philosophical thinking about personal identity. * Peter van Inwagen, author of An Essay on Free Will, Material Beings, and Metaphysics (University of Notre Dame) *Olson's excellent and enjoyable book should be read by everyone with an interest in metaphysics. For those seriously interested in the philosophy of personal identity, or in our existence and identity, the matter is more serious; without much delay, you've got to get your hands on The Human Animal * Peter Unger, New York University *A significant contribution to the field. It issues several important challenges to proponents of a psychological approach to personal identity. * Carol Rovane, Yale University *Olson develops his main argument with a masterly touch. It is particularly refreshing to read a discussion of personal identity which is metaphysically serious. He has produced in me a deepened sense of the virtues of animalism, and I expect his book to do so in anyone who reads it. * Times Literary Supplement *The book as a whole is admirably succinct, clear, and forcefully argued, and is a fresh and enjoyable read. * IMind *This is the most original piece of writing on these matters that I have read in several years. I recommend it highly. * Philosophical Books *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe say the grass is green or lemons are yellow to state what everyone knows. But are the things we see around us really colored, or do they only look that way because of the effects of light rays on our eyes and brains? Is color somehow unreal or subjective and dependent on our human perceptions and the conditions under which we see things? Distinguished scholar Barry Stroud investigates these and related questions in The Quest for Reality. In this long-awaited book, he examines what a person would have to do and believe in order to reach the conclusion that everyone''s perceptions and beliefs about the color of things are illusions and do not accurately represent the way things are in the world as it is independently of us. Arguing that no such conclusion could be consistently reached, Stroud finds that the conditions of a successful unmasking of color cannot all be fulfilled. The discussion extends beyond color to present a serious challenge to many other philosophical attempts to dTrade ReviewThis strange and absorbing book sets out to undermine the central metaphysical ambition which has dominated philosophy since the 17th century - that of reachinga comprehensive understanding of the world, consistent with modern science, which distinguishes between what exists objectively, independent of our minds, and what is merely subjective - due to the effects of the world on our minds and our responses to it. Barry Stroud writes against the temper of the times. His style is clear, explicit, methodical and relentless. He tries to block every exit. The Quest for Reality displays a profound grasp of the history and logical structure of philosophical problems and theories, and a feeling for the derangement of thought that underlies them. Whatever one thinks of the conclusion, it is illuminating to think through the argument. This is philosophy of an exemplary purity, tenacity, and depth. * Thomas Nagel, The London Review of Books *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction: The Philosophical Project ; Chapter 2. The Philosophical Conception of an Independent Reality ; Chapter 3. The Idea of Physical Reality ; Chapter 4. Unmasking Explanation and the "Unreality" of Colour ; Chapter 5. Perception, Predication, and Belief ; Chapter 6. Perceptions of Colour and the Colour of Things ; Chapter 7. Perception, Judgement, and Error ; Chapter 8. Discomforts and Distortions of Metaphysical Theory ; Chapter 9. Engagement, Invulnerability, and Dissatisfaction ; Chapter 10 Morals ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat happens when someone acts? We suppose that we are often morally responsible for what we do, that our creations merit credit, and the unfolding of our relationships with others find their ultimate source within us -- in the choices we have freely made. But how is such freedom of choice possible? What are the springs of free will?In this carefully-argued and provocative study, O''Connor systematically develops an account of human agency intended to shed light on these basic questions. Central to his account is the traditional concept of ''agent'' of ''personal'' causation, a concept that has been largely abandoned in contemporary discussions of free will. O''Connor critically assesses the previous account of this notion by Thomas Reid, Richard Taylor, and Roderick Chisholm, before reformulating it in relation to more general discussions of contemporary causation. He then provides an original account of how reasons can explain actions whose causes are their agents. He concludes by arTrade ReviewThe book is intelligent throughout. O'Connor is unafraid to defend an unfashionable view, and to do so in a bold and imaginative way. * John Martin Fischer, MIND *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Freedom and Determinism ; 2. Freedom and Indeterminism: Some Unsatisfactory Proposals ; 3. The Agent as Cause: Reid, Taylor, and Chisholm ; 4. The Metaphysics of Free Will ; 5. Reasons and Causes ; 6. Agency, Mind, and Reductionism ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this book, Phillip Cary argues that Augustine invented the concept of the self as a private inner space-a space into which one can enter and in which one can find God. Although it has often been suggested that Augustine in some way inaugurated the Western tradition of inwardness, this is the first study to pinpoint what was new about Augustine''s philosophy of inwardness and situate it within a narrative of his intellectual development and his relationship to the Platonist tradition. Augustine invents the inner self, Cary argues, in order to solve a particular conceptual problem. Augustine is attracted to the Neoplatonist inward turn, which located God within the soul, yet remains loyal to the orthodox Catholic teaching that the soul is not divine. He combines the two emphases by urging us to turn in then up--to enter the inner world of the self before gazing at the divine Light above the human mind. Cary situates Augustine''s idea of the self historically in both the Platonist and the Christian traditions. The concept of private inner self, he shows, is a development within the history of the Platonist concept of intelligibility or intellectual vision, which establishes a kind of kinship between the human intellect and the divine things it sees. Though not the only Platonist in the Christian tradition, Augustine stands out for his devotion to this concept of intelligibility and his willingness to apply it even to God. This leads him to downplay the doctrine that God is incomprehensible, as he is convinced that it is natural for the mind''s eye, when cleansed of sin, to see and understand God. In describing Augustine''s invention of the inner self, Cary''s fascinating book sheds new light on Augustine''s life and thought, and shows how Augustine''s position developed into the more orthodox Augustine we know from his later writings.Trade Review"...a first-rate study of the influences on the great bishop and the innovations he made to his intellectual/spiritual inheritance."--Theology Today

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis rigorous examination of Kant''s Critique of Pure Reason provides a comprehensive analysis of the major metaphysical and epistemological questions of Kant''s most famous work. Author James Van Cleve presents clear and detailed discussions of Kant''s positions and arguments on these themes, as well as critical assessments of Kant''s reasoning and conclusions. Expansive in its scope, Van Cleves study covers the overall structure of Kant''s idealism, the existence and nature of synthetic a priori knowledge, the epistemology of geometry, and the ontological status of space, time, and matter. Other topics explored are the role of synthesis and the categories in making experience and objects of experience possible, the concepts of substance and causation, issues surrounding Kant''s notion of the thing in itself, the nature of the thinking self, and the arguments of rational theology. A concluding chapter discusses the affinities between Kant''s idealism and contemporary antirealism, in Trade Review"This book will be enjoyed not only by those philosophers interested in Kant, but by those interested in metaphysics and epistemology more generally. He writes with directness and accessibility and care; there can be few recent books on the problems of Kant's First Critique that treat so great a range of arguments with such seriousness and sophistication. Van Cleve is a sympathetic interpreter, often finding himself on Kant's side. Clarity and rigor are among the book's notable virtues. There is an impressive knowledge of the contemporary English language. In their precision, originality and brevity, these are gems of analysis, which prove as useful for introducing students to these topics as for shedding light on Kant. This is a splendid book."--The Philosophical Review

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the time of Locke, discussions of personal identity have often ignored the question of our basic metaphysical nature: whether we human people are biological organisms, spatial or temporal parts of organisms, bundles of perceptions, or what have you. The result of this neglect has been centuries of wild proposals and clashing intuitions.What Are We? is the first general study of this important question. It beings by explaining what the question means and how it differs from others, such as questions of personal identity and the mind-body problem. It then examines in some depth the main possible accounts of our metaphysical nature, detailing both their theoretical virtues and the often grave difficulties they face.The book does not endorse any particular account of what we are, but argues that the matter turns on more general issues in the ontology of material things. If composition is universal--if any material things whatever make up something bigger--then we are temporal parts of organisms. If things never compose anything bigger, so that there are only mereological simples, then we too are simples--perhaps the immaterial substances of Descartes--or else we do not exist at all (a view Olson takes very seriously). The intermediate view that some things compose bigger things and others do not leads almost inevitably to the conclusion that we are organisms. So we can discover what we are by working out when composition occurs.Trade ReviewIn this invigorating new book, Eric Olsen investigates what we are, metaphysically speaking...The book is engagingly written in a conversational style...filled with many stimulating arguments. * Lynne Rudder Baker MIND *For anyone who wants to understand the question "What are we?"- and who wants to see how to begin to answer that question in a principled way- there is no better guide than Olson's book. * Trenton Merricks, Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents1. The Question; 2. Animals; 3. Constitution; 4. Brains; 5. Temporal Parts; 6. Bundles; 7. Souls; 8. Nihilism; 9. What Now?

Read more less

Trade ReviewUseful and provocative. * Wall Street Journal *Looking for a clear guide to what contemporary philosophy has to say about the meaning of life? Baggini takes us through all the plausible answers, weaving together Kierkegaard, John Stuart Mill, Monty Python, and Funkadelic in an entertaining but always carefully reasoned discussion. * Peter Singer, author of How Are We To Live *A work of popular philosophy that is simple, serious and devoid of ostentation. The question of the meaning of life has long been a byword for pretentious rambling. It takes some nerve to tackle it in a brisk and no-nonsense fashion. * New Statesman *Informative, thought-provoking, and entertaining in the process. The book takes a refreshingly personal approach and offers an encounter with a vigorous mind at work, puzzling through the issues in a trenchantly argued but subtly reasoned way. * New Humanist *It's egalitarianism of style and content is admirable. There is nothing here to put off someone who has never read a book of philosophy, yet the book is doing philosophy, not just talking about it. * Scotland on Sunday *

Read more less

Book SynopsisJ.T. Ismael''s monograph is an ambitious contribution to metaphysics and the philosophy of language and mind. She tackles a philosophical question whose origin goes back to Descartes: What am I? The self is not a mere thing among things-but if so, what is it, and what is its relationship to the world? Ismael is an original and creative thinker who tries to understand our problematic concepts about the self and how they are related to our use of language in particular.Trade ReviewAn exciting read because it is a fresh and vivid challenge to dualist and physicalist views about the mind, language, and the self.... Ismael's book is not just another philosophy book - it is feminist scientific theory in the making about mind and language.... Dynamic, thought provoking, and innovative is the only way to describe J. T. Ismael's The Situated Self. It is a definite must read for those wanting to get their heads into a serious scientific theory driven work in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language. * Feminism and Philosophy *An exciting read because it is a fresh and vivid challenge to dualist and physicalist views about the mind, language, and the self.... Ismael's book is not just another philosophy book - it is feminist scientific theory in the making about mind and language.... Dynamic, thought provoking, and innovative is the only way to describe J. T. Ismael's The Situated Self. It is a definite must read for those wanting to get their heads into a serious scientific theory driven work in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language. * Feminism and Philosophy *Table of ContentsI: THE SITUATED MIND ; II: UNDERSTANDING ARGUMENTS FOR DUALISM ; III: SELVES

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn George Berkeley''s two most important works, the Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, he argued that there is no such thing as matter: only minds and ideas exist, and physical things are nothing but collections of ideas. In defense of this idealism, he advanced a battery of challenging arguments purporting to show that the very notion of matter is self-contradictory or meaningless, and that even if it were possible for matter to exist, we could not know that it does; and he then put forward an alternative world-view that purported to refute both skepticism and atheism. Using the tools of contemporary analytic philosophy, Georges Dicker here examines both the destructive and the constructive sides of Berkeley''s thought, against the background of the mainstream views that he rejected. Dicker''s accessible and text-based analysis of Berkeley''s arguments shows that the Principles and the Dialogues dovetail and complement each other in a seamless way, rather than being self-contained. Dicker''s book avoids the incompleteness that results from studying just one of his two main works; instead, he treats the whole as a visionary response to the issues of modern philosophy- such as primary and secondary qualities, external-world skepticism, the substance-property relation, the causal roles of human agents and of God. In addition to relating Berkeley''s work to his contemporaries, Dicker discusses work by today''s top Berkeley scholars, and uses notions and distinctions forged by recent and contemporary analytic philosophers of perception. Berkeley''s Idealism both advances Berkeley scholarship and serves as a useful guide for teachers and students.Trade ReviewThose who want to examine what Dicker is offering, a realist's critique of Berkeley's case for idealism, will find much to interest them in Dicker's book. * Margaret Atherton, Mind *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA rival to Isaac Newton in mathematics and physics, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz believed that our world--the best of all possible worlds--must be governed by a principle of optimality. This book explores Leibniz''s pursuit of optimality in five of his most important works in natural philosophy and shows how his principle of optimality bridges his scientific and philosophical studies. The first chapter explores Leibniz''s work on the laws of optics and its implications for his defense of natural teleology. The second chapter examines Leibniz''s work on the breaking strength of rigid beams and its implications for his thinking about the metaphysical foundations of the material world. The third chapter revisits Leibniz''s famous defense of the conservation of vis viva and proposes a novel account of the origin of Leibniz''s mature natural philosophy. The fourth chapter takes up Leibniz''s efforts to determine the shape of freely hanging chains--the so-called problem of the catenary--and shoTrade ReviewAn illuminating contribution to the histories of philosophy and science. * M. Latzer, CHOICE *This book is an impressive and original contribution to the history of philosophy and to the history of science. When scholars discuss Leibniz's physics, it is almost exclusively his theories of motion and space and his dynamics. But McDonough is calling attention to altogether different corners of Leibniz's scientific interests, his optics, his treatment of rigid beams, his studies of hanging chains and falling bodies, all unified by his use of teleological principles. This is a book like no other in the Leibniz literature: it deserves to be widely read and studied * Daniel Garber, Princeton University *Leibniz' ideas are increasingly useful in modern fields of science as diverse as cosmology and biology. For a grand tour of Leibniz' physics and philosophy—and especially of the subtleties of teleology—there is no finer guide than Jeff McDonough. A Miracle Creed is insightful, even-handed, and crystal-clear. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about how we come to understand and explain our world. * Dr. Roy R. Gould, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics *This rich and penetrating study breaks new ground in our understanding of Leibniz's philosophy. McDonough demonstrates how the principle of optimality is a 'miracle creed' that drives Leibniz's investigations in optics, mechanics and statics, while closely integrating them with foundational doctrines of his metaphysics. Moving deftly between Leibniz's solutions to technical problems in physics and current interpretative debates, McDonough makes an original case for the systematicity and continued relevance of his thought. The book is a must read for anyone with interests in Leibniz's philosophy and the development of physical theory in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries * Donald Rutherford, University of California, San Diego *The book not only provides an in-depth survey of important topics in Leibniz's philosophy and physics, it also succeeds in arguing that we should take optimality principles in physics more seriously. * Ansgar Lyssy, The Metascience *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. Optics and Immanent Lawful Teleology Chapter 2. Rigid Beams and the Foundations of Physics Chapter 3. Vis viva and the Origins of Leibniz's Natural Philosophy Chapter 4. Hanging Chains and Monadic Agency Chapter 5. Falling Bodies and the Rise of Variational Mechanics Epilogue

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat is it for there to be a God, and what reason is there for supposing him to conform to the claims of Christian doctrine? In this pivotal volume of his tetralogy, Richard Swinburne builds a rigorous metaphysical system for describing the world, and applies this to assessing the worth of the Christian tenets of the Trinity and the Incarnation. Part I is dedicated to analysing the categories needed to address accounts of the divine nature - these are substance, cause, time, and necessity. Part II begins by setting out, in terms of these categories, the fundamental doctrine of Western religions - that there is a God. After pointing out some of the different ways in which this doctrine can be developed, Swinburne spells out the simplest possible account of divine nature. He then goes on to clarify the implications of this account for the specifically Christian doctrines of the Trinity (that God is ''three persons in one substance'') and of the Incarnation (that God became incarnate in JTrade ReviewLike his previous works it is marked by the application of philosophically rigorous argumentation to the defence of a broadly orthodox position. This book constitutes a major contribution to philosophical thinking on the divine nature which academic theology will engage with for many years to come. * Theology. *Like his previous works it is marked by the application of philosophically rigorous argumentation to the defence of a broadly orthodox postition...this book constitutes a major contribution to philosophical thinking on the divine nature which academic theology will engage with for many years to come. * Theology *It is a book for those readers interested in the philosophy of religion ... With its sustained, progressive and convincing arguments the book is also the equivalent of a first-class dictionary of the terms of systematic theology and the philosophy of religion. * Methodist Recorder *The debate about theism's self-understanding should be greatly enhanced. * Expository Times *Swinburne's achievement - and it is no mean one - is to give a coherent contemporary account of Christian theism. * Times Higher Education Supplement *The Christian God will offer much of interest to the analytical philosopher of religion. * Themelios *This book is an elegant, incisive, provocative, lucid and concise masterpiece ... it should be required reading for theologians, both to show how difficult their discipline really is, and to expose the absurdity of the claim, still sometimes heard from non-philosophers, that metaphysics is finished ... the book is clear and powerful in argument. It is merciless to woolliness of thought, and it presents views which demand to be taken account of by contemporary theologians. It treats theology as a discipline demanding rigour. Much of it, Christians will surely think, is true, and all of it is worth-while and supremely well said, with the icy clarity and relentless precision that is the mark of much Oxford philosophy. For once the blurb is right: this will no doubt become a classic in the philosophy of religion. * New Blackfriars *His argumentation is subtle and based on extremely careful groundwork, the implications of which only gradually unfold as the work progresses. * The Philosophical Quarterly *An impressive work of sustained argumentation. Swinburne commands a very wide range of philosophical and theological ideas and never shuns hard thinking ... Swinburne's style remains crystal clear. * Religious Studies *It must be admitted that some effort must be made to understand Christian tradition in a coherent way, and that is precisely what Swinburne does. The book is therefore much to be welcomed as a thoroughly contemporary contribution to philosophy and systematic theology. * Heythrop Journal *Swinburne has become one of the eminent and celebrated practitioners of the philosophy of religion. Here, as in his other books, one finds an exceptionally careful, fresh, well-reasoned, and balanced exploration of fundamental human and religious issues. * Theological Studies *In this the third volume of his magisterial series on the philosophy of Christian doctrine, Swinburne deals with belief in the Trinity and the Incarnation. ... Unfortunately, immense scholarly erudition is incompatible neither with intellectual imcompetance nor with triviality of mind; obviously it would be invidious to cite examples, but they are legion. This only serves to set in relief Swinburne's combination of philosophical power, detailed knowledge of orthodox Christian doctrine, and just appreciation of its intellectual riches, for it is as admirable as it is rare. * The Thomist *Swinburne ... follows in this book his preferred pattern of dealing first with philosophical issues, and then applying his philosophical conclusions in a thorough, systematic and concise way to theological issues ... The Christian God is part of a series, a piece of a larger philosophical argument for the faith. However, the work is ultimately self-sufficient, and a reader with a good philosophical background or aptitude can approach The Christian God on its own terms. The book is a central work by one of the leading philosophers of religion of our day. It will be a necessary part of any college, university, or seminary library, and it will be profitably read by anyone who thinks seriously about the attributes of God and about the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation. * Ashland Theological Journal *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Peri ideon (On Ideas) is the only work in which Aristotle systematically sets out and criticizes arguments for the existence of Platonic forms. Gail Fine presents the first full-length treatment in English of this important but neglected work . She asks how, and how well, and why and with what justification he favours an alternative metaphysical scheme. She also examines the significance of the Peri ideon for some central questions about Plato''s theory of forms - whether, for example, there are forms corresponding to every property or only to some, then to which ones; whether forms are universals, particulars, or both; and whether they are meanings, properties, or both.In addition to discussing the Peri ideon and its sources in Plato''s dialogues, Fine also provides a general discussion of Plato''s theory of forms, and of our evidence about the date, scope, and aims of the Peri ideon. While she pays careful attention to the details of the text, she also relates the issues to curreTrade Reviewit is the first full-length philosophical monograph on the subject in English ... It deserves the most careful attention of anyone interested in Plato's metaphysics. It is also a splendid example of how analytic philosophy and the history of philosophy can be mutually enriching. * Bryn Mawr Classica Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisMichael Dummett is one of the most important and influential of contemporary philosophers; this book covers his work in the closely related fields of metaphysics and the philosophy of language.Trade ReviewDummett is clear and concise. * The Philosophers' Magazine *An impressive collection by one of the most influential of living English philosophers ... Reading him, one has the impression of being at the hub of the discussion in the philosophy of language and his points in other areas are invariably authoritative and original. It is welcome as an elaborate and useful contribution to contemporary philosophical thinking. * History and Philosophy of Logic *His observations are of great interest ... The publishers should be thanked for making it less likely that these important papers will escape the attention of philosophers. * International Philosophical Quarterly *Table of Contents1. What is a Theory of Meaning? (I) ; 2. What is a Theory of Meaning? (II) ; 3. What do I Know When I Know a Language? ; 4. What does the Appeal to Use do for the Theory of Meaning? ; 5. Language and Truth ; 6. Truth and Meaning * ; 7. Language and Communication ; 8. The Source of the Concept of Truth ; 9. Mood, Force, and Convention * ; 10. Frege and Husserl on Reference ; 11. Realism ; 12. Existence ; 13. Does Quantification Involve Identity? ; 14. Could there be Unicorns? + ; 15. Causal Loops ; 16. Common Sense and Physics ; 17. Testimony and Memory * ; 18. What is Mathematics About? ; 19. Wittgenstein on Necessity: Some Reflections ; 20. Realism and Anti-Realism *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume contains thirteen papers, including two previously unpublished, by Gareth Evans, a brilliant philosopher who died in 1980 at the age of 34. The treatments of problems about language are here informed by a lively sense of interconnections with issues in metaphysics and the problem of mind, and some of the papers are primarly directed to problems in these fields. Anyone who is concerned with the central questions of philosophy will be interested in this collection.Trade ReviewGareth Evans ... was widely regarded as the most brilliant and exciting philosopher of his generation ... The present volume now collects his previously published papers ... together with two substantial unpublished pieces ... These two papers, like the older ones, exemplify Evans's great virtues--his ability to develop sophisticated arguments with great clarity, his lightly worn technical expertise, and above all his capacity to get to the very heart of philosophical issues. This is analytical philosophy of the very highest quality. Those who already know Evans's work will be grateful to have his scattered papers brought together in this handsome volume; and any professional philosopher or advanced student unfamiliar with his work has an intellectual treat in store. * British Book News *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA revised and enlarged version of Bryan Magee's study of Schopenhauer. It contains a brief biography of Schopenhauer, a systematic exposition of his thought, and a critical discussion of the problems to which it gives rise and of its influence on a wide range of thinkers and artists.Trade ReviewFrom the reviews of the first edition:"This is a book of many virtues and few vices ... The book reads well. It deserves to be well read ... surpass[es] all current English-language treatments of Schopenhauer" Schopenhauer-Jahrbuchambitious ... highly readable ... Magee moves with confidence and ability among the connecting structures of philosophy, the history of ideas, the arts, and human psychology. * Philosophical Quarterly *Maggee's study should, however, not merely be reviewed but also read; for it is thorough, lucid and wide-ranging ... a substantial work." Times Higher Education SupplementBryan Magee's book is ... to be welcomed as the most illuminating and admirable study of Schopenhauer's philosophy yet to appear in English * Wagner *He sets about the task of explaining Schopenhauer's ideas with a commitment and enthusiasm all too rare in philosophical writing, and succeeds admirably in communicating his excitement to the reader. * Philosophy and Psychology *This is a wide-ranging book and Mr Magee's enthusiasm makes it stimulating. * The Economist *Table of ContentsPART I: ; PART II:

Read more less

Book SynopsisTruth, Language, and History is the much-anticipated final volume of Donald Davidson''s philosophical writings. In the four groups of essays that comprise it, Davidson continues to explore the themes that occupied him for more than fifty years: the relations between language and the world; speaker intention and linguistic meaning; language and mind; mind and body; mind and world; mind and other minds. He asks: what is the role of the concept of truth in these explorations? And, can a scientific world view make room for human thought without reducing it to something material and mechanistic? Davidson''s underlying picture, which can be seen in many of these essays, is that we are acquainted directly with the world, not indirectly via some intermediary such as sense-data, representations, or language itself; that thought emerges in the first place through interpersonal communication in a shared material world, and continues to develop as we engage each other in dialogue; and that languagTrade Review'While every one of the five volumes of Davidson's essays is a philosophical treasure trove, all containing influential and important essays, this final volume is especially interesting since it encompasses a number of key topics that are of special significance in Davidson's thinking. . . . One of the great merits of this volume is that it does indeed give a sense of the breadth of Davidson's thinking, and of the extent to which it extended beyond the usual confines of traditional "analytic" philosophy. . . . the radical and idiosyncratic character of Davidson's thinking is still, it seems to me, very much underappreciated and often unrecognised . . . The hope is that the publication of the essays in this volume, along with the essays included in the other four . . . will eventually give rise to a more integrated appreciation of Davidson's work - work that constitutes one of the landmarks of twentieth-century philosophy' * Jeff Malpas, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsTRUTH ; LANGUAGE ; ANOMALOUS MONISM ; HISTORICAL THOUGHTS

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe books translated in this volume are seventh and eighth in the traditional ordering of Aristotle''s Metaphysics. They are central to Aristotle''s metaphysical system: in them he discusses the nature of perceptible ''substance'' or reality. In particular, he compares the claims of matter and of form to be the basic reality of things, and he frequently contrasts his own view of form with the Platonic view. Several other topics are treated which are of central importance to his metaphysics, e.g. the notions of essence and definition, the status of universals, and the concept of a unity.David Bostock provides an authoritative guide to these difficult and important books, assuming no knowledge of Greek on the part of the reader. He offers a clear new translation that follows the original closely, and a thorough and careful philosophical commentary.Trade ReviewBostock reads passages closely, dissects arguments skillfully, and makes astute and informed judgements. As one philosopher reading another, he demands a lot of the text and often finds the argument wanting-and with good reason. But whether one is a defender or a critic of Aristotle, one will find Bostock's commentary enlightening and stimulating...Whatever may be one's preferences in the substance debate, one may profit by consulting this close and relatively undogmatic reading of Books Z and H./Daniel W.Graham/"Ancient Philosophy".There is a great deal to applaud in the volume. The translation is splendidly faithful to the Greek. It reads smoothly without lapsing into paraphrase ... Now Bostock has provided us with something much more straightforward, clearly written, packed iwth learning, and as detailed as we could wish. It is a splendid new resource for Aristotelian scholarship. * C. J. F. Williams, International Philosophical Quarterly *There is freshness in Bostock's approach to these books, and novelty in the proposed explanations of what can account for the "unexpected" that enriches the philosophical content of these works ... Bostock offers a very good translation of the text ... He also offers adequate introductions and resumes, which add cohesion, making the exposition "user friendly". The book will prove to be a valuable addition to the Zeta-Eta literature. * Times Higher Education Supplement *David Bostock has produced a translation that admirably fulfills the Clarendon Aristotle Series' goal of making Aristotle's texts accessible to the Greekless philosophical reader. It is accurate without being overly literal and is probably the best available in English. ... the translation is, on the whole, highly readable and brings out perspicuously the structure of Aristotle's arguments. The commentary offers much to the reader inexperienced in the details of Aristotle's thought. ... Particularly nice are Bostock's explanations (and defense) of the various Platonic positions Aristotle undertakes. ... Bostock does pay Aristotle the ultimate philosophical compliment of engaging seriously and in detail with his arguments, and the reader who works through the text in conjunction with the commentary will find that she has learned a good deal from Aristotle after all. * The Philosophical Review, vol.104, no.4, October 1995 *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn up-to-date and accessible selection of some of the most important writings on the philosophy of time, including work by David Lewis, Michael Dummett, and Anthony Quinton.Trade ReviewNow the definitive collection. * E.J. Lowe, Durham University *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; PART 1: TIME AND TENSE ; PART 2: RELATIONISM ABOUT TIME ; PART 3: THE DIRECTION OF TIME ; PART 4: THE TOPOLOGY OF TIME

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a reissue of a book which is an exploration and defence of the notion of modality ''de re'', the idea that objects have both essential and accidental properties. It is one of the first full-length studies of the modalities to emerge from the debate to which Saul Kripke, David Lewis, Ruth Marcus and others have contributed.The argument is developed by means of the notion of possible worlds, and ranges over key problems including the nature of essence, trans-world identity, negative existential propositions, and the existence of unactual objects in other possible worlds. In the final chapters Professor Plantinga applies his logical theories to the clarification of two problems in the philosophy of religion - the Problem of Evil and the Ontological Argument.Trade ReviewInteresting and original. * Times Higher Education Supplement *Table of ContentsPreliminary distinctions and remarks; Modality de re: Objections; Modality de re: Explanations; Worlds, books, and essential properties; The necessity of natures; Transworld identity or worldbound individuals?; Possible but unactual objects: The classical argument; Possible but unactual objects: On what there isn't; God, Evil, and the metaphysics of freedom; God and necessity

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe author defends the thesis that free will is incompatible with determinism. He disputes the view that determinism is necessary for free will and argues that free will is necessary for moral responsibility.Trade ReviewThis is an important book, and no one interested in issues which touch on the free will will want to ignore it. * Ethics *

Read more less

Book SynopsisProperties and objects are everywhere. We cannot take a step without walking into them; we cannot construct a theory in science without referring to them. Given their ubiquitous character, one might think that there would be a standard metaphysical account of properties and objects, but they remain a philosophical mystery. Douglas Ehring presents a defense of tropes--properties and relations understood as particulars--and of trope bundle theory as the best accounts of properties and objects, and advocates a specific brand of trope nominalism, Natural Class Trope Nominalism. This position rejects the existence of universals, and holds that the nature of each individual trope is determined by its membership in various natural classes of tropes (in contrast with the view that a trope''s nature is logically prior to those class memberships). The first part of the book provides a general introduction and defense of tropes and trope bundle theory. Ehring demonstrates that there are tropes anTrade Reviewhighly original, carefully argued, and systematic * Sophie C. Gibb, Analysis *All in all, Tropes is a challenging and rewarding read, one that offers us a number of interesting and novel solutions to an age-old problem. * Brian Jonathan Garret, Philosophy in Review XXXIII *Table of ContentsPART 1: TROPES; PART 2: NATURAL CLASS TROPE NOMINALISM

Read more less

Book SynopsisSocrates'' greatest philosophical contribution was to have initiated the search for definitions. In Definition in Greek Philosophy his views on definition are examined, together with those of his successors, including Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Galen, the Sceptics and Plotinus. Although definition was a major pre-occupation for many Greek philosophers, it has rarely been treated as a separate topic in its own right in recent years. This volume, which contains fourteen new essays by leading scholars, aims to reawaken interest in a number of central and relatively unexplored issues concerning definition. These issues are briefly set out in the Introduction, which also seeks to point out scholarly and philosophical questions which merit further study.Trade ReviewAll of the pieces advance our understanding of ancient Greek thought in important ways. College libraries should prize the book; it would also serve as an excellent text for graduate classes in ancient Greek philosophy. For scholars in logic and critical thinking, it would be a great asset to understanding how many contemporary issues have ancient precedents. * Philosophy in Review *Table of ContentsPART A: PLATO ON DEFINITION; PART B: ARISTOTLE ON DEFINITION; PART C: POST-ARISTOTELIAN WRITERS ON DEFINITION

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Metaphysics for Freedom argues that agency itself-and not merely the special, distinctively human variety of it-is incompatible with determinism. For determinism is threatened just as surely by the existence of powers which can be unproblematically accorded to many sorts of animals, as by the distinctively human powers on which the free will debate has tended to focus. Helen Steward suggests that a tendency to approach the question of free will solely through the issue of moral responsibility has obscured the fact that there is a quite different route to incompatibilism, based on the idea that animal agents above a certain level of complexity possess a range of distinctive ''two-way'' powers, not found in simpler substances. Determinism is not a doctrine of physics, but of metaphysics; and the idea that it is physics which will tell us whether our world is deterministic or not presupposes what must not be taken for granted-that is, that physics settles everything else, and that we arTrade ReviewProvocative to compatibilists and incompatibilists alike, Steward's book is a refreshing and important contribution to the ongoing metaphysical discussion of freedom. * The Review of Metaphysics *I would encourage all fellow libertarians to read this this book and take heart from the range, power and coherence of the arguments presented. Those arguments are excellent ammunition for future debates * Les Reid, Philosophy Now *Steward introduces a novel position in the freewill debate ... Anyone interested in mind and agency must read this book. * Clayton Littlejohn, TPM *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. The Problem ; 2. 'Up to Us-ness', Agency and Determinism ; 3. Action as Settling: Some Objections ; 4. Animal Agency ; 5. The Epistemological Argument ; 6. Indeterminism and Intelligibility ; 7. Responding to the Challenge from Chance: Some Objections ; 8. Agency, Substance Causation, and Top-Down Causation ; Conclusion ; References ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume presents fourteen original essays which explore the philosophy of Simon Blackburn, one of the UK''s most influential contemporary philosophers. Blackburn is best known to the general public for his attempts to make philosophy accessible to those with little or no formal training, but in professional circles his reputation is based on a lifetime pursuit of his distinctive version of a projectivist and anti-realist research program. As he sees things, we must always try first to understand and explain what we are doing when we think and talk as we do. This research program reaches into nearly all of the main areas of philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, moral philosophy, and moral psychology. The books and articles he has written provide us with perhaps the most comprehensive statement and defense of projectivism and anti-realism since Hume. The essays collected here document the range and influence of Blackburn''s work. They reveal, among other things, Trade ReviewThe range and influence of Simon Blackburn's work is reflected in the thematic variety of the contributions to this excellent volume edited by Robert N. Johnson and Michael Smith. The quality of the essays is consistently high, and together they provide a comprehensive, in-depth treatment of Blackburn's many original and controversial ideas * Camil Golub, Journal of Moral Philosophy *Anyone who has any interest in Blackburn's workor more generally in any version of expressivism, projectivism, prescriptivism, pragmatism, or anti-realismshould get their hands on this volume. The collection certainly provides a fitting, and very personal, tribute to the philosophical themes developed in Blackburn's pioneering workin the sense that many of the contributors, as indicated in the essays, have been profitably engaged with Blackburn's work for decades. * Noell Birondo, The Philosophical Quarterly *[T]his is a rather good anthology overall, and there is much here for those interested, not simply in the specifics of Blackburn's arguments, but in realism and projectivism as such, largely of course as such things apply to ethics, but to no small extent as these positions apply elsewhere as well * Steven Ross, Philosophical Forum *Written by a distinguished bunch of philosophers, this wonderful book collects together fourteen papers on various aspects of Blackburn's work. The papers cover what seems like a fitting selection of topics. They are polished, and many of them are a real joy to read. * Teemu Toppinen, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *Anyone who has any interest in Blackburn's workor more generally in any version of expressivism, projectivism, prescriptivism, pragmatism, or antirealism should get their hands on this volume. * Noell Birondo, Philosophical Quarterly *Table of ContentsPART ONE: METAPHYSICS AND EPISTEMOLOGY; PART TWO: METAETHICS AND MORAL PSYCHOLOGY

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisArthur Madigan presents a clear, accurate new translation of the third book (Beta) of Aristotle''s Metaphysics, together with two related chapters from the eleventh book (Kappa). Madigan''s accompanying introduction and commentary give detailed guidance to these texts, in which Aristotle sets out what he takes to be the main problems of metaphysics or ''first philosophy'' and assesses possible solutions to them; he takes his starting-point from the work of earlier philosophers, especially Plato and some of the Presocratics. These texts serve as a useful introduction both to Aristotle''s own work on metaphysics and to classical metaphysics in general; they are also a good example of Aristotle''s dialectical method, which reasons not from known truths but from reputable opinions.Trade ReviewMadigan's volume accomplishes what it aims to do...with its close and careful consideration of the text and its many new proposals for reading specific passages, this volume will be greatly appreciated by those undertaking their own serious study... * The Review of Metaphysics *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; TRANSLATION; COMMENTARY; NOTES ON THE TEXT AND TRANSLATION; BIBLIOGRAPHY; GLOSSARIES; INDEXES.

Read more less

Book SynopsisStephen Makin presents a clear and accurate new translation of an influential and much-discussed part of Aristotle''s philosophical system, accompanied by an analytical and critical commentary focusing on philosophical issues. In Book Theta of the Metaphysics Aristotle introduces the concepts of actuality and potentiality---which were to remain central to philosophical analysis into the modern era---and explores the distinction between the actual and the potential.Trade ReviewProfessor Makin has produced a great deal of substantive material that deserves consideration, and readers who work through his book will be grateful for his rewarding effort to elucidate this difficult text. * Bryn Mawr Reviews *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTranslated from Classical Greek, this text includes an English-Greek and Greek-English glossary, textual notes and detailed introduction to Aristotle's work.Trade ReviewIt is extremely satisfactory to have a commentary on the work as a whole. * Greece & Rome *Table of ContentsBOOK I

Read more less

Book SynopsisOn the Parts of Animals is at the heart and soul of Aristotle''s scientific investigation of animals. It not only contains the results of his investigation of why different kinds of animals have the parts that they do; it also opens with a book devoted to laying the philosophical stones of the entire biological enterprise. Those philosophical foundations, in turn, reflect and build on Aristotle''s theory of knowledge, as found in the Analytics, and his metaphysics and natural philosophy, as found in the Metaphysics, Physics, and De Anima. Whether one is interested in Aristotle the philosopher, or Aristotle the biologist, the De Partibus Animalium has a great deal to offer. The translation of the entire four books, with commentary, gives the reader an opportunity to judge the integrity of Aristotle''s zoological practice in books II-IV, in light of the philosophical recommendations for such a study presented in book I. The translation aims to reflect the fine details of Aristotle''s reaTrade Reviewa fine philosophical analysis of the dialogue * Gabor Betegh, Classical World *It is extremely satisfactory to have a commentary on the work as a whole. * Greece & Rome *Table of ContentsBOOK I

Read more less

Book SynopsisAll developed human beings possess a practical mastery of a vast range of concepts, including such basic structural notions as those of identity, truth, existence, material objects, mental states, space, and time; but a practical mastery does not entail theoretical understanding. It is that understanding which philosophy seeks to achieve. In this book one of the most distinguished of living philosophers, assuming no previous knowledge of the subject on the part of the reader, sets out to explain and illustrate a certain conception of the nature of analytical philosophy.Professor Strawson draws on his many years of teaching at Oxford University, during which he refined and developed what he regards as the most productive route to understanding the fundamental structure of human thinking. Among the distinctive features of his exposition are the displacement of an older, reductive conception of philosophical method (the ideal of ''analysing'' complex ideas into simpler elements) in favourTrade Review'The book provides a valuable account of contemporary analytic philosophy and consequently would be useful to upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members who are unfamiliar with the analytic tradition in philosophy.' M.A. Michael, University of Nevada, Choice, Jan '93'The discussion throughout the book - presented in Strawson's characteristically clear, careful and dry style - is subtle and at times intricate ... the book should be of interest for the initiated philosopher ... Strawson's introduction provides a sustained and interesting defense of an approach to philosophizing which is still very much alive.' Dorit Bar-on, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Philosophia, Vol. 23, No. 1-4 , July 1994Table of ContentsAnalytical philosophy - two analogies; reduction or connection? - basic concepts; Moore and Quine; logic, epistemology, ontology; sensible experience and material objects; classical empiricism - the inner and the outer - action and society; truth and knowledge; meaning and understanding - structural semantics; causation and explanation; freedom and necessity.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPart of the "Oxford Readings in Philosophy" series, this volume presents a selection of the major writings in the debate on the nature of meaning and reference which started 100 years ago with Frege's essay "On Sense and Reference". This subject lies at the heart of the philosophy of language.Trade Review`Since the 1960's, the Oxford Readings in Philosophy have provided an essential service to all teachers of the subject. ... in a colourful and attractive new format, but the essential aim of the series remains unchanged: to introduce students, as gently as is realistically possible, to the best work in a given area. ... the volume on time is very wide-ranging Cogito:Winter 1993`Excellent for my second year undergraduate course - right on the topics - and making central papers easily available.' Martin Bell, University of York`This is a valuable collection of articles: the quality is outstanding, and the choice is excellent, for courses on the philosophy of language.' David Bell, University of Sheffield`This is a really excellent book.' Hugh Bredin, Queen's University, Belfast`It is excellent for teaching the subject in a British University' Dr G. McCulloch, University of Nottingham`A very useful anthology of seminal essays in this field.' Stephen P. Thornton, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland`This is an excellent selection of articles.' R. Fellows, University of Bradford`Excellent, nicely priced volume with many of the classic texts.' D.E. Cooper, University of Durham`This is an excellent collection of articles.' Maria Baghramian, University College Dublin`An extremely useful collection on meaning and reference containing classic papers students ought to read.' Dr C. Macdonald, University of Manchester`One of the most useful texts in the series Oxford Readings in Philosophy. It has the most important of the relevant essays.' B.B. Rundle, Trinity College, OxfordTable of ContentsOn sense and reference, Gottlob Frege; letter to Jourdain, Gottlob Frege; descriptions, Bertrand Russell; on referring, P.F. Strawson; mind and verbal dispositions, W.V. Quine; truth and meaning, Donald Davidson; on the sense and reference of a proper name, John McDowell; what does the appeal to use do for the theory of meaning, Michael Dummett; meaning and reference, Hilary Putnam; identity and necessity, Saul Kripke; Putnam's doctrine of natural kind words and Frege's doctrines of sense, reference and extension - can they cohere?, David Wiggins; the causal theory of names, Gareth Evans; Frege's distinction between sense and reference, Michael Dummett; Wittgenstein on following a rule, John McDowell.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTwo hundred years after his death, Kant remains one of the most important modern philosophers. The Prolegomena is the ideal introduction to Kant''s unique account of the nature human knowledge, according to which we actively shape the world as we know it. This new edition of Kant''s own summary of his philosophy is designed specially for students. Guenter Zoeller assumes no prior knowledge of the Prolegomena and provides an extensive and comprehensive introduction which explores Kant''s life, the origin and reception of the Prolegomena, the organization of the work, its principal arguments, and its philosophical significance. This edition also includes detailed notes to aid student understanding, as well as a chronology, a glossary and an annotated bibliography.Table of ContentsPART 1: INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL; PART 2: PROLEGOMENA TO ANY FUTURE METAPHYSICS; PART 3: SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS; PART 4: REFERENCE MATERIAL

Read more less

Book SynopsisAgainst the traditional view of the living world as fundamentally composed of enduring things, this book argues for the radical alternative is that it essentially consists of processes. Biology is the study of the processes that constitute living beings, and the things biologists study ultimately derive their existence from more basic processes.Trade ReviewEverything Flows: Towards a Processual Philosophy of Biology is an excellent example of the skillful sampling of an on-going approach in philosophy of science. The sampling quite obviously emerged from intensive live discussions among the authors and stands in sharp contrast to the haphazardly put together collections that seem to dominate the field these days. It is an insightful and surprisingly lively read. I especially warmly recommend it to those philosophers exposed chiefly to the standard topics and approaches in philosophy of biology and in philosophy of science more generally. * Slobodan Perović, Metascience *I highly recommend this insightful and lively collection. * Slobodan Perović, University of Belgrade, Metascience *This is an important book in the development of biological explanation and understanding ... Essential. * L. C. Archie, CHOICE *This anthology heralds a revolution in the philosophy of biology, arguing that the long-standing dominance of the mechanistic framework should finally come to an end. Ambitious and innovative, yet cogent and empirically grounded, Daniel J. Nicholson and John Dupré's Everything Flows is a must read for anyone interested in understanding new directions in the investigation of the biological world. * Katherine Valde, Philosophy of Science *Everything Flows is an impressive collection and a worthwhile read for metaphysicians, philosophers of science, and biologists...Whether or not support for processualism will grow or dwindle remains to be seen; irrespective, the book stands as an absorbing study of a specific moment in analytic philosophy of biology, and a manifesto for a distinctive movement in that field * Adam Ferner, BJPS Review of Books *Nicholson and Dupré's Everything Flows is an excellent, multiperspectival effort to raise awareness about the metaphysical assumptions and problems that underlie the dominant orientation in mainstream biology, namely, that of mechanistic neo-Darwinism with its substance outlook, and to display why the process-relational alternative is to be embraced instead. * Adam C. Scarfe, Process Studies *This book appears at a time when genocentric mechanism has been widely disseminated to the public even as cutting-edge biologists and philosophers have been pulling the rug out from under it ... One of the uses of this book for philosophers will be to counter the metaphysical enshrinement of a false, but widespread impression about genes ... It is true that Everything Flows assumes philosophical and biological literacy, but it is also true that it does a very good job teaching both. * David Depew, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences *Table of ContentsJohannes Jaeger: Foreword Part I: Introduction 1: John Dupré & Daniel J. Nicholson: A Manifesto for a Processual Philosophy of Biology Part II: Metaphysics 2: Peter Simons: Processes and Precipitates 3: Rani Lill Anjum & Stephen Mumford: Dispositionalism: A Dynamic Theory of Causation 4: James DiFrisco: Biological Processes: Criteria of Identity and Persistence 5: Thomas Pradeu: Genidentity and Biological Processes 6: Johanna Seibt: Ontological Tools for the Process Turn in Biology: Some Basic Notions of General Process Theory Part III: Organisms 7: Daniel J. Nicholson: Reconceptualizing the Organism: From Complex Machine to Flowing Stream 8: Denis Walsh: Objectcy and Agency: Towards a Methodological Vitalism 9: Frédéric Bouchard: Symbiosis, Transient Biological Individuality, and Evolutionary Processes 10: Argyris Arnellos: From Organizations of Processes to Organisms and Other Biological Individuals Part IV: Development and Evolution 11: Paul Griffiths & Karola Stotz: Developmental Systems Theory as a Process Theory 12: Flavia Fabris: Waddington's Processual Epigenetics and the Debate over Cryptic Variability 13: Laura Nuño de la Rosa: Capturing Processes: The Interplay of Modelling Strategies and Conceptual Understanding in Developmental Biology 14: Eric Bapteste & Gemma Anderson: Intersecting Processes are Necessary Explanantia for Evolutionary Biology, but Challenge Retrodiction Part IV: Implications and Applications 15: Stephan Guttinger: A Process Ontology for Macromolecular Biology 16: Marta Bertolaso & John Dupré: A Processual Perspective on Cancer 17: Ann-Sophie Barwich: Measuring the World: Olfaction as a Process Model of Perception 18: Anne Sophie Meincke: Persons as Biological Processes: A Bio-Processual Way Out of the Personal Identity Dilemma

Read more less

Book SynopsisTowards Non-Being presents an account of the semantics of intentional language--verbs such as ''believes'', ''fears'', ''seeks'', ''imagines''. Graham Priest tackles problems concerning intentional states which are often brushed under the carpet in discussions of intentionality, such as their failure to be closed under deducibility. Priest''s account draws on the work of the late Richard Routley (Sylvan), and proceeds in terms of objects that may be either existent or non-existent, at worlds that may be either possible or impossible. Since Russell, non-existent objects have had a bad press in Western philosophy; Priest mounts a full-scale defence. In the process, he offers an account of both fictional and mathematical objects as non-existent. The book will be of central interest to anyone who is concerned with intentionality in the philosophy of mind or philosophy of language, the metaphysics of existence and identity, the philosophy or fiction, the philosophy of mathematics, or cognitTrade Reviewthere is a good deal inTNB2to interest readers ofTNB1.Of the latter, I once wrote that 'while I disagree with a very great deal of it, this is a stimulating, thought-provoking, and challenging book. This is a turbulent Priest whom we should be glad to have among us'. Ten years later, I see no reason to change a word of that. * Bob Hale, Philosophica Mathematica *Priest has provided a very clear and honest accounting of what has been overlooked--non--existents. His book is clearly written and welcome reading. * Jim Kow, Metapsychology Online Reviews *Table of ContentsI. SEMANTICS FOR INTENTIONALITY; II. IN DEFENCE OF NON-BEING; III. IMPOSSIBLE WORLDS AND (OTHER) NON-EXISTENT OBJECTS; IV: ET CETERA

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisLambda, the twelfth book of Aristotle's Metaphysics, is an outline for a much more extended work in metaphysics or, more accurately, in what Aristotle calls 'first philosophy', the inquiry into 'the principles and causes of all things'. Lindsay Judson provides a rigorous translation of this important book and a detailed philosophical commentary.Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction Translation Notes on the text Commentary Chapter 1: 1069a18-b2 1069b3-7 and Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapters 4-5 Chapters 6-7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Select bibliography English-Greek glossary Greek-English glossary Index locorum General index

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Beyond Program Explanation ; 2. Mental Causation on the Program Model ; 3. Can Hunter-Gatherers Hear Colour ; 4. Structural Irrationality ; 5. Freedom, Coercion and Discursive Control ; 6. Conversability and Deliberation ; 7. Pettit's Molecule ; 8. Contestatory Citizenship; Deliberative Denizenship ; 9. Crime, Responsibility and Institutional Design ; 10. Disenfranchised Silence ; Joining the Dots ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisOxford Handbooks offer authoritative and up-to-date surveys of original research in a particular subject area. Specially commissioned essays from leading figures in the discipline give critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates. Oxford Handbooks provide scholars and graduate students with compelling new perspectives upon a wide range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences. The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy is the definitive guide to what''s going on in this lively and fascinating subject. Jackson and Smith, themselves two of the world''s most eminent philosophers, have assembled more than thirty distinguished scholars to contribute incisive and up-to-date critical surveys of the principal areas of research. The coverage is broad, with sections devoted to moral philosophy, social and political philosophy, philosophy of mind and action, philosophy of language, metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of the sciences. This Handbook will be a riTrade ReviewReview from previous edition Seven sections covering morals, politics, mind, language, metaphysics, knowledge and science make it as serious and thorough as a survey could be. . . . To anyone prepared for the climb, the handbook promises a commanding view. * The Economist *Table of ContentsI. MORAL PHILOSOPHY ; II. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY ; III. PHILOSOPHY OF MIND AND ACTION ; IV. PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE ; V. METAPHYSICS ; VI. EPISTEMOLOGY ; VII. PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCIENCES

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Law of Non-Contradiction has been high orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle. The so-called Law has been the subject of radical challenge in recent years by dialetheism, the view that some contradictions are indeed true. Many philosophers have taken the Law to be central to many of our most important philosophical concepts. In Doubt Truth to be a Liar, Graham Priest mounts the case against this. Starting with an analysis of Aristotle on the Law, he discusses the nature of truth, or rationality, or negation, and of logic itself, and argues that the Law is inessential to all of these things. The book takes off from Priest''s earlier book, In Contradiction (a second edition of which is also published by OUP), developing its themes largely without recourse to formal logic.The book is required reading for anyone who wishes to understand dialetheism; (especially) for anyone who wishes to continue to endorse the old Aristotelian orthodoxy; and more generally, for anyone who wishTrade ReviewReview from previous edition This wide-ranging book is divided into four Parts: Truth, Negation, Rationality and Logic. Priest's discussion of these topics is centered around their bearing on his doctrine of dialetheism, the view that some contradictions are true; but the discussions are of great interest independent of dialetheism. The quality of the discussion is generally very high, and the book is a must-read for anyone interested in the central questions of the philosophy of logic. . . . I found this a thoroughly stimulating book. I recommend it with great enthusiasm. * Hartry Field, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsI. TRUTH; II. NEGATION; III. RATIONALITY; IV. LOGIC

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe relationship of part to whole is one of the most fundamental there is, yet until now there has been no full-length study of this concept. This book shows that mereology, the formal theory of part and whole, is essential to ontology. Peter Simons surveys and criticizes previous theories, especially the standard extensional view, and proposes a more adequate account which encompasses both temporal and modal considerations in detail. This has far-reaching consequences for our understanding of such classical philosophical concepts as identity, individual, class, substance and accident, matter, form, essence, dependence, and integral whole. It also enables the author to offer new solutions to long-standing problems surrounding these concepts, such as the Ship of Theseus Problem and the issue of mereological essentialism. The author shows by his use of formal techniques that classical philosophical problems are amenable to rigorous treatment, and the book represents a synthesis of issuesTrade ReviewA clear and careful work both in metaphysics and in the history and logic of mereology....Simons's care and precision and his sensitivity to fine distinctions are what make the book a success. * The Philosophical Review *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; PART 1 EXISTENSIONAL PART-WHOLE THEORY; 1. CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF EXTENSIONAL MEREOLOGY; 2. SURVEY OF EXTENSIONAL MEREOLOGY; 3. PROBLEMS; 4. OCCURRENTS, CLASSES, AND MASSES; PART II MEREOLOGY OF CONTINUANTS; 5. TEMPORARY PARTS AND INTERMITTENT EXISTENCE; 6. SUPERPOSITION, COMPOSITION, AND MATTER; PART III ESSENCE, DEPENDENCE, AND INTEGRITY; 7. ESSENTIAL PARTS; 8. ONTOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE; 9. INTEGRAL WHOLES; CONCLUDING REMARKS; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a revised and updated edition of Galen Strawson's groundbreaking first book, where he argues that in a fundamental sense there is no such thing as free will or true moral responsibility. Strawson examines the 'cognitive phenomenology' of freedom - the nature, causes, and consequences of our deep commitment to belief in freedom.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition An engaging and challenging book that should be studies by anyone commited to the topic of freedom. * John Christman, Mind *A serious and intelligent work, written in an accessible style, on one of the hardest problems there is. * Thomas Nagel, London Review of Books *Large, intricately argued and challenging, full of subtle argumentation and intriguing examples...his conclusions are often novel and challenging to philosophical (and non-philosophical) orthodoxy * John Martin Fischer, Times Literary Supplement *This is an honest and challenging work, full of subtle arguments and imaginiative examples, and should be read by anyone interested in philosophical problems about human freedom. * Robert Kane, International Philosophical Quarterly *Table of ContentsPREFACE TO REVISED EDITION (2010) ; PREFACE ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Libertarianism, Action, and Self-determination ; 3. Kant and Commitment ; 4. Commitment, Illusion, and Truth ; 5. Non-rational Commitment: A View of Freedom ; 6. Phenomenology, Commitment, and What Might Happen ; 7. Objectivism: Preliminaries ; 8. Choice ; 9. Self-consciousness ; 10. Evidence and Independence ; 11. Contravention and Convention ; 12. The Spectator Subject and Integration ; 13. The Natural Epictetans ; 14. The Experience of Ability to Choose ; 15. Subjectivism and Experience of Freedom ; 16. Antinomy and Truth ; APPENDICES ; BIBLIOGRAPHY ; INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhilosophical naturalism, according to which philosophy is continuous with the natural sciences, has dominated the Western academy for well over a century; but Michael Rea claims that it is without rational foundation, and that the costs of embracing it are surprisingly high. The first part of World Without Design aims to provide a fair and historically informed characterization of naturalism. Rea then argues compellingly to the surprising conclusion that naturalists are committed to rejecting realism about material objects, materialism, and perhaps realism about other minds. This conclusion is striking, largely because naturalism is often simply identified with materialism, and the remaining two theses are ones that naturalists very typically want to endorse. Rea goes on to examine two alternative research programs: intuitionism and supernaturalism, and argues for the conclusion that intuitionism, under certain circumstances, is self-defeating.World Without Design offers a provocativeTrade ReviewReview from previous edition succinct and penetrating ... Thoroughly researched and richly argued, World Without Design will prove valuable to anyone interested in the naturalistic tradition * Troy Cross, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of Contents1 NATURALISM ; 2 ONTOLOGY ; 3 ALTERNATIVES

Read more less

Book SynopsisDeterminism and Freedom in Stoic Philosophy is the first comprehensive study of one of the most important intellectual legacies of the ancient Greek world: the Stoic theory of causal determinism. The book identifies the main problems that the Stoics addressed and reconstructs the theory, and explores how they squared their determinism with their conceptions of possibility, action, freedom, and moral responsibility, and how they defended it against objections and criticism by other philosophers. It shows how the Stoics distinguished their causal determinism from ancient theories of logical determinism, fatalism, and necessitarianism. Along the way an authoritative account is given of many other related aspects of Stoic thought, including their views on the predictability of the future, the role of empirical sciences, the determination of character, and moral freedom. Bobzien''s study of these central doctrines of Stoicism reveals the considerable philosphical richness and power that theTrade ReviewThis is a work of magnificent scope and superb execution ... Suzanne Bobzien brings to her huge exegetical agenda an exceptional combination of clarity, independence of mind, knowledge of the sources, skill and judgement in using them, and logical expertise. As well as teaching us a great deal about Stoicism, this book is an education in how to deal with ancient philosophical texts ... Suzanne Bobzien has given us a marvellous aid for understanding and appreciating the Stoic doctrine of fate. * Sarah Broadie, Mind *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Determinism and Fate ; 2. Two Chrysippean Arguments for Causal Determinism ; 3. Modality, Determinism, and Freedom ; 4. Divination, Modality,and Universal Regularity ; 5. Fate, Action, and Motivation: The Idle Argument ; 6. Determinism and Moral Responsibility: Chrysippus's Compatibilism ; 7. Freedom and that which Depends on us: Epictetus and Early Stoics ; 8. A Later Stoic Theory of Compatibilism ; Bibliography; Indexes

Read more less

Book SynopsisJohn Palmer presents a new and original account of Plato''s uses and understanding of his most important Presocratic predecessor, Parmenides. Adopting an innovative approach to the appraisal of intellectual influence, Palmer first explores the Eleatic underpinnings of central elements in Plato''s middle-period epistemology and metaphysics. He then shows how in the later dialogues Plato confronts various sophistic appropriations of Parmenides while simultaneously developing his own deepened understanding. Along the way Palmer gives fresh readings of Parmenides'' poem in the light of the Platonic reception, and discusses Plato''s view of Parmenides'' relation to such key figures as Xenophanes, Zeno, and Gorgias. By tracing connections among the uses of Parmenides over the course of several dialogues, Palmer both demonstrates his fundamental importance to the development of Plato''s thought and furthers understanding of central problems in Plato''s own philosophy.Trade ReviewPalmer presents detailed and convincing readings of some of the most difficult passages in the Platonic corpus. * Owen Goldin, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Palmer has found a new angle from which to tell the story of the development of the metaphysics of the later dialogues. His analyses of Plato's arguments are careful and sober, and his tracing of their antecedents in Plato's reading of Parmenides is innovative and valuable. * Owen Goldin, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *challenging and interesting ... every serious student of ancient philosophy will want to read it. * Heythrop Journal *This excellent and extensive survey is valuable reading for scholars and graduate students interested in Plato's metaphysics and epistemology. * N. D. Smith, Choice *This is a learned book and there is much that is both new and valuable. The discussion of the sight-lovers of Republic 5 ... is very good, and the accounts of Gorgia's influence on the arguments of the Parmenides and the Sophist are particularly insightful. Palmer has read widely and critically, and he engages with much modern and contemporary scholarship. * Patricia Curd, The Classical Review *Table of Contents1. Plato's Middle-Period Reception of Parmenides ; 2. Plato and the Sophisti Appropriations of Parmenides ; 3. Plato's Parmenides in the Later Dialogues ; Appendices; Bibliography; Index locorum; General Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisStephen Mumford puts forward a new theory of dispositions, showing how central their role in metaphysics and philosophy of science is. Much of our understanding of the physical and psychological world is expressed in terms of dispositional properties - from the spin of a subatomic particle and the solubility of sugar to a person''s belief that zebras have stripes. Mumford discusses what it means to say that something has a property of this kind, and how dispositions can possibly be real things in the world. They have seemed to many to reside on the fringes of actuality, waiting to manifest themselves; Mumford''s clear, straightforward, realist account reveals them to be far less enigmatic, and shows that an understanding of dispositions is essential to an understanding of properties, causation, and scientific laws.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition Stephen Mumford's book Dispositions does much more than just expound his contribution to the wider debate on dispositions. Here is all you will need to know about that debate as it stands ... clearly and intelligently explained. * Alexander Bird, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *Mumford's Dispositions is packed full of argument and analyses of all the issues concerning dispositions and the major contributions in the existing literature. This will certainly top the list of such contributions for some time to come. It is the book I would recommend to anyone wanting to get up-to-speed on this important topic. Its style is clear and pleasing. And Mumford's own views are an important contribution to the area. * Alexander Bird, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *Mumford's book is the most detailed and seriously worked out study of dispositions yet * Wolfgang Malzkorn, Erkenntnis *Mumford's theory is an interesting account of dispositions which comes very close to the true nature of those amazing and important properties * Wolfgang Malzkorn, Erkenntnis *'Dispositions' reads pretty easily in part because it is free of the technical notation that is so tempting to introduce and in part because it is extremely well written and produced. Mumford also reveals his deep understanding of the philosophical problem of dispositions in that the book stays focused on the most imperative matters, never straying to pet issues more amenable to advancement. * The Philosophical Review, vol.110, no.1 *Stephen Mumford confronts the toughest and most important metaphysical issues about dispositions. * The Philosophical Review, vol.110, no.1 *Table of Contents1. Threats and Promises ; 2. Dispositions in Mind and Matter ; 3. The Conditional Analysis ; 4. The Dispositional-Categorical Distinction ; 5. Property Dualism ; 6. Dispositions as Causes ; 7. Property Monism ; 8. Eliminativism and Reductionism ; 9. A Functionalist Theory of Dispositions ; 10. Laws of Nature Outlawed ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less